Carnival Next Friday

The excitement is building in the bustling city of Rio de Janeiro, as the world-famous Carnival is just a few days away!

Beginning on the 28th February, the celebrations will continue for 4 days including the Monday and Tuesday, which are national holidays in Brazil. Today we’ll be running you through a few hotels you might want to consider if you’re planning on joining the party. Since the seasons are reversed in South America, February is one of the hottest times of the years. With temperatures set to reach 32 degrees on Friday, proximity to Brazil’s famous beaches is a priority. With so many to choose from, this is no easy task!

Pousada La Chimere, Buzios

Located in the heart of Buzios well within walking distance of Bones, Azeda and Armacao beaches, this traditional, stylish hotel is a rustic alternative well worth considering. However, this certainly doesn’t mean you’ll have to compromise on comfort. The interior is well furnished and cosy, meaning you’ll be able to sit back and relax after a hard night’s partying in Rio.

The small pool on offer gives you a chance to soak through the hottest part of the day – with temperatures expected to be 30 degrees or more all weekend, this is certainly a necessity! With simple but comfortable rooms and characteristic wooden beams running throughout the hotel, the Pousada La Chimere blends authentic Brazilian architecture with some modern luxury to bring you the perfect setting for your weekend away.

Costa Norte Ingleses, Santa Catarina

If you’re willing to stay a short flight away from Rio de Janeiro itself, you will be richly rewarded. This hotel has a fantastic location right on the Praia dos Ingleses beach in Northern Florianopolis, in Santa Catarina. Not only is the hotel equipped with all the luxuries you might expect from a top-quality hotel, but it is also within easy walking distance of the town centre, which has an excellent selection of restaurants and shops.

Each room is carefully laid out, spacious and comfortable, featuring free WiFi, a minibar and cable TV, along with a few extra luxuries to make your stay that little bit more comfortable. Facilities include an indoor pool, a gym, tennis, football and basketball courts along with an ocean-view restaurant.

Find out more about any of our destinations, request a brochure or speak to one of our Latin Routes Travel Specialists by Contacting Us

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Rio Carnival Approaches!

It’s that time of year again! Brazil’s finest dancers, costumes and partygoers will come together over one spectacular weekend to celebrate before the beginning of lent.

The Party

The festivities have grown enormously over the years, having started with just a small street parade in 1823. It is now known universally as the biggest carnival in the world, with upwards of a two million people expected to hit the streets of Rio de Janeiro over the 4 day celebration between 28th February and 4th March. With a number of celebrities, including YouTube sensation PSY rumoured to be attending this year, 2014 looks to be bigger and better than ever.

Interestingly, of the total 5 million of so people that will be present over the 4 day weekend, around 500,000 will be tourists. This number has been steadily increasing for years, since the inception of the ‘Sambadrome’. This stadium-like construction is formed of two huge rows of bleachers facing each other, with a concrete path running between them. Huge lights illuminate this strip, as this is where the hundreds of dancers, drummers and colourful costumes will proceed in front of a sold-out 90,000 capacity crowd.

The Samba Schools

The Samba schools compete against each other for a chance to be promoted to what is known as the ‘Special Group’. This elite group of schools are the biggest, grandest and best-funded schools in Rio and certainly know how to put on a show. After the theme for the year has been chosen, each school gets to work choreographing dances, training their members and slaving away over costume design. The winning Samba school is afforded huge prestige within the Rio community so schools will often spend upwards of thousands of pounds in order to secure their place in Rio’s history.

In addition to the show on offer, a ‘King Momo’ is selected each year. This privileged individual is given the key to the city along with a sizeable reward. Traditionally, the King had to fit the profile of the original King Momo – this essentially involved his being over 300lbs in weight. However, with growing obesity problems in Brazil, this requirement was abandoned and the opportunity to become King Momo is now open to everyone.

2014 looks to be the biggest, brightest and best of the bunch so far, so don’t hesitate to grab the chance to go!

Sound like an awesome spectacle? Find out more: Contact a Latin Routes Travel Specialist

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Rio de Janeiro Carnival 2014

It isn’t an exaggeration to say that Brazil is a country full of everything; enthusiasm, vibrancy, colour, and, above all, life.

The cities, culture and most importantly the people of Brazil are some of the liveliest in South America, a continent already famous for its extravagant tastes. Even on the dullest days, the Brazilian people can surprise you with a lust for life that just isn’t found in the UK!

What happens, then, when the liveliest people in the world come together in the bustling streets of Rio de Janeiro to celebrate one of the most important religious dates in the calendar with an all-out, no-holds-barred, three day extravaganza? Rio de Janiero’s Carnival. On February 28^th, upwards of a million people – tourists and locals alike – will grace the streets of Rio de Janeiro to dance, drink, sing and catch a glimpse of the spectacular show on offer.

What is Carnival?

Let’s find out a bit more about the Carnival itself. The celebration officially lasts from February 28^th (Friday) until Ash Wednesday on the 4^th March. The Carnival itself has a number of different aspects. Firstly, there are a variety of different balls (often masked or masquerade) that are on offer. These usually entail dressing up, gorgeous settings and live music – an incredible experience, especially if you’re new to South America.

In addition to this, there are a number of ‘bloco’ parties that are held by the different Samba Schools competing in the Carnival Parade. These draw huge crowds of hundreds of thousands of people, and involve more music, dancing and general excitement. Imagine Notting Hill Carnival multiplied by 100! This in itself is enough to draw thousands of holiday-makers, but if you need more convincing…

The Parade

The main event. This is what Rio’s Carnival is famous for – outlandish costumes, larger-than-life characters and a drumbeat that you can’t help but dance to! The Parade itself started on a much smaller scale as a demonstration of the talent of different Samba Schools in the local area. Over the years, this developed into a heated competition and has evolved in the extraordinary feast of colour and sound that the Carnival is now known worldwide for. There are now over 500 Samba Schools, split into 5 ‘Divisions’, all competing to be in the top Division, translated as the ‘Special Group’.

Friday and Saturday is reserved for the ‘Gold Group’, Sunday and Monday the ‘Special Group’ and finally, the lesser-known Samba Schools compete on the final day, Tuesday. The best groups competing in the Gold Group may get promoted to the ‘Special Group’ the following year, and Tuesday affords some of the smaller schools the opportunity to put on a show to the 90,000 capacity ‘Sambadrome’, purpose-built to afford spectators a view of the procession. Tickets to the Sambadrome are red-hot, so book early to make sure you aren’t disappointed!

A different theme is selected each year. The Samba Schools then get to work building costumes, choreographing dances and writing music according to this theme. The end result is a procession involving hundreds of dancers, floats and drummers, all involved in a different aspect of the parade.

What’s Stopping You?

With World Cup 2014 coinciding with this year’s Carnival, it promises to be bigger, better and more beautiful than ever before!

Don’t miss out on this fantastic experience!

Talk to a Latin Routes Travel Specialist for more information about a holiday to Brazil.

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