DESTINATIONS RIO CARNIVAL LATIN AMERICA RIGHT:
Samba school parade at the Sambadrome
FAR RIGHT:
Rio Scenarium restaurant
BELOW: Belmond
Copacabana Palace Ball
dance samba and feast until 7am. Brigitte Bardot, Gerard Butler and
Paris Hilton are among those who’ve been on the guest list in previous years, and to say it’s opulent is an understatement: picture lobster, king prawns and macaroons overflowing from huge tables, live bands spilling onto outdoor stages and sequinned floor-length dresses swishing beneath ceilings draped with deep red fabric. I felt like I’d stepped into a scene from The Great Gatsby. But with prices starting at around
HOW TO SELL
Book a package so guests have a guide on
hand to provide advice on the best blocos and where to find them, plus guaranteed
accommodation during Rio’s busiest season. A group also makes it a sociable option for
solo travellers, and creates even more
atmosphere while cheering along at the Sambadrome.
£530 per person, it’s not exactly cheap. Fortunately there are plenty of more affordable alternatives, including an annual masquerade at the Rio Scenarium. Here, live bands play traditional Brazilian music across a three-floor bar decked out with antiques, and attendees don feathers, masks and glitter while snacking on traditional Brazilian plates like bolinhos de bacalhau (cod fritters) and beef empanadas (like mini-pasties). It’s a
The blocos (street parties) see brass bands and vocal groups blast out samba tunes to crowds of up to a million
more casual, low-key affair but it’s still happily authentic, with more locals than tourists, and tickets cost a mere £12.
w STREET PARTIES It’s not just the glitzy balls and parades that make up carnival, of course. Just as central to the event are the blocos – moving, sense-overloading street parties where brass bands and vocal groups blast out samba tunes to crowds of up to a million, turning the city into one giant festival for a week. They’re busy, sweaty and at times
a little seedy, so warn clients to be prepared (and advise them to leave valuables at home), but the energy and positivity is hard to beat, with revellers donning all-out fancy-dress costumes that range from feather headdresses to flesh-baring fairies, monkeys to men dressed as bunnies – and a whole lot of drag. More than 400 blocos take place
across the city, with annual highlights including Carmelitas, themed around nuns and devils, Cordão do Bola Preta, where everyone dresses in polka dot, and Sargento Pimenta, where a samba band plays Beatles tunes with a Brazilian twist. My favourite was Banda da Ipanema, which had us bopping our way past the beach among a crowd of 90,000, singing and clapping along to classic samba songs like there was no tomorrow, sun streaming down on our faces, caipirinhas firmly in hand. Catching them at the right place and time involves a bit of planning, so suggest clients do some research
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travelweekly.co.uk 26 April 2018
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