Rio’s Carnival Sales Manual

Everything you need to know to offer Rio Carnival to your travelers

What is it?

Although the exact origins of the Carnival are shrouded in mystery, some believe that the festival originated as a pagan celebration of the arrival of spring sometime during the Middle Ages. The Portuguese took the celebration to Brazil in the 16th century, but acquired a decidedly local flavor by adopting indigenous costumes and African rhythms. The origin of the word itself probably derives from the Latin ‘carne vale’ – ‘goodbye, meat’ – by which the Catholic population would renounce meat and other carnal temptations during the 40 days of Lent.

In the 19th century, Carnival meant attending a luxurious mask dance or participating in the organized and dull European-style parade. The poor citizens of Rio, bored by elegance but eager to participate in a celebration, began to celebrate their own parades, dancing African rhythms in the streets. The first festivals in Rio de Janeiro were called Entrudo, during which the locals danced through the streets in colorful costumes, throwing mud, flour and various suspicious liquids. In addition to the Portuguese Entrudo party, the Carioca carnival also has an influence on French and Venetian dances, where costumes and masks guaranteed stealth and gave freedom to party participants, always with food, drink and music. Then, in the 1920s, the new sound of samba emerged in Rio. It was music full of African flavors, brought to the city by former slaves and their descendants, a sound that would always be associated with Carnival. The African culture, decisive for the sound of the Carioca carnival, also contributed with its cordões and ranches that influenced the blocos de rua (charangas) and samba schools that we know today.

Since those days, Carnival has grown by leaps and bounds, and its elaborate parades have spread from Rio de Janeiro to other parts of Brazil. It has also become a large commercial enterprise: city visitors spend more than R$ 1 billion every year.*

When is it?

In 2020, it will officially start on February 21st and will run until the 29th, but the truth is that Carnival in Rio starts long before the calendar holidays. Samba schools last months (almost the entire year) rehearsing and producing music, costumes (called fantasías) and allegorical cars. On the other hand is the Street Carnival, the popular carnival that is expressed through the so-called “Blocos”, which begins to be felt after the New Year’s Eve celebrations, in January and February until the official dates, in countless rehearsals.

Hangover: it’s the weekends after the carnival. On Saturday after the parade in the Sambadrome, the first 6 classified schools of the competition appear again in the stadium in the so-called Parade of Champions. Some Blocos continue celebrating the end of the carnival for several weeks, with sporadic meetings to continue dancing in the streets and squares of the city.

Parades of the Sambadrome vs Rua (street) Carnival

The Samba Schools are tens in the city, divided between the Special Group and the series A, B, C, D and E, and parade in the Sambadrome (Special Group and series A) and on the Magalhães Intendant Road, in Campinho, just outside Rio.

The Sambadrome parades run on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. They start at approximately 9:30 p.m. and end (in theory) at 5:30 a.m. the next morning, but there are always variations between the start and end times.

Friday and Saturday it is possible to buy tickets for the parade of the Acesso groups (Series A) and the prices are very accessible,, because the stadium is never full and although the parades are competitive and very well prepared, the budget is one tenth of the parade of the Panel and that is felt in the details. For those who want to have a complete but low cost carnival experience, these are the two best days to attend. Buying tickets and regular transportation through Aniyami, guarantees a beautiful Carnival experience if cost is an important factor.

Sunday and Monday are the days of the Special Group parade and the days with the most influx to the stadium. It will be full, with thousands of people attending the biggest and most spectacular Carnival parade in the world. It is impossible to predict which day is better to go; from our experience, it is enough to attend one day to be able to see and understand the carnival. In the case of participating in the Carnival, it depends on the necessary operation, it may be advisable to see it one day and participate another.

Participate?

Yes! It is possible to join and participate in one of the carnival parades! In Aniyami we have agreements with schools that finance their carnival offering spaces for travelers who want to parade along with the locals. There is no better experience than living it from within. Dress a spectacular costume and learn the group’s choreography in the spotlights of Avenida Marqués de Sapucaí (as the Sambadrome is popularly known).

As for the other side of the carnival, which happens on the street, there are more than 400 blocos de rua that make their parades throughout the city, with a calendar that begins and ends before and after the official dates, carrying thousands of people to the streets and encouraging them with their lyrics that mix poetry, double meaning and political and social criticism.

Famous blocos: Simpatia é quase amor, Céu na terra, Suvaco do Cristo, Gigantes da Lira, Escravos da Mauá, Cordão do Bola Preta, Cordão do Boitatá, Sargento Pimenta, Orquestra Voadora, Monobloco.

Guide of blocos: the official agenda will only come out in January/February, the provisional one: https://www.blocosderua.com/rio-de-janeiro/

Tips for more independent travelers: we recommend using metro and VLT, there are innumerable street cuts due to blocos and in the sambadrome area for the organization of parades.

To accompany the Blocos, it is advisable to live it for yourself. In Aniyami we can recommend some Blocos that are famous, but it is much better to follow the advice of local guides, at the hotel reception and approach the places to feel the atmosphere. There are concentrations that can be a real party and an incredible experience and on the contrary others can be filled with more than a million people, very hot and be uncomfortable for those who do not know what is expected.

What is clear is that combining a Street Carnival experience with a Sambadrome Experience is the only thing that will give a 360º view of what Carnival is in Rio de Janeiro!

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Sambadrome Parades

2/21 – Friday – Acesso Group Parade (Series A)
2/22 – Saturday – Acesso Group Parade (Series A)

2/23 – Sunday – Special Group Parade
24/2 – Monday – Special Group Parade

02/29 – Saturday – Parade of Champions

Place: Rio de Janeiro Sambadrome – Marquês de Sapucaí Avenue s / n

Other activities with Aniyami during the carnival

PARTICIPATE ON PARADE: Our experience tells us that it is worth the effort. It is a logistical challenge but we know how to do it, and those who have set foot in the sambadrome, dressed up and walking to the rhythm of the samba, say there is no way to describe such an emotion. There are options for all budgets: parade with TOP schools that will play for the title or on Saturday with more modest schools of the Acesso series.

CARNIVAL BEHIND THE SCENES:In this experience there is a guided tour of the Cidade do Samba, a special place where samba schools make their costumes and presentations. We will meet one of the largest samba schools in the city to learn a little about the history of samba and parades. It is a great opportunity to know what is behind what can be seen at the carnival. Here you can learn more about this experience.

SAMBA CLASS: earn some basic steps and start moving the body to the rhythm of the samba, which will be incorporated and will not allow us to be still. A class to understand why this dance makes Carnival the biggest party in the country while trying to follow in the footsteps of the teacher who will show us with talent how to have the ginga and the samba of the Brazilian feet.

GINGA TROPICAL: It is a music and dance show that presents the diversity of Brazilian culture, proposing a travel experience from north to south of Brazil, demonstrating the gingado and rhythm of each region. It is a dynamic, interactive show and begins with a brief samba class, since the starting point is Rio de Janeiro, land of the Carnival.

RIO SCENARIUM & BARODROMO: Rio Scenarium is a restored 19th-century house located on Lavradio Street, in the Bohemian Lapa. An antiquarian with furniture and antique objects collected over the years and a show house with space for samba, MPB, choro, forró and gafieira from Rio de Janeiro’s night. And the Barodromo, right next door, is a redoubt of the Carioca Carnival; the whole year we can find the costumes of samba schools and carnival sculptures at the entrance, the lamps and lyrics of large samba songs painted on the walls. This show house mixes the history of the carnivals that passed through the Sambadrome with the bohemian culture of the city.

TRAPICHE GAMBOA: Located in the cradle of the samba, near the Pedra do Sal and Largo da Prainha, this show house that opened its doors in 2004 in a 19th century mansion is considered one of the true redoubts of the carioca samba, the choro, the jongo and the maracatú. Important sambistas and excellent musicians of the new generation of Rio frequent the house events.

Recommendations:

Accommodation

The hotels sell packages along with the Carnival experience. It is a time of high demand and it is advisable to book with enough time. There is the opportunity to get better prices when done in advance. This also ensures that the hotel and the preferred room type have availability. Prices are changing every month! The closer to the date, the more expensive and less options. Depending on the budget of each traveler, Aniyami team will advise on the best hotel. There is something for everyone.

What to bring

Comfortable clothes and shoes.
raincoat.
Water bottle to avoid consuming plastic. They can be filled at the hotel.
Photographic camera.
To go see the parades in the sambadrome carry only the indispensable; the idea is to be comfortable and light to dance and enjoy. Food and drinks are sold there and they receive a debit or credit card.

Weather

The carnival season is summer, with temperatures around 30°C, but the humidity in the environment can give a warmer sensation. It is also a rainy season, so it is recommended to bring a raincoat, especially to the sambadrome where it is better not to wear an umbrella as it blocks the view of the public.

Security

During the carnival there is a lot of public force presence throughout the city. However, it is better to take measures to avoid unpleasant situations. When going out, take only the essential cash to move and feed during the day and keep it safe. Avoid going out with flashy or valuable objects so as not to attract the attention of thieves.
Try to stay close to the groups and not walk away or walk in very lonely streets.
If you drink alcohol take care that you keep control of the situation. It is better to buy it in bars or kiosks and avoid excesses.

Curiosities

• Gay Carnival: in the Sambadrome there is a section exclusively for the LGTBI community. In addition their blocos and parties are very recognized and lively and everyone can participate. Here some examples for those who want to be part and a link where they can find more information.
  • Gay beach; 1600 Banda de Ipanema bloco (opt); party Revolution
  • Gay beach; 1800 Farme gay street bloco; party TheWeek
  • 1500 Pool Party

http://vamosgay.com/latin-america/brazil/rio-de-janeiro/gay-carnival-blocos/

• Luxury parties: During the carnival, luxurious parties are also organized to which you can pay the entrance fee, such as Copacabana Palace, Club, Monte Líbano, Julieta de Serpa or Carnival dos Carnavais.
  .
• Bate-bola en Cinelandia: on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, far from the beach and tourist clichés, there is an explosive contest between neighborhoods. The bate-bola are an ancient form of Carnival with futuristic gladiatorial teams that are a surreal mix of game and threat. A tradition that has its roots in the ancient European carnival and in African rituals, and looks like visitors from another planet. The practice has its roots in northern Portugal, where groups of men dressed in devilish masks and colorful hooded costumes roam the cobbled streets of rural villages such as Lazarim and Podence. In these quiet places, the custom goes back to pre-Celtic times, and sees the masked “monsters” shudder in the direction of young and single girls, a sinister turn to seduction. In Rio, tradition has evolved over decades to become a striking and tropical version.

Rio Carnival is a once in a lifetime experience. Who lives it, never forgets it. There are many ways to be part of this great party, it all depends on your travelers and their preferences. We have created this manual so that you feel more confident when offering it and can recognize the cultural, practical and technical details of the experience. Please do not hesitate to contact us to ask anything else about Carnival, accommodation, transportation, recommendations, and curiosities; we will be happy to help you create the best carnival itinerary for your clients, as we have a local office in Rio de Janeiro, first-hand knowledge and expert guides on the subject.

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