Five places for you to enjoy to the fullest the Brazilian Carnival

Brazilian Carnival enjoys worldwide fame for its diversity, criativity and proportions. Gigantic mobs at the street parties dance for almost any sort of music and rhythm. Meanwhile, at Marquês de Sapucaí Street is located the Sambadrome where takes place the ‘greatest show on Earth’ the samba schools parade. Below we give you 5 places where the party will make you have lots of fun during Carnival.

5. SÃO PAULO
Brazilian economic center was for decades unfairly known as the tumbstone of samba. That’s different now. It’s the fastest growing party in the country. There are almost 400 blocks to present or parade at the streets of certain sections of the city. The sounds are really mixed and you can find options for almost any taste, including samba. On Carnival Friday and Saturday the Anhembi Sambadrome receives the 14 samba schools of Sao Paulo Special Group.

4. OURO PRETO
This tradicional village in Minas Gerais State was the wealthiest in the country during the Golden Age (until the 18th Century) and has today a very peculiar Carnival to represent dozens of others spread around places far from the coast. This lovely historic city is flooded with college students that organize most of the street parties with an array of music kinds. The locals on the other hand are behind blocks like Zé Pereira dos Lacaios with its giant dolls. Its parade happens every year since 1867.

3. RECIFE AND OLINDA
Two neighbour cities at the Northeastern state of Pernambuco are heaven for those who love street parties and folkloric music and dances like maracatu, caboclinhos. The blocks also take to the streets giant dolls, some of them with traditional names like The Midnight Man or the Midday Woman. The greatest sensation is the frevo clubs, the most tradicional rhythm of this carnival, especially at Olinda hills. At downtown Recife, also known as the Brazilian Venice (don’t expect gondolas, though), there is this incredible block Galo da Madrugada which take thousands to the streets following a gigantic sculpture of a rooster.

2. SALVADOR
Capital of Bahia state, the most African influenced city in Brazil, Salvador have a great mix. Afoxés and other African blocks like Filhos de Gandhi, Ile Ayê and Timbalada keep the ancestral tradition. Meanwhile, millions follow long musical trucks (walking stages with powerful sound systems) along predetermined itineraries. The performances are most varied having Ivete Sangalo as the axé music greatest star. If you are inside the ropes stretched near the truck you should be wearing an “abada” the most common Carnival outfit. Outside the ropes is the place of the mob also known as popcorn, because they dance and jump at the same time. In Salvador the Carnival celebrations start before anywhere else and are the last ones to wrap up.

1. RIO DE JANEIRO
We could call it the Carnival’s world capital since it is the one that attracts the greatest number of tourists and have a bit of almost every kind of dance and music you can imagine. There are hundreds of blocks parading the streets to specific fans like the one that mixes Beatles hits with African drums. Others like Cordão do Bola Preta prefer “marchinhas”, songs with small lyrics easy melodies and mostly good humoured. Finally there are those which prefer samba, like Simpatia É Quase Amor and Banda de Ipanema. You can wear any costume you can come up with. No rules whatsoever. That’s why walking the streets of Rio is so much fun this time of the year. You can take a subway car along with indians, Superheroes, Cavemen and ballerinas. At the Sambadrome, downtown, it takes place what is known as the greatest show on Earth, the samba schools parades. Carnival Friday and Saturday are devoted to A Series – those trying to get to the big spectacle, the Special Group, set for Sunday and Monday nights. Next year there will be 13 schools at the main show and the next Saturday the six best ranked go back the Champions Parade.

So, where are you going to spend your Carnival in 2018?