It is often cited as being one of the best party city’s in the world. And with an explosion of music and colour, Rio de Janeiro proved why it receives that moniker during the breathtaking climax of its Rio carnival 2013.
Brazil’s Rio Carnival starts on Saturday, 9 February and will conclude on 12 February. Ahead of the official start of the carnival, revellers from samba schools were seen at the Sambadrome Marquês de Sapuc on Friday. The Sambadrome is a purpose-built stadium located in Rio de Janeiro and designed specifically to host the annual parade.
The Rio Carnival 2013 is likely to a slightly watered-down affair, after the nightclub tragedy in the city of Santa Maria.
The BBC reports as many as 60 people remain in hospital and carnival plans in several cities, Santa Maria and Rio de Janeiro included, have been re-worked. Brazil president Dilma Rousseff will take no part in Carnival festivities, officially or otherwise.
However, the show must go on. And even if the festivities have been scaled back, Rio’s reputation as the Carnival Capital of the World assures locals and visitors of a gigantic party. There are well over 500 processions expected over the course of the four days leading up to Fat Tuesday, with 1.1 million tourists expected. The reputation and profile of the Rio Carnival also ensure A-list celebrities from across the world are a part of the event.
This year, glamorous Hollywood star Megan Fox and South Korean rapper Psy, of Gangnam Style fame, will among the big names present.
The local flavour of every Rio Carnival is provided by legions of Samba schools. These organisations train and create dancers and floats, with each representing one neighbourhood of the city.
The annual Samba parade is a competition that demands an incredible amount of hard work and preparation, with the final few months leading up to the Rio Carnival almost exclusively given to rehearsals.
Of course, the main attraction of the Rio Carnival is the bikini and sequin-clad dancers, whose energetic dances have long become the stuff of Carnival legend.
Samba queens, fantasy floats, steel drums and dental floss bikinis – it can mean only one thing.
Yep, it’s carnival time in Rio de Janeiro, signalling four days of wild celebrations in the Brazilian city.
Festivities kicked off on Saturday (with Megan Fox popping in) and last through until Fat Tuesday, after which begins Lent, during which one is meant to abstain from all bodily pleasures.
So until then, fill those boots and feast those eyes on the bacchanalia unfolding in Brazil.
Its carnival time in Rio de Janeiro, and Brazil’s second-largest city has been overwhelmed by a quioxtic panoply of beautiful Samba dancers, fantasy floats and steel drums.
Tuesday is the last day of the celebrations before the start of Lent, during which believes abstain from things which bring them bodily pleasure.
The festival’s official website says “Carnival, with all its excesses, celebrated as a profane event, can be considered an act of farewell to the pleasures of the flesh.”
During the parade, majestic floats are seen packed with dancers wearing huge headgear, feathers, and sequins. Around 13 samba schools take part in the parades, with each school representing one neighbourhood of the city.
In the parade, the main attractions are the Samba queens who are chosen in a contest. They need to be beautiful, confident and infused with a carnival spirit.
The queens show off their near-perfect bodies at the head of their schools, clad in the most amazing costumes. The Carnival Designer has complete creative control of the parade, and designs every costume worn by those who take part.
A number of TV and film personalities and sports stars have visited Brazil to soak up this year’s carnival, including Megan Fox, Gangnam Style rapper Psy, reality star Kim Kardashian and her boyfriend, rapper Kanye West.
Watch Rio Carnival 2013 Sexy Dancers video
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