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La Carnival-Rio, Brazil
Rio de Janeiro a large city in Brazil, on the South Atlantic coast, is widely known for its breathtaking landscape, laidback beach culture and its annual carnival! Enquire anyone about Rio and the answer you would get is: think Rio, think carnival! However, beaches also serve important destination for the people who come for sightseeing. The must-visit beaches are the Copacabana and Ipanema, the Christ The Redeemer (Cristo Redentor) statue, the stadium of Maracanã and Sugar Loaf Mountain (Pão de Açúcar) – all of these make up the flavor of this forever-festive town.
Carnival culture at Rio
The vibrant and fun spirit most evident during the Carnival celebrations define the wonderful city of Rio. Parades are held annually and taken to the streets for all to witness, participate and enjoy. The residents of Rio, called Cariocas, are known for being easy-going and friendly and they welcome visitors into their fold in a natural and comfortable manner.
- The highly advertised aspect of Rio-La Carnival- is the biggest crowd puller for tourism in this Brazilian town. Parade preparation and festivities start two weeks before the event and the revelry outlasts the event as the mood lingers.
- The escolas de samba (samba schools) that parade in Centro, on a gigantic structure called Sambódromo (Sambadrome) sparks a lot of interest and fun for spectators who are naturally enamored of the sensual and energetic dance moves they get to see at La Carnival.
- During La Carnival hundreds of ‘street samba’ blocks are included in the parade almost in every neighborhood, especially in the Central and the South Zone. Some are very famous, and hardly any Carioca would have not heard of "Carmelitas", "Suvaco de Cristo", "Escravos da Mauá" or "Simpatia É Quase Amor".
- The actual samba schools in Rio have regular night practice sessions held in the months leading up to Carnival and little is known about this among the tourists. Salgueiro and Mangueira are good choices, as they are two of the larger samba schools and located relatively close to the tourist areas in a fairly safe zone.
- La Carnival time at Rio is non-discriminatory and finds space for all level income people and persons of different sexual preferences. There are many different balls that are held during the annual carnival that cater to these different categories. If the expensive tickets for the Sambodrome (the top samba schools parade) at carnival time are out of reach for you, you can always find one of the many balls that are well advertised and any reliable cabbie can get you there.
- Carnival Friday, Saturday and Tuesday are stated as the best ball nights with the Gala Ball being the most formal of all events. This takes place at the luxury hotel Copacabana Palace. A veritable institution for Rio socialites, this Gala Ball has all the big names in football history, Parisienne models and the mayor in attendance. Ticket prices vary according to venue but they all sell fast, so it is best to buy carnival tickets in advance from the hotel. The sale starts from January onwards.