Carnaval for Dummies (The World's Biggest Party)

A quick cheat-sheet for doing Carnaval right!

As always, we'll be scoring our trips using the 3 L's:

• List: How many bucket list items am I checking? Most often this is countries, but it also applies to cities, landmarks and iconic events.

• Local: How much authentic / local / cultural fix can you expect? This is the stuff you'll tell your kids about. It's also where you earn your trip (hard hikes, lessons in something local, all apply)

• Loco: Spanish for "crazy", this is the hot sauce to your trip's burrito. Think nightlife, adrenaline sports, the 'hangover' in Hangoverseas.. Price: Reluctantly, we'll rate this too - though it's not as fun to think about

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Carnaval (late February)

Rio de Janeiro

Summary

Carnaval's reputation speaks for itself. In fact, this might be the most famous party in the world. If you're looking to see Rio de Janeiro in the peak of it's glory, late February will be the time to do it. In a week or less, this Rio Carnaval trip features:

• Iconic Copacabana (and Ipanema) beach

• A World Wonder (Christ the Redeemer)

• A legendary viewpoint / photo (Pedra da Gavea)

• Adrenaline: taking flight over Rio de Janeiro (hang-gliding)

• The planet's biggest Party 🕺🏻

To clarify, this isn't a "Guide to Rio de Janeiro" - we'd need an entire HBO series for that. Instead, we'll boil things down to a week in Rio for Carnaval, and some key takeaways you can actually use while you're in town. For a quick video preview, check out this IG reel from our Carnaval trip.

Where to Stay:

Copacabana or Ipanema. Dealer's choice. The Selina Hostel is always a good bet, it has quality rooms, a great crowd, and a lively rooftop bar with the perfect view of Copacabana beach.

🚨BOOK IN ADVANCE🚨:

The accommodation gets ridiculous this time of year. So much so, it might handcuff you from being able to go at all. We're the first to say "wing it", but when it comes to Carnaval.. that's not an option. Consider booking many months in advance!

Beaches: Copacabana, Ipanema, Botafogo, Flamengo

• Copacabana is on everyone's bucket list - and for good reason - don't miss this one.

• Ipanema is the alternate that many people swear-by, the vibe on their main strip is also electric.

• Botafogo sits just east of Ipanema in a little bay - which makes it ultra-photogenic if you're looking for something different. Also great street food nearby.

• Flamingo hosted a ton of beach parties during Carnaval, as partiers tended to congregate there.
  

"Blocos" - The Soul of Carnaval (ASK A LOCAL!!)

The "Blocos" or block parties are the heart and soul of the festival. What's less known is that they start as early as 8am and constantly move throughout the day! Unless you're starting bright and early, you'll have to keep track of where they are and where to meet them. Or, wander aimlessly and hope one passes by. This was one of the biggest revelations about Carnaval: it's not just ALL PARTIES, EVERYWHERE, ALL AT ONCE. You have to know where to be and where to go. There are apps for this, and hostel staff can be helpful, but there is absolutely no substitution for the knowledge of a local. This is true for any trip, but especially for Carnaval. Pull every string, do what you can, and try to secure a local friend or contact - it's a game-changer!

Safety

Sucks to talk about, sucks to admit, but Rio de Janeiro can be quite an unsafe place - especially if you're a fan of your possessions. Shorts with sturdy zipper pockets are a minimum, and most people even opt for tucked-in fanny packs. Don't be flashy, keep things tucked, stick the touristy neighbourhoods and avoid the beaches at night. With that bit of diligence and travel-savvy you'll be good to go!

Night Events

At night, the mayhem of the streets is funnelled in few different directions:

Sambodromo

When you google Carnaval - this is the picture you'll see most. It's a purpose-built stadium that houses the Samba parade (and competition) wherein top Samba schools compete for Carnaval glory. The show is characterized by grandiose floats, elaborate costumes, music and fireworks. Your options are general admission tickets ($20 USD) or something called Camarotes. These are essentially private parties overlooking the parade, in roped-off areas (think bar / party-room) where you can enjoy open bar, food, DJ's and great views of the parade. The catch, they tend to be very expensive. Depending on the Camarote, you can be looking well beyond $500 USD and even more than $1,000 on the final day(s) of the competition.

Transparently, we're not sure if they're always worth it. To be clear, if you book well in advance and find a good deal, maybe. Private DJ's, food, open bar and peace of mind is nothing to scoff at, it's just the price that isn't necessarily the best bang for your buck. With all the respect to the parade, it does get a little stale after a few hours of continuous Samba. While you should pop in and see it, we recommend a general admission ticket, a couple hours of hangout, before heading out to a Private Party elsewhere.

"Imagine busses taking you (and thousands of other partiers) up a mountain, overlooking Rio, where a scene from Tomorrowland appears in the middle of the woods.. Lasers, pyrotechnics, clowns on stilts, and of course an open-bar. It's equal parts magical and madness. "

Private Parties

We had nooooo idea these existed until we got there - and boy do they ever exist!! These private, pay-to-enter parties are peppered across the city and have a similar premise to the Camarotes: open-bar, great DJ's and security so you can party (relatively) worry-free. The difference is they're not limited to the confines of the Sambodromo, so the venues tend to be bigger and more elaborate, while actually costing less. Let's be clear... they're still expensive ($200-400 USD for the ones we were interested in), but not nearly as much as the Camarotes.

Also..... They. Are. Awesome.

Their crowds are fantastic, and the production value is out of this world. Imagine busses taking you (and thousands of other partiers) up a mountain, overlooking Rio, where basically a scene from Tomorrowland is set up in the middle of the woods. Lasers, pyrotechnics, clowns on stilts, and of course an open-bar (with no wait times for drinks by the way, which is unheard of). It's equal parts magical and madness.

We personally did the Adoro Frozen party (described above), but there were many to choose from. Each weirder and cooler than the next. Again, we only learned about this one from talking to a local "friend-of-a-friend". So do whatever it takes to find real-time intel! The juice is worth the squeeze. NOTE: Some also suck. If it's really cheap, it's a crap-shoot whether you'e getting a great deal or a sketchy warehouse with sketchy people on the outskirts of town. Be aware. You generally get what you pay for.

The Sights (Your Tourist Moments)

While you're in Rio, somewhere between hangovers, there are still some tourist sights you'll want to catch.

First, check Christ the Redeemer off the bucket list (one of the 7 World Wonders). It's insanely busy so earlier in the day is better. It's also hot (and you're hungover) so bring water. But still, the views are worth it.

When you're done, pop over to the Plage Cafe at Parque Lage. It's a former mansion with a courtyard pool overlooking Christ the Redeemer... what more do you need to know?

Second, DO THE HANG-GLIDING!!

I know, you're there for Carnaval, but this is one UNIQUE experience! Jump off at the top of the mountain, fly over the favelas, the city of RDJ, and land on the sandy beach. Unbelievable!

Then, make the hike to the iconic viewpoint at Pedra de Gávea which overlooks the stunning city.

🏅 The Rating

List: 8.9 - This trip is only 1 country - but it's a city who's clock you see in hotel lobbies around the world. It's a beach they sing songs about, a World Wonder, and the most notorious party, ever. No shortage of bucket list scratching here. Local: 8.6 - The culture in Rio is thick, and what's great is that culture is only boosted during Carnaval, not watered down. Eat your picanha, drink your caipirinhas, learn some Portuguese phrases and rub elbows with the locals in the famous "blocos".

Loco: 10 - It's the world's biggest party. From 7am to 7am, across the city and the beach. It doesn't get any more loco than this. Price: $$ - When it comes to accommodation, VERY expensive. Again, MAKE SURE YOU BOOK IN ADVANCE. Whatever you're thinking, do 6 months before that! The private night parties are also very steep (but do include open bar). As for day-to-day spend Rio is relatively affordable, albeit more expensive than in Brazil's neighbouring Latin-American countries.

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