Carnival in Rio Hosts More Than 70,000 People

Tonight, the 13 best samba schools in Rio de Janeiro will parade before more than 70,000 people in the newly renovated Sambadrome.

Seven of the top schools will dance on floats in extravagant costumes in the “Temple of Samba,” accompanied by “garotas” in tiny costumes and drums.

The Sambadrome was designed by architect Oscar Neimeyer, and opened in 1984, it went through an intense nine-month renovation and its capacity was increased by 12,500 seats (total capacity: 72,500). They were also enabled elevators and ramps for people with disabilities and lighting and acoustics were improved.

“The new lighting will highlight components of the parade, no more shadows on the track. This will help enhance the beauty of the show, but will make most obvious errors in the schools,” said Carlos Osorio, municipal secretary of heritage conservation.

Schools spend 2 to $ 5 million to organize their shows, each presentation includes between 3,000 and 5,000 dancers, many from the favelas.

This year, the presentations cover themes such as slavery and poverty in the region of northeastern Brazil and also a tribute to writers, painters and musicians of the country.

(MS)