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Carnival in Rio de Janeiro
The official Carnival events the week preceding Mardi Gras (the date changes every year) - We do recommend arriving a few days earlier as there’s so much to do during Carnival that you will not have much time left to visit the city, or even go to the beach. Also remember that Carnival season is actually much longer than these few days so, to avoid paying the higher rates charged by Rio hotels during the main event, we suggest arriving one or even two weeks before. Street festivities are actually opened on January 26 by Banda de Ipanema and, the following weekend (February 2 and 3), still in Ipanema, Banda Simpatia é Quase Amor and Banda da Carmen Miranda will perform. Samba School rehearsals are also great: they take place every weekend before the main event. Plan your activities ahead and be sure to include the Samba Parade, a little street band participation and at least a ball.
Carnival is Rio’s main summer event and the yearly festivities attract thousands of people from all over the world. Carnaval (in Portuguese), is really a 4-day celebration starting on Saturday and ending on Tuesday (Mardi-Gras or Fat Tuesday). The date changes every year but it is always 40 days before Lent, the Catholic holiday preceding Easter.
Carnival started in Rome (the name in Latin means “salute or goodbye to meat”) as a pagan celebration which was incorporated by the early church in their vast repertoire of holidays and as the ages changed became more and more followed. It is easy to remember the famous parties of the Venetian Republic in the seventeen century. Carnival was imported from Italy in the late nineteenth century, and soon became a legendary festival with famous balls at the Copacabana Palace and at the Municipal Theater.
You’re just in time to start making plans for Carnival! Remember that space disappears quickly and that most hotel will only allow a minimum stay of at least 5 nights during this period. We recommend to make reservations as soon as possible, and to arrive a few days earlier to explore the city as there’s so much to do and see during Carnival days and nights that you will hardly have time to go on city tours. Each neighborhood in Rio has its favorite Bandas, an orchestra marching along a pre-determined route, followed by a multitude of participants dancing samba in costumes, bathing suits, plain clothes, and even in drag. First people gather at a square or a bar, then after a couple or more hours, the band starts marching down the streets and all this while a running show is performed by drag queens, passers by and children, between stopped cars and buses with drivers who have nothing to do but relax and enjoy.
The Samba School Parade - The Samba Parade began in the 30’s and has now a permanent home in downtown Rio at the Sambodrome. Today you can even watch the event on TV from dozens of countries, and all Brazilian states, but nothing beats participating in this greatest show on earth. Carnival, in effect, is not only the Samba Parade, but happens all over the city and takes on a special life through the streets of the city: you are more than welcome to watch and encouraged to participate.
You need to experience the Samba School Parade at Rio´s Sambodrome at least once in your lifetime, they say! Although you can watch it on TV, you really have to mix with the crowd or even march with the samba school, to really experience carnival. Tickets to the event are quite expensive but definitely worth it: the parade is on Saturday and Sunday with 7 samba schools each day, starts at 7 p.m. and goes on until sunlight the next day, around 6 am, an incredible samba marathon. The parade is divided into sections (alas), with people wearing the same costumes and separated by floats to bring to life, all together, the school’s chosen theme. Many floats have special effects, the size only limited by the narrow tree-lined streets that give access to the Sambodrome and by the sheer weight as men of the community - honored to participate in any way - are pushing them.
By tradition, some “alas” are mandatory, and play a very important role in the performance. Look out for the abre-alas, usually a men-only group with elaborate choreography, that marches in front of every the school. Ala das baianas is a section with women dressed in big round colonial-style skirts, the baianas, and one of the biggest attractions. There is a porta-bandeiras, a lady carrying the school flag, while the crowd cheers, and a mestre sala, her partner, who has the job of drawing everybody’s attention to the flag. There are also children-only sectors with their own version of porta-bandeiras and mestre-sala. The bateria (percussion band) sets the beat preceded by a queen (rainha da bateria), and followed by a vocalist, the puxador. The last ala is usually the Velha guarda, a group of men in traditional white suit and Panama hat, representing the malandro, a traditional Carioca character
During Carnival, major streets are closed down to traffic, even bus routes are changed trying to avoid the inevitable jam as even Seniors and children of all ages participate in the event. So join in, you are welcome to participate, and it’s free!
Rio Carnival Dates:
- 2009 Feb 21 to 24
- 2010 Feb 13 to 16
- 2011 Mar 5 to 8
- 2012 Feb 18 to 21
- 2013 Feb 9 to 12
- 2014 Mar 1 to 4
- 2015 Feb 14 to 17
- 2016 Feb 6 to 9
- 2017 Feb 25 to 28
- 2018 Feb 10 to 13
- 2019 Mar 2 to 5
- 2020 Feb 22 to 25
