Rio de Janeiro Carnival Blocos

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Rio de Janeiro Carnival Blocos

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Rio de Janeiro Carnival is one of the best and biggest celebrations in the world. The event is characterized by being a great conglomerate of cultural manifestations that can be seen in the parades of samba schools,carnival dances and street bands known as blocos. Although the parades are the most internationally popular expressions, the blocos are actually the kings of the celebration. These blocos are a reflection of the country’s history, both in culture and in centuries-old traditions. The Carnival of Rio de Janeiro is considered a multicultural event of high prestige and is considered the best street party in the world, both by residents and tourists.

After a critical period of street carnivals during the 1980s and 1990s, the blocos returned with much more strength. Today, the street carnival, known as blocos, has much more participation than the official samba schools. Although the predominant rhythm in the carioca street blocos is samba, there are also other varied rhythms that have been influenced by other cultures. In addition, some blocos interpret pre-existing themes or add unconventional instruments.

 

What is a Bloco?

A Bloco is a general term given to a grouping that performs a large number of cultural demonstrations of a popular nature. The closest term for Bloco in English would be a comparsa, although the two are somewhat different. Blocos generally perform a parade among their designated area, but their main purpose is toentertain the public, not to parade.

The Blocos in the city of Rio de Janeiro are entities that begin their activities before Carnival and end after the official parades. Street Carnival or Street Carnival is a celebration that occurs for a prolonged period of time, since in many cities there are so many groups that must be distributed during the carnival season. The Blocos in Rio de Janeiro are an extremely important element of the carnival celebration in the city.

Over the years, these groups have evolved, integrating new cultural expressions. In some cities of the country the blocos have been greatly influenced by African currents. In this way, the musical genres have mutated, making the carnival festivities much more nourished throughout the country and in thecity of Rio. There are currently a large number of blocos present in the country.

 

 

History of the Rio de Janeiro Carnival Blocos

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In the mid-19th century, the elite of the city of Rio began to perform the characteristic Carnival dances. These dances were inspired by the original European carnival, so the salons were always filled with drink, food and traditional European music. In the streets, people played entrudo, which consisted of throwing eggs, flour and any other material they could find. Later, the high society began to take the carnival to the streets, parading fancy clothes and carriages. In this way, a kind of fusion was generated between the rudimentary street party and the glamorous elements of the elite..

Already at the end of the 19th century, the first vestiges of the modern street carnival began to be seen, giving rise to the name of blocos. The first blocos focused mainly on freedom movement, since the country had achieved the abolition of slavery during these dates. These original blocos allowed the meeting of people from different origins, originating new and varied rhythms and musical genres.

 

Years later, times were coming where the blocos would proliferate and get stronger and stronger. Although the blocos reached a critical period due to the strengthening of the samba schools and their parades, they never ceased to exist, they were always present in society. Today, there are various types of blocos, all of them incorporating different types of cultural and social currents.

 

What are the types of Blocos?

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Due to the contact with diverse cultural currents, historical facts and musical genres, blocos have been under constant growth. In addition, they have managed to create new definitions and integrate them into carnival celebrations, both in Rio de Janeiro and in other cities and states of the country.

 

Agremiação

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This is a type of Blocos that are formed by musicians from the samba schools. Normally, they are part of the sambas de enredo..

 

Afro

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They are a type of Bloco that have been influenced by African cultural aspects, both in their instruments and in the letters and rhythms. In addition, they also usually make use of Electric Trios and have identity symbols in their presentations. These Blocos are found with much more regularity in Salvador, Bahía state.

 

Animal

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It is a type of bloco where the main attraction is the pets. Generally, the cats, dogs and other animals wear fanciful and funny costumes.

 

Embalo

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In the city of Rio de Janeiro are the blocos that are not part of the genre of enredo; that is, some other pre-existing carnival manifestation in the city.

 

Engajado

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These types of entanglement are related to social or ideological movements.

 

Enmeshment

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They are the predominant blocos of the city of Rio de Janeiro. This type of blocos are the most similar to the samba schools, although their presentations are less prolonged. Their presentations are dominated by the samba subgenre known as samba de enredo or samba enredo, which is the one used for the parades of comparsas and escolas.

 

GLS

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This is a type of bloco organized and directed specifically for the LGBTIQ+ collective. However, anyone can go, regardless of their sexual preference or whether they are part of the movement.

 

Children

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As its name suggests, it is a blog aimed at children and their parents.

 

Lyrical

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It is a bloco genre that predominates in Recife and Olinda. This type of bloco has little presence of metallic instrumentation, since its main vehicle of expression is the voice.

 

Playback

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They are blocos that haveelectric trios commanded by a DJ or player.

 

POP

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These are a type of blocos that are dedicated to presenting songs that have been selling hits or are regularly played on the radios.

 

Promotional

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They are Blocos that have the purpose of sponsoring some company, establishment or commerce in order to publicize the brand.

 

Religious

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As their name indicates, they are groups that try to reach prayers through gospel music.

 

Sujo

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They are characterized by being somewhat disorganized groups and in which the lyrics and improvised musical pieces predominate. In addition, they also do not have uniforms or distinctive, they are improvisational groups.

 

Thematic

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They are blocos that are inspired by the work of some artist, musician or band in particular. In this way, they reproduce their work in their own way.

 

Piranhas

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It is a grouping of men who dress as women to perform their presentations and joke during carnival.

 

Where are the Blocos located?

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The blocoscan perform in any corner of the city of Rio de Janeiro. However, many famous blocos already have an established site. Some blocos have names allusive to their region, so you can find them mainly in these places. For example, the Banda de Ipanema is located in the beaches of Ipanema.

The areas most noted for their blocos performances are: Centro Histórico with blocos such as Cordão do Bola Preta; Copacabana with blocos such as Rancho Flor do Sereno and the Ipanema area with blocos such as Cacique de Ramos. However, they can also be found in Lapa, Santa Teresa, Leme, Leblon and even in the vicinity of the Botanical Garden. As we had mentioned, blocos cover every inch of the city during carnival season.

 

 

 

When do the Blocos play?

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Blocos performances may extend weeks before the carnival season, during the holidays and may extend after the carnivals. In addition, during the year they may also perform some presentations.

 

What time do the Blocos play

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While there is no schedule stipulating what time each bloco plays, generally each bloco performance lasts for a couple of hours. However, it also depends on the number of members the Bloco has, the number of musical pieces, the nature of the repertoire and how well known the group is.

During carnival season, the blocos perform all day long without stopping, beginning at approximately 8:00 a.m. until late at night.

 

 

Most Popular Blocos

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As is the custom of carnivals, each city has a bloco or grouping favorite. In Rio de Janeiro there are around 500 blocos. However, not all have the same characteristics. Some blocos may be relatively small with a couple of members, others may have hundreds of members. Some of Rio’s blocos are even considered the largest in the world, second only to O Galo da Madrugada.

Here are some of the most reputable blocos in the city of Rio de Janeiro.

Cordão da Bola Preta

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This bloco is one of the most traditional and popular in the entire city of Rio de Janeiro. Since its birth, this bloco has remained strong, always enjoying good reputation and popularity.  The Bloco de Cordão da Bola Preta was created in 1918 and is one of the most active in the whole city.

The Cordão da Bola Preta usually parades every Saturday of Carnival on Avenida Rio Branco in downtown Rio de Janeiro. Its parade starts around 9 am and ends around 2 pm. However, it also participates in some opening events on the Friday before carnival. Its distinctive colors are white and black, many people dress this way during its presentations. This bloco has some of their own musical pieces that they use as their anthem during their presentations.

The Cordão da Bola Preta bloco calls itself the largest bloco in the world, creating some rivalry with the Bloco Galo da Madrugada in Recife. According to the bloco itself, it has had a participation of 2.5 million people in a single carnival edition.

 

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Suvaco do Cristo

Suvaco do Cristo is a bloco that was born in 1986 in the Barrio de Jardim Botânico and is one of the most beloved in the whole city. The bloco has as its identifying symbol a Christ the Redeemer with open arms on the Corcovado Hill. Suvaco do Cristo began as a bloco for fun among friends and ended up being one of the most important and recognized throughout the city of Rio de Janeiro and the country.

Likewise, thebloco Suvaco do Cristo founded in 2006 the bloco Suvaquinho, with the purpose of offering to the children of the city a basic formation on the blocos carnival.

 

Bloco da Preta

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Bloco da Preta is a group organized by singer Preta Maria Gadelha Gil Moreira de Godoy, or simply Preta Gil. In addition to performing at her own events with her bloco,Preta Maria Gadelha Gil Moreira de Godoy has also collaborated with other artists nationwide. The Bloco da Preta mobilizes mainly in the streets of Downtown Rio de Janeiro.

 

 

Simpatia é Quase Amor

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The Bloco de Simpatia é Quase Amor parades on Sundays of Carnival from the General Osório Square and usually starts its performance at 4 pm. Simpatia é Quase Amor was founded in 1985 and its characteristic colors are yellow and lilac in honor of a remedy called Engov, which helps prevent hangovers the next day. It is currently known as the most beautiful carnival bloco in the whole city.

 

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Escravos da Mauá

The Bloco de Escravos da Mauá was founded in 1993 by a group of employees of the Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia and is identified by the color combination yellow and blue. Since then and every carnival season, the Bloco Escravos da Mauá depart from Largo de São Francisco da Prainha, through the streets of Barrio de Saúde in the vicinity of Praça Mauá, Pedra do Sal and Morro da Conceiáo..

 

Sergeant Pimenta

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The Bloco de Sargento Pimenta is one of the newest blocos of the carnival. However, its popularity has grown like froth. Sargento Pimenta was founded in 2010 and began parading through theFlamengo neighborhood of the South Zone of Rio de Janeiro city. This bloco is characterized by performing presentations related to The Beatles band. However, the bloco has integrated some elements of samba, marcha, maracatu and other traditional Brazilian rhythms.

Today, the bloco parades along the Aterro do Flamengo and manages to attract the attention of some 180,000 people every year.

 

 

Banda de Ipanema

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This bloco was founded in 1965 by Albino Pinheiro, Jaguar, Ziraldo, Sérgio Cabral and the newspaper O Pasquim. As its name indicates, the bloco was constituted in Ipanema, southeast of the city. This bloco represents one of the best known in the whole carnival, which parades in the South Zone of the city of Rio de Janeiro..

In the beginning, the bloco performed with defective instruments and was characterized by political criticism and even mocking the military regime of the time. Since then, Banda de Ipanema bring crowds on the streets to celebrate during the carnival season. In addition, the Banda de Ipanema has always been recognized as a democratic bloco, integrating young, old, gay, straight, drag, women and children.

In 2004, the Banda de Ipanema was declared intangible heritage of Rio de Janeiro.

 

Bohêmios de Irajá

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The Bloco de Bohémios de Irajá is one of the best known groups in the city and throughout the national territory. This bloco was founded in the year 1967 and usually parades in the neighborhood of Irajá, located in the North Zone of Rio de Janeiro.

Cacique de Ramos

Bloco Cacique de Ramos was founded in 1961 in the northern area of Rio. Cacique de Ramos has a large number of hits that have made it one of the most popular groups in the city. Among its members are a good number of famous personalities of the music industry. The bloco used to parade on Rio Branco Avenue until 2014. However, it currently parades on Republica de Chile Avenue on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays of Carnival at 8 pm.

Due to its great contribution to the preservation and development of the identity of the city of Rio de Janeiro, it was awarded the Medalha Tiradentes. The Medalha Tiradentes is a recognition awarded by the government to individuals or groups that have contributed significantly to the city and the country.

 

 

Bloco das Carmelitas

The Bloco das Carmelitas is a carnival bloco that was founded in 1990, which parades in Santa Teresa, in the vicinity of Convento de Carmelitas or Convent of the Carmelites, giving it its name. The Bloco das Carmelitas was the result of a series of stories told by neighborhood residents, who claim to have seen a nun jump over the convent wall to be part of the celebration.

For this reason, two parades are held; one on Friday commemorating the date on which the nun from the convent attends the samba and a second one held on Tuesday commemorating the return of the nun to the convent. In addition, many of the participants wear nun’s clothing to honor the whole anecdote.

Every year, the Bloco das Carmelitas manages to congregate up to 10,000 people in a single parade. This number is usually reached on Shrove Tuesday when the last parade of the bloco takes place.

 

Should I go to the blocos or the Carnival parade?

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It’s a difficult decision, as both events enjoy a unique particularity. If you want to have a carnival experience much more in touch with Brazilian culture, we recommend you attend the blocos. In these blocos you will have the opportunity to party in the front row all the rhythms that have marked the history of the country and the city. In addition, you will be able to participate alongside other residents and visitors, meeting and making friends from all over the world and the city. One of the advantages of the blocos is that they are completely free, you can go without paying tickets. For this reason it is known as the democratic and popular carnival.

 

Attending the fashion shows is definitely a unique and wonderful experience. Every year, the different professional samba schools gather at the city’s sambadrome to perform a series of shows. These presentations include phenomenal scenery, impressive floats and wonderful musical pieces. In addition, all participants dance, filling the entire venue with good energy. You can watch the parades from various points of the sambódromo, either the bleachers, chairs or cabins. In order to access these events it is necessary to pay a ticket, some of them have an affordable price, while others are extremely expensive.

If you have the opportunity, we recommend living both experiences. The blocos are presented during several days in the city of Rio de Janeiro, so you have the opportunity to see them on several occasions. In addition, the parades also occur during 4 days and you can choose the day of your preference. You can also go to the parades during the night and to the blocos during the day. Living both aspects of the carnival is without a doubt, one of the most magical experiences during the carnival season.