Brazil's Rio Carnival 2025 brings glamour and dazzle

While the fifth season in Germany ended on Ash Wednesday, the celebrations in Brazil continue until Saturday. Rio de Janeiro is particularly famous for its colorful carnival troupes and the legendary competition of the samba schools.

Twelve samba schools show off their skills in the Sambadrome in colorful costumes — like this performer from the "Unidos de Tijuca" troupe. According to the organizers, a new feature this year includes performances by schools.

Tens of thousands watch the spectacle from the stands of the Sambadrome. The carnival in Rio is considered the biggest party in the world, with the city administration expecting a total of eight million people. Millions more watch the parades live and on television all over the world.

Numerous indigenous groups such as the "Grande Rio" Samba School also take part in the contest. The various troupes compete for the best performance on the oversized, 700-meter-long (2,297 feet) catwalk, which was designed by the famous Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer in 1984. There are no limits to the imagination when it comes to the elaborate costumes.

Lavish costumes aside, a great deal of effort goes into creating the floats on which the dancers parade through Rio. The members of the "Academicos do Grande Rio" samba school, for example, are pulled along the catwalk by oversized lizards.

Instead of feathers, rhinestones and bare skin, the "Vila Isabel" samba school opts for spooky ghost costumes. The schools are mostly located in working-class and poor districts, known as favelas. Carnival is often the only time of year when those living in the favelas are in the spotlight.

Carnival is not only celebrated in the Sambadrome: People also dance exuberantly on the streets of Brazil's largest city, Sao Paulo. Carnival in Brazil is a huge economic boon. It's estimated that the event generates a turnover of 5.7 billion reais (€936 million; around $1 billion) nationwide.