Brazil vacation: With a parade of over 200 extravagant presentations, approximately two million visitors per day, street parties popping up all over the place and an elegant ball at Copacabana Palace, Brazil’s Carnival is the world’s biggest and possibly best known party.
There may be Carnival celebrations around the world, but the Brazilian way is one of the most recognisable and is something anyone who’s ever liked to drink, dance or gape in awe should experience.
Carnival was brought to Brazil by Portuguese immigrants in 1723 where it evolved into the flashy spectacle seen today. Portuguese from Acores, Madeira and Cabo Verde arrived in Brazil and introduced what began as a huge water, mud and food fight. By the 1800s the celebration evolved into more organised parades, which actually held great importance for the working class who used the opportunity to express political dissatisfaction during a time of political censorship, but it was when the Afro-Brazilians introduced samba that the party really began.
Samba became part of Carnival in 1917 and has been a firm fixture since. In 1928 the current ‘schools’ system used for the parade began. Over 200 schools divided into five leagues take part in the parade over four consecutive nights, with each presentation consisting of several floats telling a particular story.
Pumping Batacuda-style music accompanies the floats as they travel the length of the purpose-built Sambadrome, designed by Oscar Niemeyer, built in 1984 and host of Carnival’s premier event since that date. With a capacity of 90,000 the Sambadrome is a superb host and you’ll certainly be part of the party, but you’ll find a lot happening around the city outside of its pounding walls as well.
In the lead-up, during and after Carnival street parties rage across Rio de Janeiro with anyone welcome to these open events. This is where you will find the wildest Carnival-ing, so it is wise to keep your wits about you, but you’ll mostly experience only good vibes and feel perfectly safe as you attempt to keep shaking pace with the locals.
On Carnival Saturday the Magic Ball, touted as the high point of Carnival with an illustrious guest list. This is the most expensive and lavish event at Carnival, but if you want to rub shoulders with celebrities and super models (guaranteed to happen of course) you want a ticket – which will set you back a cool USD 1300 for the cheapest option – to the ball.
For those with flexible credit cards there is one additional option: participating in the Sambadrome parade yourself. Determine which is your favourite samba school, pop on a costume and strut your stuff alongside them. The catch is that you do need to dress appropriately, which in this case means minimal clothing with as many sequins and feathers as possible.
This is not a DIY kind of costume however, and will take a fee in order to hire a costume from organisers – but surely dancing your way through the Sambadrome cheered on by tens of thousands of people is worth the investment.
Author’s Bio: Courtney Gahan is a serial expat, traveller and freelance writer who has bartered with Moroccan marketeers, seen the sun rise at Angkor Wat and elbowed her way through crowds on NYE in NYC.
