Street carnival

Carnival in Rio de Janeiro with los blocos

If you suddenly encounter enthusiastic hordes right in one of the streets of Rio de Janeiro, in motley attires, you probably got stranded in one of the blocos, which start turning Rio’s streets into a special event. Anyone can join them and get drawn into the whirlpool of Rio’s street carnival. There is a wide choice – more than 300 street bands make a joyful and rhythmical hell of a mess out of Rio de Janeiro. The blocos consist of a carriage with music or a band and follow a certain route or they take place in an open space. Some parades are small, others are huge, with more than 10,000 participants; there are blocos for children as well. If you want to join one of these easy-going parades, apart from all the parades at the Sambodromo and the classical carnival balls, these are the most popular blocos:

• Cordão do Bola Preta – one of the most traditional blocos in central Rio de Janeiro

• Banda de Ipanema - on three different days in Ipanema

• Suvaco do Cristo – a parade close to the Botanic Gardens, right under the stretched out arms of the Statue of Christ the Redeemer – hence the name

• Banda das Carmelitas – a parade across Santa Teresa, a part of Rio de Janeiro on several hills