Festivities of Carnival

There are many parades that happen in the cities of Rio de Janeiro during this celebration. There are large official parades that are meant to be watched by the public. There are also smaller parades in which the public is invited to participate that happen in smaller surrounding cities. Pageant groups called blocos parade through the streets of Rio, each group wearing its own style of t-shirt or costume and dancing. They each have a music group and some followers and are usually associated with a particular neighborhood. Though blocos parade through other cities as well, some of the most famous ones can be seen in Rio de Janeiro.

Samba schools are large groups of performers who practice all year for Carnival. Samba was originally brought to Rio around the 1920’s and in the 1930’s the first Samba School adapted it to fit into Carnival. There is now an official competition of seven divisions and eventually one of the Schools is chosen as the winner. They are judged based on themes, costumes, flow, and the music quality and performance of the band. Definitely not an event to be missed for the music lover! The Sambadrome is the place where these bands perform, usually for four nights. If you can’t make it there, you can sometimes catch the Samba Schools parading through their streets with their followers.

Lots of people also choose to have fun and drink beer, adding an abundance of culture and company to all the restaurants and streets of the city. You can find whatever you are looking for, whether it is to enjoy a formal performance or to sit in a bar with some locals and enjoy authentic food, the choice is yours. With endless streets to explore and parades to watch, the options for entertainment are endless.