19 Things You Should Know About Rio Festival 2023

Rio Carnival brings millions of people to this incredible festival full of parades, culture, excitement, public street parties and celebrations every year. Carnival is the biggest week-long party in the world.  Carnaval is a chance to let people set aside their daily lives, adorn themselves with costumes, masks and allow themselves to experience an amplified sense of social unity, art, music and excitement.  Brazilians want to share their culture and beauty with you. So, put Brazil’s Carnival on your bucket list and make it a priority to come and experience the world’s biggest party. Here are 19 fascinating facts you should know about Rio Festival 2023:

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History of Rio Carnival

Carnival was brought to Brazil by the Portuguese colonists between the 16th and 17th centuries, initially manifesting itself through “Entrudo” a party of pagan origin that is celebrated annually on a Tuesday, 47 days before Easter Sunday.

From the 20th century the popularization of the party contributed to the emergence of Samba, a musical style greatly influenced by African culture and the parade of Samba scores, an event that ended up being made official with government support. During this period Carnival assumed its position as the biggest popular Festival in Brazil.

Carnival is a traditional folk festival in Brazil, but they did not invent this festival. Carnival is a traditional popular festival carried out in different places of the world, being the most celebrated and the greatest festivity in Brazil.

Despite the strong secularism present at Rio Carnival, the party is traditionally linked to Catholicism since its celebration precedes Lent. Carnival is not a Brazilian invention since its origin goes back to the Middle Ages. 

The word Carnival comes from the Latin, “Carnis Levale” which means “remove the need of body” and represents Carnival exactly as the moment of preparation for the carnal pleasures to be removed. This is related to the fasting that should be done during Lent and to control of worldly pleasures. This shows an attempt by the Catholic Church to control the needs of the faithful people. That’s because parties were seen as exaggerations, therefore, prone to practices seen as sinful. Thus, during the high Middle Ages, the Church established Lent: A period of 40 days that precedes the Holy Week, specifically Easter and is marked by fasting. 

When is the Rio Carnival 2023?

The carnival happens between February and March every year. This year it will take place from 17 February to 25 February 2023.

These are the days of the Parade but the street Carnival lasts for like one week at least. Extending two to three weeks before these dates and after also. So, if you are traveling before or after these dates you can still enjoy the carnival in Rio during the weekends.

9 Fun Facts About Brazil’s Carnival

1. Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival is registered in the Guinness Book of World Records as the biggest carnival in the world.  
2. In Brazilian Portuguese it’s written as “carnaval” but for the majority of the rest of the world it’s written as “carnival” and both are correct.  
3. In Salvador alone, estimations state that approximately 2.5 million people participate in the festivities every year. This festival has a large positive impact on Salvador’s local economy. 
4. Salvador is the biggest African city outside of Africa with 83% of the people claiming black ancestry.  The difference between carnaval in Salvador and Rio de Janeiro is that Salvador is an incredibly vibrant public street party with huge Blocos and cultural events. While Rio’s main event is the parade in the Sambadrome where spectators watch elaborate floats go by.
5. In Rio’s Sambadrome, the samba schools are judged on their elaborate floats, costumes, dancing and music.  This is a very important competition and some schools spend over $4 million on outfits and preparations.
6. There are more than 2 million people on the streets every day during carnival.
7. Brazilian Samba derived from a mixture of African and European influences.  Brazilian Samba is one of the most popular dances in South America.  The dance has evolved over time to become a cultural identity for Brazilians.  I recommend you try it.  Don’t worry if you can’t Samba, just move your feet, have fun and smile. Brazilians want you to enjoy their cultures so don’t be shy.
8. Carnival is celebrated all over Brazil in their own unique ways but the biggest celebrations are held in Rio, São Paulo, Salvador, Recife, Olinda and Manaus.  
9. The word Carnaval is represented as the last period of feasting and celebration before the strict spiritual period of Lent. 

Do & Don’ts While Enjoying the Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro

There are 2 Carnival Party

It’s very important for you to know that there are 2 Carnival party in Rio:

One is the Carnival Parade that happens in a place called Sambadouro done by schools with the drums and the parade. The other one is the street Carnival where locals and people from all over Brazil go there to enjoy and have fun. 

It is important that you know the difference between these two parties because normally the agencies will try to sell you tickets for the parades and sincerely it may not be a perfect carnival and experience for you.

Enjoy Blocos e Bandas

All these streets are closed and crowded with people with the street parade that in Portuguese it’s called “Blocos de Carnaval or Block Kings”. 

The Blocos is like a band with musical instruments or like a car with a sound that plays music and people go in front and behind the vehicle singing, dancing, drinking and also kissing of course. 

You will find different Blocos with different people and different music. For example there are Blocos with Samba, old Samba, certain Asian music, country music from Brazil, Funk and even rock and roll.

Treat others with dignity and respect

Rio Carnival is very inclusive. That means that you will meet a really different kind of person and just be aware of the type of the public. There are locals like LGBT people and there is no distinction in carnival. You can enjoy any street party and it doesn’t matter who you are or what you like. Just treat people with respect and be in the right place.

Do not Pee in Public

One important thing is not peeing on the street. There are a lot of public restrooms and you should use them if you do not want to be arrested.

Be careful of your personal belongings

Use a nice pocket especially with a zipper and do not show to everybody that you have a cell phone. Be very careful to use your phone in public. You can enter a restaurant or a store to use your phone instead of using it on the streets.

Each state has its own specificity

Besides Rio there are a lot of famous Carnival parties in the northeast of Brazil like Salvador, Recife, Linda etc. Each city and state has its own specificity. 

Buy a Camaroti or a VIP area ticket 

In Rio there are the Samba schools and each Samba school stays in a neighborhood or a favela where people prepare. All year for the parade with Customs, new music and a lot of work for this night. It is like a competition between them to see who will make the best parade and music. 

You can buy a Camaro or a VIP area ticket where you can stay very close to the parade and see everything clearly.

Experience the masquerade party 

The most famous masquerade party in carnaval is the Copacabana Hotel party but there are plenty of different parties all over Rio.

Samba Schools

In Rio there are the Samba schools and each Samba school stays in a neighborhood or a Favela where people from they prepare with. All year for the parade with Customs, new music and a lot of work for this night. It is like a competition between them to see who will make the best parade and music. 

You can buy a Camaroti or a VIP area ticket where you can stay very close to the parade and see everything clearly.

What to bring to the Sambadrome

You are allowed to enter the Sambadrome with two plastic bottles of 500 mm of water, juice, beer or even soda. Two food items per person are also allowed which can be fruits, sandwiches and other snacks.

Entering with coolers, glass bottles, plastic bags, cutting instruments, fireworks and weapons is strictly prohibited.