Private parties kick off Rio de Janeiro’s carnival

Reuters Videos
2 年前

STORY: Rio's carnival was cancelled in 2021 due to the global health crisis. The public holiday will this year not coincide with the colorful samba school parade, held in the 'sambodromo,' or Sambadrome, which has been postponed to April. The city's free and wildly hedonistic street parties, known as blocos, have been scrapped.

Notwithstanding the large number of private events, Rio's streets have been much calmer in the run-up to carnival this year. Normally, the blocos start appearing as early as January, filling the streets with samba bands and boozy revelers in wacky outfits.

The lack of official events has not stopped tourists from arriving. Foreign languages can be heard across the city's beaches, and nearly 80% of hotel rooms are occupied, according to industry group HotéisRIO.