Rio de Janeiro Carnival, Brazil

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What is the Carnival of Rio de Janeiro?

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Welcome to the largest and best known carnival in the world, the one that gathers hundreds of thousands of cariocas, Brazilians from all over the nation and visitors from all over the world to see the incredible presentations of the schools in the sambadrome, attend the street carnival and the private parties that are organized in every corner of the city. The Rio de Janeiro Carnival is the most ostentatious, colorful and mind-blowing celebration on the entire planet earth.

The celebration of the Rio de Janeiro Carnival is undoubtedly the wildest spectacle on the planet that takes place during the days leading up to Lent. Rio de Janeiro Carnival is a festival of music, joy and colors that enlivens the Brazilian city for four days in February. This celebration is definitely an experience not to be missed and one that everyone should attend at least once in their lifetime.

Everyone takes to the streets to be part of the amazing blocos, groupings that represent the carnival originating in Brazil. Their catchy songs and their electric trios hypnotize all those who attend to enjoy for hours and hours all their musical repertoire they have to offer to the city of Rio de Janeiro.

There is nothing quite like the Rio de Janeiro Carnival. The festival has marked a before and after in the perception of the culture, festivities and identity of the entire Brazilian people. Before and during the festivities no one sleeps, there is only time for the great wave of celebrations that completely suffocates one of the largest cities in the country. The Carnival of Rio is the Carnival of Rio de Janeiro.

Rio de Janeiro’s annual carnival attracts approximately two million people each year, contributing around US$165 million to the city’s and country’s economy. Come to the Rio Carnival for a unique experience that you can only have in the city most famous for its parties and celebrations.

 

When is the Carnival of Rio de Janeiro?

Rio de Janeiro Carnival is held following the traditional calendar of festivities that occur before Christian Lent. Carnival is an annual event that always begins on the Friday before Ash Wednesday.

The Rio de Janeiro Carnival will take place approximately from February 25 to March 2.

 

 

History of the Carnivals of Rio de Janeiro

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Carnival is one of the festivals with the longest trajectory around the world. The feasts or festivals that started the carnivals date back to 4000 BC, when primitive peoples performed agrarian rituals for the better development of crops and a fruitful harvest. In addition, they also performed rituals to scare away the evil spirits or spirits of winter, to make way for thespirits of spring.

With the constitution of Ancient Rome, people held celebrations to the various gods that made up their beliefs. At that time it was common to hold commemorative ceremonies orfestivals in honor of Bacchus and Saturnalia or even Dionysius, the god of wine. The Roman Catholics were the ones who set the pattern for the current Carnaval celebrations, with a feast prior to Cinder Wednesday, the first day of Lent in the Christian calendar.

During the Middle Ages, the carnival came to spread in Central Europe to reach the various nations across the continent. From Italy, Carnival spread to France, Spain and Portugal, countries that today still live the carnival festivities fervently and are part of their identity characteristics.

The Portuguese brought Carnival to Brazil around 1641 with the tradition of the “entrudo”, a party that could be very violent and consisted of throwing all kinds of liquids, flour or even earth and eggs at other people. By the arrival of the 19th century, more specifically in the year 1841, entrudo had been banned due to its violent, archaic and immoral nature. However, the population had acquired the necessary tools to adapt the festivities, civilizing the traditions.

Since the end of the 19th century, the Brazilian carnival has undergone a great evolution with the creation of carnival clubs, blocos and cordões. After this, between the first and second decade of the 20th century, the first samba parade with some competitions took place. In the 1930s, the first samba school tournament was held and in the 1980s the carnivals began to be held in the city’s sambadrome.

The Carnival in Rio de Janeiro is the living reflection of a cultural clash between the Portuguese and the Africans. The Europeans brought the first celebrations with native elements, while the Africans brought their rhythms, music and dance movements. In this way, the best-known celebration around the world was originated, which has delimited quality standards in carnival celebrations in each country and region.

Fundamentally, the carnival in Rio has been a party of social conversions, where everything acquires new forms and backgrounds. During these days, it is normal to see men dressed as women and women dressed as men. The rich can wear rags and thepoor can wear sequins and crystals, no option or alternative is limited and everything can be done.

 

Where is the Rio de Janeiro Carnival

The Carnival is held in the city Rio de Janeiro, homonymous state in Brazil, South America. Rio de Janeiro represents the second highest GDP in the whole country and the 30th in the world.

All major samba competitions between rival dance schools and parades take place in the Sambadrome, a parade area built specifically created for Carnival. Also, the street carnival takes place in the streets of the city, occupying many squares and avenues.

 

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How is Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival celebrated?

Although the parades in the sambadrome are probably the most televised and famous celebration in Rio de Janeiro during Carnival, this does not mean that it is the only one. Throughout the city there are a host of events taking place to commemorate the festivities that are just as important as the official parades.

 

Parades at the Sambódromo

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The Sambadrome is an open-air venue where the main Carnival events take place. The venue is a huge and extravagant runway with spaces, tables, chairs and gradas on both sides of the track for people to sit and enjoy the show.

The parades are performed by the differentsamba schools that are registered with the carnival organization, which develop an incredible theme year after year. Thousands of participants perform on the sambadrome track, all of them with incredible costumes that move from one side to the other while celebrating, dancing and animating the public. The whole show is accompanied by several percussionists and fast samba rhythms.

The schools are divided between Grupo especial and Serie A, which perform the parades in the official sambadrome of the city, while the schools that make up the Grupos de Acesso C, D and E hold the parades on the Intendente Magalhães, one of the thoroughfares of the city of Rio de Janeiro. Those in the Special Group can take up about 75 minutes of presentation time and reach more than 5,000 members.

The schools train for months so that they can give their best performance in the sambadrome. All schools have the same goal: to win the title of champions.

 

Samba schools

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• • Beija-flor

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• Grande Rio
• Imperatriz
• ImpéRío Serrano
• Mangueira
• Mocidade
• Portela
• Paraíso Do Tuiuti
• Salgueiro
• São Clemente
• União Da Ilha
• Unidos Da Tijuca
• Vila Isabel
• Acadêmicos Da Rocinha
• Caprichosos De Pilares
• Acadêmicos De Santa Cruz
• Estácio
• Alegria De Zona Sul
• Alegria De Zona Sul
• Inocentes De Belford Roxo
• Acadêmicos Do Cubango
• Unidos De Bangu
• Acadêmicos Do Cubango
• ImpéRío Da Tijuca
• Unidos De Padre Miguel
• ImpéRío Da Tijuca
• Renascer De Jacarepagua
• Renascer De Jacarepagua
• Unidos Do Viradouro
• Unidos Do Viradouro
• União Do Parque Curicica
• Renascer De Jacarepagua
• Unidos Do Viradouro
• Unidos Do Porto Da Pedra
• Unidos Do Porto Da Pedra
• Acadêmicos Do Sossego

 

Street Carnival

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The street carnival is led by the blocos of the city of Rio. Outside the sambadrome, the streets are filled with dozens of daily parties that are a key feature of Carnival. The blocos are the carnival’s standout performers, featuringmoving vans, popularly known as electric trios, which slowly cruise the streets to samba music..

At street celebrations, costumes are a must and although some blocos have themes, any costume is accepted and welcome. The most popular blocos can draw hundreds of thousands of people onto the streets to celebrate with music and dancing. The best blocos tend to be in Leblon, Ipanema and Copacabana; however, there are also hundreds of blocos scattered throughout the city center and quieter areas.

Some of the best-known blocos are:

• Cordão Da Bola Preta
• Carmelitas
• Ipanema Band
• Suvaco Do Cristo
• Sargento Pimienta

 

Carnival Festivities

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Carnival balls are large events held at certain locations in the city. These events feature dazzling, outrageous and outrageous thematics, reinventing the concept of extravagant carnival parties. These balls take place in various locations throughout the city and can be extremely lavish as to be held at the Palacio de Copacabana or take place in quiet venues and feature themes such as gay or old-time themed parties.

The music and entertainment can also vary, with traditional samba music or international electronic music. In addition, the venues have spectacular presentations that have nothing to envy to the traditional parades.

 

Music Kiosk or Coretos Contest

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To promote citizen participation, the carnival organization has been holdingmusic kiosk contests for decades. In this way, several groups must design and build their own kiosks. The most beautiful and creative kiosks win a prize of up to 18 thousand reais.

 

Tips for going to the Rio de Janeiro Carnivals

 

If you wish to attend the Rio de Janeiro Carnival, we recommend you to plan your trip in advance, make an itinerary of activities and book the accommodation of your choice in advance. Also, be sure to wear comfortable and light clothing, since during the carnival the weather in the city is somewhat hot.

If you wish to attend the official parades at the sambódromo, you will have to pay close attention to the different carnival media, as tickets sell out very quickly. When you buy your ticket, remember that there are 3 options to see the parades: Arquibancos or bleachers, Frisas or individual chairs and the cabins. The grands are the cheapest option, followed by the frisas which are mid-priced and the cabins are the most expensive.

In addition, you can enter the sambadrome with only 2 plastic bottles of water, beer or soft drink and two pieces of food, either sandwiches, hamburgers or fruit. You can buy more food at the facilities.

 

Events at the Rio de Janeiro Carnival

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Rio de Janeiro Carnival is an incredible spectacle that occurs for a few days and has a fairly linear and planned schedule. The official parades of the carnival have a schedule that is governed according to the categories of the groups, since the special groups must perform their programs on specific days, as well as the A series.

 

School trials

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If you extend your visit several months back or you are already residing in the city, you can attend the various school rehearsals that take place at the sambadrome. These rehearsals are the preparations for what is going to happen in February, but without the costumes and without sophisticated floats. However, the rehearsals are totally free of charge.

 

Carnival parades

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The parades are held at the city’s sambódromo and each group or section has a defined date for each of its presentations.

 

Group A

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The schools that are in Group A always perform on Friday and Saturday of Carnival. These schools are in constant competition to acquire a space in the Special Group.

 

Special Group

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TheSpecial Group features the largest and most famous schools. These parades are always held on Carnival Sunday and Monday.

 

Parade of Champions

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The parade is held the following Saturday after the carnival and features the 6 winning schools in the previous parades..

 

 

Street Carnival

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The street carnival occurs at the same time as the official carnival parades. Some blocos already have a certain territory where they perform and this can vary from place to place. Blocos perform in every corner of the city, so the city never breathes during carnival time.

 

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Rio de Janeiro Carnival Parades

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Rio de Janeiro Carnival parades are to grand proportions. There is no concept of simplicity when performing the repertoires in the sambadrome. Dozens of large floats take the catwalk with different themes. These floats are so large that they are able to hold large structures and support the weight of hundreds of people who dance, pirouette and sing. Some floats may include swings, slides or even swimming pools.

 

Directly on the dance floor, you see thousands of people dancing or performing some choreography. Like the floats, each person has a themed costume. The schools move gracefully performing some visual scenes with their costumes.

The music envelops the entire presentation in a magnificent colorful and magical scene. The schools dance to the rhythm of the music while people watch all the choreographies from grandas, chairs or comfortable cabins.

 

Parade route

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The parades are held at the sambódromo da Marquês de Sapucaí, located on Marquês de Sapucaí Street. The sambódromo is 570 meters long and 12 meters high.

 

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What to eat at the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro

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Rio de Janeiro Carnival is the perfect opportunity to eat all the traditional and typical dishes of the city and the country. One of the signature dishes of the whole country is the Feijoada. The feijoada is a stew of beans or black beans that meat and sausage. The dish is accompanied with a portion of white rice.

Another traditional dish is the Quindim. Quindim is a traditional Brazilian dessert that is made with coconut, eggs and sugar. The dessert is believed to have been present in Brazilian food since the 17th century and is an interpretation or recipe based on traditional Portuguese sweets such as papo de anjo and fios de ovos.

The city of Rio de Janeiro also offers you several options of restaurants and places so you can get to know a little more about the food that the whole nation has to offer. Some of the best known places are: Marius Degustare, Adega Santiago Barra, Guacamole Cocina Mexicana, Explorer Bar, Gabbiano Ristorante, Bar do David, Camarada Camarão, Restaurante Tropicana, Restaurante Skinna and Cachambeer..

 

 

 

What to see and do inside the Rio de Janeiro Carnival

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Once you are in thecity of Rio during the Carnival season, you can purchase your tickets for the sambadrome and watch the different performances in one of the seats you have purchased. If you like a much more traditional option of active fun, you cango in search of the blocos in the different squares, avenues and streets of the city and party with the rest of the residents and tourists.

If you are looking for a more sophisticated and private option, you can inquire about the different venues that offer dances and theme parties during carnivals. Finally, if you are in town a few months before or if you visit the city months before the carnivals, you can attend the rehearsals of samba schools. These rehearsals are not that impressive, but they will give you a good impression of what the schools are made of and all their potential.

 

What to see and do outside the Carnivals in Rio de Janeiro

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The city of Rio also offers you some tourist attractions that you can visit during your trip.

 

Pão de Açúcar

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It is a peak located in the Guanabara Bay. It has a height of 396 meters. The peak has its own cable car with panoramic views of the ocean and the city. The Pão de Açúcar is one of the most important natural monuments of the city.

 

Christ the Redeemer

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It is a large and extremely famous figure of Christ the Redeemer. The statue alone is about 30 meters long, with the pedestal at the base it measures 38 meters. The statue was unveiled in 1931 and is located at the top of Corcovado Hill.

 

Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro

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It is a botanical garden inaugurated on June 13, 1808. In its facilities you can find a large collection of plants, flowers, lakes, walkways, statues, an orchidarium, a Bromeliad and a sensory garden.

 

Security in the city of Rio de Janeiro is a somewhat controversial issue, as it is considered one of the cities with the highest crime rate in the country. However, for some years now, security has been improving.

In addition, on parade days, the Sambadrome is considered the safest place in the city, as there is a large police force guarding the safety of the participants due to the concentration of celebrities, politicians and renowned personalities.

 

Weather at the Rio de Janeiro Carnival

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During Carnival, the city of Rio de Janeiro is quite hot, with temperatures ranging between 25 and 31 degrees Celsius. Also, we recommend you to stay hydrated and apply sunscreen whenever necessary.

 

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How to get to Rio de Janeiro Carnival

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The main airport for both domestic and foreign flights is the Airport Internacional Antônio Carlos Jobim. Once there, you can take the various means of transportation until you reach the city center.

 

How to get there by bus

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From the airport you can take a bus to the city center. The trip takes about 1 hour.

In addition, Rio is connected to the main cities of the country through terminals and main stations.

 

How to get there by car

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From the airport you can take a car to the city center via Expressa Presidente Joao Goulart.