25 Stunning Photos That Will Make You Want To Go To Rio De Janeiro's Carnival Right Now

In February, Rio’s streets come to life with dazzling samba performances, non-stop music, and seemingly endless days of drinking, kissing and partying. Carnival is an annual event that encapsulates the spirit of Brazilian culture and music, making it one of the world’s most widely known festivals. From heaving street parties under the relentless sun to jaw-dropping parades with bikini-clad Carnival queens, these photos will leave you itching to check out Rio’s spectacular event.
The incredible detail in the make-up and costume of this samba dancer at the parades.

The striking pose of this dancer at Rio’s parades.

The samba schools spend months preparing for this moment of parading down the avenue in front of thousands of spectators. The effort they put into designing and creating unforgettable floats is impressive.

This incredible costume and these amazing details.

The decorations on this float at the parades.

This incredible Carnival outfit.

This happy dancer at the Sambodromo, the main venue for the Carnival parades in Rio.

Even children get involved in the Carnival parades.

The costumes at the parades never fail to impress.

This sequence of dazzling dancers as they parade through thousands of spectators lining either side of the avenue.

It’s not just the parades that come to life during the Carnival – the streets do too.

The street parties, also known as blocos

This street party is in Centro and has tens of thousands of participants.

It’s not just at the parades where people get dressed up. At the street parties, both men and women wear dazzling accessories or fancy dress.

Yet there’s no denying the parades give the most spectacular performance when it comes to imagery.

An amazing performance from the samba schools

This show-stopping costume and headpiece.

This stunningly detailed costume.

When stationary becomes the theme of fancy dress.

The dancers on the floats with bucketloads of glitter and confetti.

This samba dancer and her breathtaking costume.

The view over the avenue where the samba schools parade.

This dragon decoration on this Carnival float.

This costume-clad dancer shows the joy and happiness Carnival brings to Rio.

This leap of faith at the parades.

This dramatic image from the parades.

Carnival is one of the most colorful, vibrant and lively festivals in the world.

About the author

Sarah Brown

Sarah is a British freelance journalist and writer based in Rio de Janeiro. Her favourite travel experiences so far include swimming with whale sharks in Mexico, trekking through Rio's urban forest and enjoying the city life in Madrid. Find her on Instagram @sbgrio