Front Row at Carnaval: A Night of Color, Culture, and Creativity in Rio

Photojournalist: Siddharth Gandhi

Recently I had the incredible opportunity to experience Carnaval in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil in person alongside my friends. On February 15th, the day I flew in, I ended up right in the front row of  the Carnaval festivities at the Sambadrome. Due to exhaustion, I ended up just seeing three of the four schools performing that evening, but I still had more than my fair share of the music, excitement and creativity on display. 

The first school we saw was Acadêmicos de Niterói who put together a parade around the president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula, who also happened to be in attendance. While it was considered a tribute to his mother, it was very strongly political and hardly subtle about it. The visual of a mouse wearing a MAGA hat was incredibly striking to say the least.

The next school to show off their parade was Imperatriz Leopoldinense. I’ve rarely been more excited than when I saw someone riding a giant animatronic wolf coming down toward us. The story of this segment was celebrating Brazilian singer Ney Matogrosso through the narrative of a creature that can change form to any animal, human or character. It was a visual feast filled with color and elaborate animal and supernatural outfits to show these transformations as an expression of liberation, uniqueness and fantasy.

The final parade I got to experience before I ended my night was from the school Portela. The honoree of this display was Custódio Joaquim de Almeida, an African dignitary and spiritual leader who had a marked impact on Rio in the 19th century. The parade focused on celebrating the history and impact of the African Diaspora on Brazil and specifically Rio Grande do Sul with the introduction of Batuque. The visual of an eagle repeated throughout the segment, one of the most poignant being a mechanical display of a giant white eagle ridden by a child.

I ended my night early at around 3 AM, but the crowd was still going strong with energy in a way I've never seen before. Everyone knew the words to all of the songs and celebrated with the people around them. I am so glad I was able to experience that cultural unity and excitement in person. I absolutely would recommend it, especially with good company.