Rio Carnival 2020: A Grand Brazilian Spectacle

Often found in travel enthusiasts’ bucket list, the yearly Rio Carnival is considered as one of the biggest parties in the world. Every year, millions of people from all around the world gather in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to watch the elaborately costumed samba dancers participating in the Rio Carnival parade. Along with the dancers, there are huge floats as big as a 3 storied building, loud samba music, and a truly exhilarating experience that you will never forget.

If you are planning to be a part of the Rio Carnival, you are in for a lot of fun and frolic.

When is Rio Carnival 2020?

This year’s Rio Carnival is going to start on 21^st February and will go on till 26^th of February. The event takes place every day for 5 days from 9 pm to 6 am.

Where is Rio Carnival 2020 going to take place?

The main Rio Carnival event takes place at the Sambadrome stadium in Rio de Janeiro. This 700 meter long stadium was built especially for the event with a seating capacity of around 90,000 people. You can buy the tickets to the parade well in advance online.

Apart from the main event, you can enjoy your time in Rio at the smaller events that take place all around the city and are known as Blocos. Blocos are organized across various streets all over Rio where local music groups perform. Instead of huge carnivals, you can think about Blocos as large street concerts. Blocos are open to all and no fee is required to join these parties. Blocos begin as early as 7 am and go on till late evening.

How to plan your Rio Carnival Experience

There is not any perfect way to get the most out of the Rio Carnival, but the best you can do is mix up the events you are planning to attend. If you are able to get a ticket for the Sambadrome, you can attend a Bloco during the day and be at the Sambadrome at the night. All 5 days at Sambadrome are extravagant, but the last day carnival is the show-stealer; try to get the tickets for the last day if possible. Rest of the time, it’s never a bad idea to attend Blocos and have a good time partying on the streets. Some of these Blocos are organised by famous local artists and partying there is a lot more than just regular fun.

There are many well known Blocos, but we’ve listed here a few that are highly recommended:

Banda de Ipanema

Monobloco

Cordão do Bola Preta

Sargento Pimenta

Carmelitas

Monobloco

What to Wear

You can wear almost anything during the carnival and attending the Blocos. Think of it as a huge Halloween party, but with more colours. You can be as creative as you can, or simply wear what you would on a regular day.