Carnival Fever Sweeps Rio
With just days to go until the official start of Rio Carnival on Saturday, February 13, a festive fever is already sweeping the city.
The major samba schools have been perfecting their moves and beats with technical rehearsals at Rio’s famous Sambodromo (the vast, purpose-built stadium that hosts Rio’s famous samba parades) for months, and the streets are alive with the relentless drumming that accompanies Rio’s numerous blocos, or street parties. Riotous celebrations that see locals and tourists alike take to the streets in their droves, the blocos are a fantastic way to experience the spirit of carnival. Happily for budget travelers hoping to enjoy a cheap holiday in Rio (no easy task during Carnival), the blocos are usually free of charge to attend, although a few will require revelers to cough up for an official t-shirt in order to join in the fun.
There are some 450-plus blocos officially registered for Rio Carnival 2010, ranging from teeny weeny street gatherings in off-the-beaten track locations to enormous dance-athons in Centro and the Zona Sul. The last few weeks have seen each bloco give its supporters the chance to choose the official tune for Carnival 2010 (each bloco pens its own original tunes each year); with hordes of party people seizing the opportunity to get into the pre-carnival celebratory spirit. Among the most popular of the Rio Carnival Blocos are Monobloco – a vast troupe, of international acclaim, that attracts thousands of revelers to Copacabana beach; Cordao do Bolo Preto, the city’s oldest bloco; and Carmelitas – the energetic and much loved bloco hailing from boho Santa Teresa. (Although rehearsals have now moved downtown, to Praca Tiradentes, after party-pooping residents raised complaints about the noise…).
Bloco schedules are published in advance in the local press but are often subject to change, so be prepared to adapt your party plans at the last minute. This is Rio, after all, and even the best laid plans can get swept away in the rush of ecstatic chaos that is Carnival in Rio.
There are several agencies selling tickets to the official samba school parades at the Sambodromo, among the most established of which is Rio Carnival Services
Photo: Lucy Bryson
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