FAMOUS CARNIVALS AROUND THE WORLD

Carnival in Rio

In Brazil, people celebrate carnivals in February or March. Every region has its own, but the carnival in Rio is the most famous. It lasts four days, and millions of people go to see it, including 300,000 foreign visitors. It’s bigger than any other Brazilian carnival. There are two nights of parades in the streets and in the giant samba stadium, which holds 90,000 people. Thousands of dancers participate, all in amazing costumes, and 600 to 800 drummers play in some of the parades. Each parade lasts ten to twelve hours, and judges choose the best dancers. There are also all-night carnival balls with non-stop loud music. During the carnival, Rio becomes the most exciting city in the world, but hotels and taxis cost four times as much as usual. Certainly, that’s because Rio offers the biggest and most spectacular carnival in the world!

Notting Hill Carnival

For most of the year, Notting Hill is a quiet part of London, but at carnival time you can see the cosmopolitan Notting Hill, which is much more exciting and noisier! Notting Hill Carnival is smaller than Rio’s and less well-known, but it’s the largest carnival in Europe. It started in 1964, and now over a million people come to see the carnival for two days at the end of August each year. More than fifty bands parade through the streets in colourful costumes. There are lots of sound systems playing reggae and other kinds of music and three stages where bands play. The streets are full of people dancing and following the bands, and when you get hungry, there are stalls selling food from all over the world. Notting Hill Carnival is called ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’. It’s Europe’s best street party, and it’s less expensive than Rio Carnival!