When is Rio Carnival 2014 | Dates for Rio Carnival 2014

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From February 28 to March 4, Carnaval is an annual pre-Lent blowout, with four days of parading and street parties bringing Rio de Janeiro to a shimmying crescendo of music and dancing. All over Brazil the formula is followed to varying degrees of feathery flamboyance, but no other city comes close to Rio in terms of investing the time, effort and money. It’s not for nothing that locals modestly call Rio’s Carnaval “The Greatest Show on Earth”.

The drums, dancing and immaculate costumes that fill the Oscar Niemeyer-designed, 75,000-seater sambódromo might be the focus of the action, but the samba school practices begin months in advance. The first of some 450 official blocos, where bands of musicians lead tens of thousands of revellers on a merry dance throughout the city streets, set off at the start of February.

All of which adds up to an exotic, chaotic and wild ride, and even though a great many Rio locals give in to the urge to flee the city for the week, for the game visitor and carnival veteran alike, it doesn’t disappoint.