The flavor is lived in Rio de Janeiro...

THE CARNIVAL OF RIO DE JANEIRO

Without a doubt, the most famous event in Brazil of the year is the Carnival of Rio de 

Janeiro, one of the largest shows in America and one of the greatest manifestations of the 

Carioca culture, which fills the streets of the city with music and color for a week and that

has its climax in the spectacular parade of the Samba Schools that takes place in the 

Sambadrome.

Officially the Carnival lasts four days, from Saturday to Tuesday before Ash Wednesday 

(the exact date varies between February and March), which marks the beginning of Lent,

 the celebrations invade the neighborhoods with street parties, parades, dances and Free

 concerts throughout the week or even before. 

Those who visit Rio de Janeiro during Carnival days will enjoy an incomparable atmosphere

 that shows like no other, the cheerful character of Cariocas, where social, cultural or racial 

differences disappear and all hearts beat to the rhythm of the same passion.

But the Rio de Janeiro carnival is not just the annual celebration for a few days a year. It is 

the result of months of preparation during which the Samba Schools create fantasies, floats

 and impossible costumes and, specialized musicians create rhythms that will be sung and 

danced by hundreds of people during the official parade that will end with the great election

 of the best Samba school of the year. 

But the Rio de Janeiro Carnival is not restricted to samba schools and official parades, but 

instead invades the streets of the city and each of its inhabitants. 

Many of the neighborhoods form those known as blocos de rua, local groups that organize 

street parades that begin several days before the official start of the carnival, covering the 

“Cidade Maravilhosa” of a party atmosphere in all its corners.

YOU CAN PARTICIPATE LIVE CARNAVAL ...

 
To participate you have to contact one of the samba schools, most of which are delighted to

 receive foreigners among their ranks. The school will indicate when it should be in Rio

 (usually a week before) to participate in the rehearsals and to the extent possible learn the 

songs. 

THE OFFICIAL PARADE IN THE SAMBODROMO ...

The party starts on Carnival Friday with the coronation of King Momo by the mayor who gives 

him the keys to the city. That same afternoon, the event begins with the parade of children's

 samba schools.

On Saturday the official parades begin and that day the samba schools of Group A or Access

 Group are presented. But, without a doubt, the most important days are Sunday and Monday,

 when the Special Samba Schools parade, the best schools that compete for the title of

 Carnival Champion.

Each school has 80 minutes to tour the sambadrome dancing, singing and presenting the

 show that has been designed for that year (the presentations of each school are different

 each year). In the parade of each school several groups of dancers, percussionists and

 allegorical cars participate as well as the traditional baianas, women dressed in the use of

 the typical women of Bahia of the 19th century, as a tribute to the Afro-Bahian root of the 

carnival and the samba.

To decide which is the winning samba school, the jury takes into account the percussion,

 the samba do enredo (the musical theme), the harmony between the percussion, the song

 and the dance, the choreography, the costumes (fantasies), the story told by the presentation

 and decoration of the floats. 

                                                     

CARNIVAL EXPLANATORY VIDEO

But the Rio de Janeiro Carnival is not restricted to samba schools and official parades, but instead invades the streets of the city and each of its inhabitants.