The famous Carnival in Rio de Janeiro happens every February, or early March. The date varies every year depending on what day Easter is celebrated, as Carnival takes places 47 days before Easter. However, in most years the dates are sometime in February.
Based on that, the Rio de Janeiro Carnival (Fat Tuesday) can be as early as February 5th or as late as March 8th. Note that although the Carnival day (Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday) is on Tuesday, the celebrations start on Saturday, or earlier. In other words, Carnival in Rio de Janeiro happens on Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday.
Here it is the Carnival calendar for the next years (Sat.-Tues.):
Year 2013: 9, 10, 11 and 12 of February
Year 2014: 1, 2, 3 and 4 of March
Year 2015: 14, 15, 16 and 17 of February
Year 2016: 6, 7, 8 and 9 of February
Year 2017: 25, 26, 27 and 28 of February
Year 2018: 10, 11, 12, and 13 of February
Year 2019: 2, 3, 4 and 5 of February
Year 2020: 22, 23, 24 and 25 of February
How long does the Rio de Janeiro Carnival Last?
The Rio de Janeiro Carnival officially opens on Saturday morning, and ends on Wednesday at 12 noon. In fact, the vast majority of the companies close for 4 days and a half (Saturday through Wednesday morning), as these days are considered holiday all over Brazil. Of course, all tourism-related business such as tour operators, restaurants, hotels, souvenirs shops, and attractions are open.
What can you experience during Carnival?
There are basically 4 ways of experiencing Carnival when visiting Rio de Janeiro during those days:
- 1. Watching the Carnival Parade
The Carnival Parade is the main attraction during the Carnival long weekend. The parade, contrarily to what many tourists think, does not happen on the beach districts such as Copacabana and Ipanema, but at the Sambadrome, which is a half-mile long stadium next to downtown, built specifically to host the Carnival parade.
The Carnival Parade takes place Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. On each night (9 p.m. – 5 a.m.) six Samba Schools participate, but the best 12 ones parade on Sunday and Monday nights.
Seeing the parade live is not cheap. A decent location on the grandstand costs roughly US$ 300 per person per night (one night is enough to get a feeling of the parade, though).
-
2. Participating in the Carnival parade
In addition to watching the parade, you can buy a costume and participate as a local in the parade. Costume prices can vary dramatically, but usually range around US$ 300. You can watch and participate on the same night, or on different ones.
-
3. Going to Carnival balls
Many traditional samba and dance clubs in Rio de Janeiro offer small-scale Carnival balls, which are a great place to inexpensively blend in with locals. Costumes may or may not be mandatory depending on the club. Carnival balls happen from Thursday night to Tuesday night.
-
4. Going to Carnival street parties
There are more than 400 Carnival street parties (called “blocos“) during those 4 and a half days. These parties are free and extremely popular among locals. The first ones happen on Thursday night, and the very last ones on Tuesday night (although usually there is a small one here and there on Wednesday).
Summary
There are different Carnival activities and celebrations from Thursday until Tuesday (Fat Tuesday). However, no matter how many days you stay in Rio, you should definitely make an effort to watch the parade on Sunday or on Monday, which are best nights.
Whether or not you are coming to Rio de Janeiro during Carnival, you likely will want to visit the classic landmarks such as Corcovado and Sugar Loaf.
Learn how to beat the crowd of tourists and visit these attractions without hassle by reading the practical tips described in My Rio Travel Guide – The Essential How-To Visitor’s Guide to Rio de Janeiro.