Carnival in Rio, by Steve Kaffen (Russia 1994-96)

Carnival in Rio is bigger and better than anything of its kind. The all-night parades of samba schools in the Sambadrome, the most famous of the events, are mesmerizing in person and great memories thereafter. So are the hundreds of street parties, called blocos, where participants numbering from a few hundred to a million dance and sing and eat and hug, toast each other with extra-large bottles of beer, and renew old friendships and make new ones. Carnival is also a state of mind and being—of joy, spontaneity, camaraderie, and goodwill—that pervades the city and the country. Everyone sports a costume, even if it’s a cute crown or an outrageous hat or shirt or, popular with children, sneakers flashing multi-colored lights.

In the Sambadrome, the spectators’ adrenalin starts to flow when a samba school begins its march down the parade route. As the marchers near each section, the entire grandstand is on its feet cheering and doing samba movements to the captivating song from the huge speakers lining the route augmented by the live drummers. Gigantic, ornately decorated floats roll slowly by, pushed along by teams of very strong men, and everyone moves to the front for photos including lots of selfies. Residents, and visitors too, may march down the Sambadrome with their favorite schools, dancing and twirling in the rear to the song and waving to the spectators.

The electric energy intensifies as the night progresses, and if you ask someone what time it is, the answer is “Who knows?” A more complete reply would have added, “and who cares!” While Carnival occurs in various forms throughout Brazil and the Americas and the world, it is epitomized in Rio.

Many residents do not attend the parades. Their Carnival activities center around the blocos, and everyone uses the app BlocosdeRua to select from the 25 or more blocos offered on a given day, including blocos for children.

Author’s note: To fully experience Carnival and capture it in stories and photos, I arrived a week early and stayed to see Rio post-Carnival, epitomized by this scene on the metro: “Riders faces were severe; they had reverted to looking down at their cell phones versus looking around and imbibing the energy.” Leaving Rio, I explored the coast and stopped on the way home for an excursion in the Amazon rainforest, where I was bitten by a swarm of wasps, ending the trip on a painful note; no infections, thank goodness.

The photographs are some of the best I’ve taken, although it’s impossible to take “bad” photos at Carnival. I’ve included a piece on my travel history and some unfortunate incidents, in the Appendix, “A Traveling Life.” A separate section, “Planning a Memorable Carnival,”  has guidance and recommendations for those considering attending in the future.

I hope you enjoy Carnival in Rio.

Amazon is offering the book free ($0.00 price) on November 23-24, 2024.