Rio de Janeiro’s samba schools have put on a dazzling display at this year’s delayed Carnival parades, the first after a two-year hiatus caused by the Covid-19-pandemic.
The schools’ colourful floats and flamboyant dancers entered the Sambadrome grounds to parade before tens of thousands of fans on the first evening of the two-night spectacle.
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Drum queen Erika Januza from the Viradouro samba school (Bruna Prado/AP)
A performer from the Viradouro samba school (Bruna Prado/AP)
Entire communities rally around the competing samba schools, whose shows are not only a source of pride but also employment (Bruna Prado/AP)
Members of the Imperatriz Leopoldinense samba school (Bruna Prado/AP)
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Performers from the Sao Clemente samba school parade on a float (Silvia Izquierdo/AP)
The Sambadrome has been home to the parade since the 1980s and is a symbol of Brazil’s Carnival festivities. During the pandemic, it was a shelter for more than 400 homeless people and also served as a vaccination station.
A performer from the Viradouro samba school (Bruna Prado/AP)
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A performer from the Beija Flor samba school at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro (Silvia Izquierdo/AP)
Performers from the Mocidade samba school (Silvia Izquierdo/AP)
There are months of rehearsals for dancers and drummers, so participants can learn the tune and the lyrics for their school’s song.
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The pandemic upended these samba schools’ way of life for two years (Bruna Prado/AP)
A float at the Sambadrome (Bruna Prado/AP)
Drum queen Bianca Monteiro from the Portela samba school performs during the celebrations (Bruna Prado/AP)
