Rio Carnival Approaches!

It’s that time of year again! Brazil’s finest dancers, costumes and partygoers will come together over one spectacular weekend to celebrate before the beginning of lent.

The Party

The festivities have grown enormously over the years, having started with just a small street parade in 1823. It is now known universally as the biggest carnival in the world, with upwards of a two million people expected to hit the streets of Rio de Janeiro over the 4 day celebration between 28th February and 4th March. With a number of celebrities, including YouTube sensation PSY rumoured to be attending this year, 2014 looks to be bigger and better than ever.

Interestingly, of the total 5 million of so people that will be present over the 4 day weekend, around 500,000 will be tourists. This number has been steadily increasing for years, since the inception of the ‘Sambadrome’. This stadium-like construction is formed of two huge rows of bleachers facing each other, with a concrete path running between them. Huge lights illuminate this strip, as this is where the hundreds of dancers, drummers and colourful costumes will proceed in front of a sold-out 90,000 capacity crowd.

The Samba Schools

The Samba schools compete against each other for a chance to be promoted to what is known as the ‘Special Group’. This elite group of schools are the biggest, grandest and best-funded schools in Rio and certainly know how to put on a show. After the theme for the year has been chosen, each school gets to work choreographing dances, training their members and slaving away over costume design. The winning Samba school is afforded huge prestige within the Rio community so schools will often spend upwards of thousands of pounds in order to secure their place in Rio’s history.

In addition to the show on offer, a ‘King Momo’ is selected each year. This privileged individual is given the key to the city along with a sizeable reward. Traditionally, the King had to fit the profile of the original King Momo – this essentially involved his being over 300lbs in weight. However, with growing obesity problems in Brazil, this requirement was abandoned and the opportunity to become King Momo is now open to everyone.

2014 looks to be the biggest, brightest and best of the bunch so far, so don’t hesitate to grab the chance to go!

Sound like an awesome spectacle? Find out more: Contact a Latin Routes Travel Specialist

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