Carnaval in Rio: THE GREATEST PARTY IN THE WORLD 🎭️ 🇧🇷 💃

All I can say is…Rio is ELECTRIC. I have NEVER felt more energy from a city or a group of people like the week we spent at Carnaval. Carnaval technically is a 10-day celebration from Feb 9-19 running through Fat Tuesday/ Ash Wednesday. But the celebrations go WAY beyond 10 days… they literally run ALL month long. When we arrived in Rio, we wanted to give ourselves a few days of “buffer” before heading into the Carnaval festivities. What I really wanted to do was tackle all the touristy things (Cristo Reinado, viewpoints at Sugarloaf, exploring some of the safer favelas and different neighborhoods around Rio, eating Brazilian steak) before the parties began. But having traveled with 4 boys, 3 of whom were single, I’m sureeee you can imagine the minute we stepped on the beach, there was NO WAY I was going to convince the boys to do ANYTHING other than “admire the natural wonders of the world” (AKA the Brazilian women). 

I also must admit, I’ve never been surrounded by so many beautiful people before. Genuinely every single person is attractive, both men and women, there’s something in the gene pool. Everyone also seems so happy and friendly (granted, it WAS Carnaval and they live on the BEACH!!). The Brazilians who spoke English were all super welcoming and enjoyed chatting with our group. 

We spent our first afternoon on Leblon Beach (shoutout to POSTO 12!!), which was conveniently one block from our Airbnb. The beaches themselves are an absolute scene. Lined on the beach are vendor huts (all numbered so they are permanently there every day), which you rent your umbrella and chair from, and will serve you caipirinhas and beers until your heart desires. On top of this, hundreds of walking vendors are weaving through selling everything from drinks to bikinis to corn-on-the-cob to acai bowls. It's like a whole city on the sand. On top of this, the beach was ACTIVE. Footie, beach volleyball (mainly with feet and head), beach paddle (kind of), and everything in between is lining the ocean break and volleyball nets at the back. It's fair to say we were all instantly in love with Rio (and the boys were particularly in love with the beach - I wonder why...This naturally became the boy's favorite place in Rio to admire the wonders of the world.

To kick off our first evening, we headed to a recommended old-school institution, Jobi, which serves their own incredible chope-style beer and delicious bar snacks to locals. These bars spill out onto the streets and groups will gather surrounding a barstool-turned-table to place their beers/snacks. This is a commonality in Rio/Brasil. We struck up conversations with a Brazilian man who was out dining with his wife and son, after drooling over his order of shrimp croquetas. Once he found out it was our first day in Rio, he took it upon himself to grab the waiter and order us a feast of the best traditional bar snacks (shrimp croquetas, cheese balls, steak sandwiches). The croquetas were SO GOOD, the vibes were high, and we returned to Jobi multiple times after calling it our “home base” for the week. We ran into our Dutch friends, Nick and Ginny, from Buenos Aires, and introduced them to our crew before enjoying more beers.

From there, the festivities BEGAN for us. We went to a samba and DJ event at an outdoor bar that was packed with Brazilian Yuppies. We sang along to samba songs and watched the night unfold as we people-watched the single boys try their luck with the Brazilian women (let's just say the culture of men and women courting here is VERYY different and took some quick adjustment from the boys). I also must add, Brazilians LOVE TO SING!!! If a samba song is playing at the club, the Brazilians are belting out the lyrics passionately; it is so fun to experience (if only we knew Portuguese!!)

The next few days were spent enjoying Leblon Beach in the mornings (read: early afternoons; we never woke up “early”) and heading to blocos in the afternoons. Blocos are huge block parties scattered around Rio (there could be ~20-25 different blocos going on at any given time, each of which is attracting 10's of thousands, if not 100's of thousands of people) that start as early as 7 am or as late as midnight. (If you're catching on.. the party DOESN’T STOP!!!). 

The first bloco we ventured to was in Santa Teresa and was the “first official bloco” of Carnaval. Santa Teresa is a neighborhood built on a hill so there are TONS of stairs, hills, and windy streets. It may have been the hottest day in Rio so we were sweating with the other 100,000+ people smushed on the tiny, winding, road. After the first bloco, we realized there was really no need to walk and follow the crowd because there was no end destination. The crowds aimlessly follow the road, but really it's all the same thing: people drinking, dancing, and having a good time (while wearing next to nothing except sparkles, tutus, and bright colors!!). We were in the cattle call and needed to get outta there. It was way too packed for my liking that thankfully, Will and Daniel found an escape route at a bar that overlooked the madness. The bar also conveniently had a garden hose that the boys gladly took control of to wet the partygoers who walked by (some more accepting than others). That bar was a saving grace, we were able to order Aperol spritzes, dance to a live samba band, and enjoy the madness while still having a bit of comfort. We also met the sweetest group of girls throughout the afternoon (some who were Brazilian and taught me how to samba!!) 10/10 afternoon. 

After that wound down we headed back to the Airbnb to freshen up and greet our friend, Natalie, who flew in from Buenos Aires. From there we.. you guessed it.. went out again! Most nights we went to ticketed DJ events that were recommended to us by locals. One of the best parts of Carnaval is that famous DJs come to perform so there was no shortage of events to attend. One of my favorite events was an outdoor venue in the hills that backed up against a huge mountain. As the party continued into the morning and the sun began to rise, we became more aware of our surroundings. There was the most EPIC sunrise over the coast/ beach in one direction and the most stunning mountain range in the other. We ended up venturing back home around 7:30 am when… you guessed it again.. a bloco was about to begin right outside our Airbnb! Sadly we ran out of steam and needed to sleep so we went home and listened to the blaring music and crowd as we tried to get a few hours of rest from our beds.

The next afternoon we went to a bloco at Ipamena Beach where we reunited with a friend, Klara, who we met in the Philipines (remember the shipwreck?!?!). The block was right along the beach promenade and had the most incredible sunset. We samba’d and ultimately had to dip into the ocean by the end of the night.

THE GREATEST PARTY IN THE WORLD 🎭️ 🇧🇷 💃 

We had randomly been connected to locals in Rio through mutual friends (of friends of friends) who ALL recommended one party: Camarote Allegria. They all mentioned it was expensive, but ~the best party in the world~. Understanding that Brazilians take partying to a whole new level, and hearing that it was the best party in the world, made us super intrigued and ultimately cough up a pretty penny for a wild night out 🤪 

For some context, camarotes are VIP parties within a specific section of the Sambadrome (the arena where the samba parades take place) that offer the best viewing for the actual parade and an over-the-top VIP experience. Dozens of camarotes line most of the floor sections of the parade route and all have different vibes/ attract different crowds. This specific camarote (Allegria) is catered towards the young, hip, and sceney Brazilians. Before finding out about the camarote experience, I had zero interest in seeing the parade because I truly didn’t understand what it was (knowing now.. it was like NOTHING I imagined). But one thing all camarotes have in common is that attendees must wear matching T-shirts corresponding to their specific section that serves as their ticket into their VIP area. 

These t-shirts are a hilarious concept and were a fascinating part of the event. For one, the t-shirt changes every night to make sure attendees don’t try to sneak back in for the next day’s festivities. The t-shirts also act as a blank canvas for the women attendees to design and create entire outfits from a less-than-cute t-shirt. When we went to pick up our t-shirts from a hotel in town before the event, there was a whole ballroom dedicated to t-shirt designs. The room was filled with 20 “seamstresses” with scissors and hot glue guns ready to repurpose the t-shirts into crop tops, dresses, or anything you could imagine. Girls lined up and instructed them to cut their shirts into various designs that were truly shocking with how creative they got. When we arrived at the event the girls were dressed to the NINES, wearing their repurposed t-shirts, stiletto heels, and body jewelry while sambaring until 8 in the morning (Sam now claims that I can no longer complain about wearing heels after seeing how long these women were dancing in theirs). 

As for the actual event, it was the most well-run event we’ve ever been to and the staff ensured every guest was having a great time. There was an indoor “club” which was literally under the stadium seating of the Sambadrome that had famous Brazilian musicians (Jorge Aragão if anyone is familiar) singing Samba music. Late night it turned into a rotation of DJ sets. The club was lined with activations from Bombay Sapphire Gin, Grey Goose Vodka, and Redbull, which were free-flowing and included in your ticket. They also had free food the entire night and a literal salon for women to get their hair and makeup touched up throughout the night. As if that wasn’t enough, bartenders walked around with drink belts that held fresh ice, vodka/ gin, and Red Bulls to refill your cup while you watched the show or partied on the dancefloor. 

The next section of the venue was outdoors and guided people towards the parade. I never realized that Carnaval is a competition among the samba schools in Rio where a handful of schools perform for 60-80 minutes straight with nearly 3,000 participants (including the live percussion band and dancers! We were steps away from them!). Each school creates an original samba song that blares through the Sambadrome for the entire performance, and most attendees sing along passionately. The floats and production value were like NOTHING I’ve experienced before. It puts Disneyland to SHAME! The floats have the most insane animatronics, acrobats, fireworks, and dancers, and are HUGE!!!! The percussion ensemble had the craziest beats that vibrated through your chest, you couldn't resist moving your hips along all night (and pretending to know how to samba!). At moments, you can't help but stop, stare, and smile at how impressive of a show they are putting on. All the while, the entire Sambadrome is belting along, dancing, and has the most passion and energy throughout the entire stadium.

Right after the school’s act is finished, there is ~20-minute lull for the next performance to begin. Allegria PERFECTLY times an iconic brass band to move attendees attention inside the party and they had the most electric vibe. If you know me, you KNOW I love a good beat, drum, and sax so I was in HEAVEN. We LOVED the brass band and looked forward to it every time the samba school finished. 

This rotation went on all night, and the samba schools went way past sunrise until 6 am. The craziest part to me was that the Sambadrome was STILL FULL at 6 am with the same ELECTRIC energy that we felt at midnight. With the sun already up, people were still singing, dancing, smiling, (and boozing 😉 ) like there wasn’t a care in the world. We made friends with some locals who worked in Finance and they headed straight to the office at 7:45 am from the event. 

You would think once the floats finished, the party would too… But nope, Allegria moved the DJ club from inside out onto the terrace and continued the party all morning long. Unfortunately, Will, Dan, and Brian had to drag themselves out to catch a morning flight just as the sun came up. It was a fittingly emotional moment to say farewell after having an incredible 10 days together (there may have been a couple of tears). We had been convincing Dan & Will for a couple of months on the thought of Carnaval, and I can't really describe how amazing it was to spend it together and have some best friends come and meet us (The first and ONLY friends thus far... cough cough everyone else!). Brian and Natalie were also INCREDIBLE additions to the crew. By the end of the 10 days, it turned into our carnaval family. 🙂 

But, the party must go on!! The bartenders started pouring shots down people’s throats at literally 7 am as a new DJ started his set and the vibes continued to rise (somehow!). By 8:30 am, Sam, Natalie, and I figured it was time to tap out. The crazy part is... I could have kept going!! 😉 I'm serious, the vibe was so contagious that I genuinely never got tired or bored. 

That next day we caught up on rest and said bye to Nat and enjoyed our last full day in Rio. We went to Ipamena beach and drank lots of fresh coconut water to revive ourselves (and a few caipirinhas- hair of the dog, ya know!!). Later that night, we met up with our friends Hagar and Erez (from the Antarctica cruise!) who had flown into Rio earlier that day. We also squeezed in a morning breakfast with our other friend, Matt (also from Antarctica cruise/ Calafate in Argentina!) before heading to the airport.

Going into Carnaval, we were going in with the mentality that this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. But having the time of our lives and feeling the energy every day while there, I can 1000% say, we are going back for the rest of our lives!!!!!!! Rio is amazing. I can't wait to return to Brazil to explore the country and culture more in-depth. 

Now, although we were sleep-deprived and exhausted, we were still high on life and the energy around us. The only thing that could get me out of Rio that day was the thought of seeing my family and attending my sister’s wedding in Mexico!!!! Over 36 hours, we flew from Rio to Sao Paolo to Mexico City and finally to Puerto Vallarta where I was greeted with the most anticipated hug by both of my parents after 10 months… more on Mexico and the wedding in the next post!!! ❤️