If you thought you missed the big party in Rio de Janeiro last summer, when the city hosted South America’s first Olympic Games, take heart: You still have a chance to go to Carnaval, which culminates this year on Feb. 27 and 28 after a few weeks of buildup. And for what it’s worth, Carnaval (or Carnival) is always the biggest, sexiest, most exciting party in Rio—even when you compare it to the Games.
That wasn’t always the case.
“Outside of a few great parties and the main events at the Sambadrome [or Sambódromo, where the dance competitions take place], Carnaval used to be pretty subdued,” explained Martin Frankenberg, a Brazil specialist at Matuete who has celebrated the holiday in Rio more times than he can count on both hands.
He explained that the Carnaval you see in movies (the one that’s in your travel dreams) is a recent reinvention: “It’s what Carnaval was originally about—street parties, free love, free everything. We’ve seen a huge resurgence of that. Now the street parties take over the city in a huge way, whereas 10 years ago it used to be pretty subdued.” He calls the current version of Carnaval ‘food for your soul’—or, more accurately, the little part of your soul that thinks it’s still in its early twenties.
Carnaval 101
Yes, surviving Carnaval typically requires a constant stream of caipirinhas and espresso shots. But for the luxury-leaning, Frankenberg has lots of tips and tricks to tailor a trip to any personality—as long as that personality has the willingness to take on a few Back Samba Shuffle Steps and shoulder shimmies.
A key point, he said, is to have a local guide.
“Carnaval is made up of about 50 individual blocos [street parties] that each draw as many as 2 million people to the streets,” he said. They all have one thing in common: live music. But from there, there’s tons of variation: Some blocos are family friendly, some are rowdier, some are (relatively) small, with just 500 attendees, some have more traditional music, and so on."
We pair every guest with a guide who understands their travel profile and how intense they want to be,” said Frankenburg.
Battling the Sambadrome
Then there’s the main event: the showdown of samba schools at the Sambadrome, an Oscar Niemeyer-designed parade hall that stretches a half mile through central Rio, with a jaw-dropping seating capacity of 90,000. Frankenberg likens the competition to a premiere football league with 12 teams, all facing off in a fierce annual showdown. Points are awarded for storytelling, dancing ability, costumes, music, percussion, and so forth. Each year one team is demoted to a junior level, while one from the lesser ranks is promoted—just to fuel their fire.
Attending can feel a little like being in Times Square on New Year’s Eve, if you're not savvy. “Most tickets don’t have assigned seats, so you’ll see people get to the Sambadrome in time for breakfast to get good seats and stay until the show is over at 6 a.m.,” he said.