The Brazilian Carnival is a world-renowned event with a complex history. Today’s festivities incorporate West African and Bantu elements as well as Portuguese traditions.
According to London Image Institute, the festival kicks off with the crowning of King Momo, a jolly fat man representing joy and posterity. This event marks the start of the nearly weeklong pre-lent celebration.
Theme
Theme is a key element to any event, especially one as flamboyant as Rio Carnival. This immersive festival reflects the best of Brazilian culture, including food, music, and dances, while sending social, religious, and environmental messages.
Every samba school picks an overarching theme that will be communicated to spectators through their songs, dancing, parade floats, and decorative costumes. The schools then have internal competitions to select songwriters, storytellers, and designers who will create specific scenes to bring that theme to life. This year samba schools have also picked themes with political undertones.
This year the samba schools will compete in the Sambodromo Marques de Sapucai, where each school is given an hour to perform in front of 80,000 spectators and judges who look at everything from singing, dancing, and costume design to float construction. These are no small undertakings, as each scene must be perfectly executed to ensure that the school is crowned champions.
The Carnival is also celebrated in smaller street parties known as blocos, which take place all over the city. These free events often have a theme and can attract a young, wild crowd. One of the fastest growing blocos is inspired by The Beatles’ ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ and will feature costumes and samba-style covers of all the classics. The nun-themed blocos of the bohemian Santa Teresa neighborhood are another favorite for the wild and free crowd.
Color
Although Carnival originates from Christian tradition and is celebrated in many cities around the world, Rio stands out among them. Its Carnival is the largest in the world, with parades and samba that draw millions of revelers to its streets. It is a pre-Lenten feast full of dance, music, and frenetic samba rhythms.
Throughout the year, samba schools train their dancers and musicians to perfect their routines, choreography, and costumes for the big event. Each school chooses a theme for its ensemble, and each bead, sequin, and feather is carefully applied by hand. The final result is spectacular.
Each samba school also selects a Drum Queen, a beautiful dancer who is considered the most beautiful in their community, to complete their outfit. Drum Queens represent their schools at the Sambadrome during the competition.
While the parades and samba schools are the highlights of Rio’s Carnival, the rambunctious street parties capture the heart and soul of the celebration. Crowds of hundreds of thousands doff ideas about personal space, dance together, and party to the sounds of samba drumming, kitchen utensils banged together, and old-school boom boxes blasting pop music.
If you want to get in on the action, look out for blocos such as ‘The Beatles in Rio,’ which will see revelers dress up as the iconic Fab Four and perform samba-style renditions of their greatest hits. Then there’s ‘Magic Ball,’ one of the most extravagant and lavish Carnival balls.
Texture
The Rio Carnival is a spectacle of color and texture that feels like a dream. Every aspect of the event is meticulously woven together with the local culture and history of Rio de Janeiro and samba dance. Each year, samba schools compete and showcase their talent in an incredible display of energy. The samba dancers’ elaborate costumes are filled with sequins, feathers, and glitter.
Carnival celebrations around the world soak up influence from their cultural traditions, and each festival has its own unique character. Mardi Gras in New Orleans, for example, is celebrated before Lent as one final act of indulgence, while the Caribbean Island nations of Trinidad and Tobago’s Carnival has strong African roots. Carnival returned to Rio in 2022 after a gap during the COVID-19 pandemic. Its return was marked by a sinister, dark theme that may have been a response to the social context of the moment as Brazil emerged from the pandemic.
This stock image features a vibrant display of Rio Carnival masks adorned with glitter and sparkle. It is perfect for any project that celebrates Brazilian culture, carnivals, or travel.
Lighting
Ensure your guests get the full experience by lighting up the event with brightly colored backdrops. Whether it be a vivid peacock feather print, a masquerade design, or something more subtle but still bold and eye-catching, this will help to really get the party going and create some amazing photos.
A few quick notes on the lighting for this style:
– Ideally, try to find a venue that lets in a lot of natural light. This will help bring out vibrant colors and prevent things from being too dark and depressing.
– If you are using a paler background color, then use plenty of brightly colored cushions and lamps to inject a pop of contrasting color and bring the whole room together.
Few experiences are more dazzling and exhilarating than attending the Rio Carnival. The streets of the city glow with the smiles of the local people known as Cariocas, the samba music can be heard all day and night, and the energy is unmatched. It is a celebration of Brazilian culture and although the religious element may not be as obvious as it once was, the performances by the samba schools tell stories that highlight particular periods in history and celebrate Brazil’s unique heritage. The festival is also a chance to forget about the darkness of recent times and look forward with excitement to the future.
Patterns
When thinking of Rio Carnival, the dazzling Sambodrome may come to mind, but the true heart and soul of the festival lies in the miles and miles of street parties known as blocos. These free events, organized by local communities, have their own samba schools, each following a specific theme. They are a huge part of the festival, and it is said that you haven’t been to Rio if you didn’t go to at least one street party.
Those wanting to indulge in the full glitz and glamour of the event can attend the many Carnival balls, which are black tie and tend to focus on over-the-top costumes. These are often designed and produced by the samba schools themselves, and they spend months perfecting each bead, feather, and sequin to ensure their creation stands out from the rest.
Although there are carnivals throughout the world, it is hard to beat Brazil’s flamboyant feast of hedonism that takes place before Lent every year. Kicking off on the Friday before Ash Wednesday and running through to the Tuesday before it, this is an event that should be experienced at least once in a lifetime.
Greenery
The samba parades at the Sambadrome are a sight to behold, but Rio Carnival is more than just that. It also includes incredible street parties known as blocos and elaborate masquerade balls that add a touch of elegance to this flamboyant festival.
While many people think of Carnival as racy, it’s really about celebrating and having fun. The costumes of the different samba schools are extravagant with feathers, glitter, and sequins, and their gravity-defying movements to the rhythmic beat of the music are breathtaking. And although some dancers do expose a lot of skin, the organizers have clamped down on nudity in recent years.
But the best way to celebrate is to dress comfortably for the street party and take plenty of photos. It’s a good idea to wear light and colorful clothes to stand out in the crowd and not get too hot. Bright accessories like funny hats, wigs, and big necklaces are also very typical.
Regarding transport, it’s a good idea to book your train tickets ahead of time and make sure you have a general plan for the day. Many roads are closed during the blocos, and Uber is expensive, plus buses can be confusing as they’re packed with tourists. And don’t forget to bring a waterproof bag because it will rain. Our black dance floor is a great addition to this theme too!