Rio de Janeiro is cosmopolitan, not just because of its multi-ethnic history, but also due to its popular parties. New Year’s Eve and Carnaval attract people from all over the world who seek a unique experience of being in the Marvelous City. These are the two biggest parties that take place in the city and that best transmit the carioca culture.

Copacabana Beach is the focus of New Year’s celebrations. Around two million people gather on the sands to watch the traditional firework display and shows given by stars of MPB (Música Popular Brasileira, or Popular Brazilian Music). The revelers, composed of tourists and residents of all ages, demonstrate the city’s diversity. Rio’s New Year’s celebrations are known throughout the world for their climate of peace and goodwill.

Rio’s Carnaval is the largest popular party on the planet. The Sambódromo, home to the famous samba school parades, is the core of the event. The venue holds 60,000 spectators in 13 grandstands and VIP boxes, from where the public can watch two evenings of parades that portray Brazilian culture. Outside the Sambódromo, street parties have become ever more popular in recent years. Today, there are more than 400, which attract millions of party-goers from all across the city. Each year that passes by, more people get dressed up in costumes and fill the streets with joy.

The city’s capacity to absorb major events can also be seen in the tours by international music stars. The Rolling Stones’ show brought one million people to Copacabana Beach in a night of peace, harmony and plentiful rock and roll.

The city’s cultural diversity goes beyond New Year’s and Carnaval. In the everyday life of Rio, a wide range of cultural manifestations may be seen in the city’s streets and squares. Furthermore, many aspects of non-Brazilian culture can be seen in day-to-day life. This mixture of lifestyles makes Rio de Janeiro a cosmopolitan city, without losing its Brazilian charms.

Pre-carnaval

The weeks leading up to Carnaval feature some of the best parties, the liveliest rehearsals by bands and street parties, the contest to select the King and Queen of Carnaval, samba shows at the Terreirão, final rehearsals at the samba schools, exhibitions of costumes, exchange of information on where and how to parade in a samba school, and the excitement of discovering the days and times of the best bands. This is the atmosphere of the build-up to Carnaval.

Bands and street parties

Before Carnaval and its four days of festivities, cariocas gain immense enjoyment from participating in bands and street parties, starting with their rehearsals. These events, a high point of the pre-Carnaval period, have grown into great parties celebrating Rio’s summer.

Terreirão do Samba

This is an open-air space that recreates the atmosphere of the birthplace of samba, Praça Onze. The space generally opens before Carnaval, and functions at full steam in the nights during the festival itself. A large stage with continuous shows features MPB and samba. All this is washed down with plenty of cool beer and snacks sold in kiosks.

Samba school rehearsals

This is the best way of getting in contact with genuine samba. From the moment in which you hear the first pulses of the samba school drums, your whole body is swept away, your feet immediately want to join the rhythm.
Every samba school has its own rehearsal area, which normally functions on weekends. These are indoor or outdoor sites where you can dance and hear the samba song to be performed that particular year. It is certainly not an experience to be forgotten. There are also general rehearsals, which take place at the Passarela do Samba, a good moment in which to experience some of the great party that develops in Carnaval.
To watch a samba school parade is to experience Carnaval itself. It involves jumping, singing along with the samba school’s lyrics, encouraging the school, and vibrating on the same wavelength.
For one hour and twenty minutes, each school exhibits the beauty and creativity of local artists, shown with power, brilliance and movement. It is the fruit of a year’s hard work of each community.
A lot of team work takes place to prepare for the samba parades. This happens in immense hangars in downtown, where work does not stop.

For those who participate in the development of a samba school, their work is almost a religion, creating a great deal of happiness for everyone.