Carnival: Rio street parties to attract 5 mi revelers, BRL 1 bi
Rio’s Carnival blocos—as the organized street Carnival parties are called across Brazil—are expected to generate some BRL 1 billion in revenue, with an expected public of over 5 million people. Ronnie Costa, head of the city’s tourism authority Riotour, believes street festivities should account for about 20 percent of the total Carnival business in the city’s commerce and services.
Costa participated this week in the unveiling of the new facilities to host more than 70 samba schools from the Silver and Bronze series, which previously paraded on Avenida Intendente Magalhães, in northern Rio.
“Carnival is already here. We’ve already had some blocos, we’ve already seen technical rehearsals at the Sapucaí. Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival lasts some three, four months,” he said. “After two years without this great festival, our expectations are running high.”
An official study conducted by the city points out that commercial transactions resulting from Carnival may reach BRL 5 billion, Costa noted.
Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival is composed of a series of festivities, such as the samba school parades at the Sambódromo and on Intendente Magalhães avenue, the blocos and megablocos, as well as privately held balls and parties.
As for street celebrations, registered blocos have surpassed 600, as per a preliminary balance sheet released on January 9 by Riotur.
This year’s Carnival will run from February 18 (Sat.), February 21 (Tue.). In practice, dates are more flexible in large cities, like Rio.
