Carnival in Rio

Carnival in Brazil is held each year before Lent. Rio is famous for its Carnival celebrations. Over 2 million people a day attend it. This year Carnival dates are March 1st through 9th. The first Carnival celebration was held in Rio in 1723. The heart of Carnival is the amazing floats with world-class entertainment performed during the lively parade.

At the heart of Carnival and its amazing floats are the samba schools located throughout Rio and in other parts of Brazil. Most of  these schools represent the working class community from the favelas.

Each school has its own space to build their floats, create their costumes, and practice their routines for the competition during Carnival.   These preparations continue throughout the year.

We were very lucky to be able to visit a Samba school and get a tour. Everyone was busily creating the float and  practicing  the entertainment that would be presented on the float during its 75 minutes in the spotlight of the parade. The theme for this float was very hush-hush because there is keen competition between the 13 Samba schools in Rio to get First Place.

Terri and Randall

After our tour, we were lead in some fun dance moves