Rio de Janeiro Carnival is known worldwide as the biggest Carnival celebration on earth. During 6 days (it starts on Friday and goes until Ashes Wednesday), the whole city is partying. More than 2 million people go to the street to have fun, either in some of the more than 700 carnival blocks or in the traditional Samba schools parade in the Sambadrome.
With so many options, it isn’t easy to choose which Carnival party to opt in. That’s why we created this list with 10 traditional Carnival block parties in Rio de Janeiro that are worth checking out. Choose the one that suits your style the most and enjoy the party!
Enjoy Block Street Parties with a local on this special Carnival tour.
Be sure also to read: Practical Guide to enjoy the Rio de Janeiro Carnival.
If Carnival is not your thing, be sure to read: 5 tips to escape Carnival in Rio de Janeiro.
Blocos (Carnival block Street Parties)
Carnival blocks, Blocos de Rua, or simply Blocos are groups of people who gather in their local hangouts and play percussion music in street parties during the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro.
But this Carnival block parties are much more casual than the parades in the Sambadrome and fall under the term “street carnival”. They are considered the heart and soul of Rio Carnival.
The Blocos parade in neighborhoods spread all over the city, but the most popular areas for these parties are the South Zone and Downtown. They organize and run Carnival block parties during Summer. The parades start as early as January and then run through the Sunday after the Carnival.
Carioca Tip:
The best to keep up with the Carnival block parties programming is to download the app “Blocos de Rua”. The application has the schedule by day and neighborhood, start time, and description of the carnival blocks.
Pre-Carnival
Spanta Neném
Created in 2003, the Carnival block Spanta Neném aims to spread the Carioca culture, its rhythms, and its beauties. An important character in the revival of street carnival, Spanta is keen to bring to the Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas relevant Brazilian musitians storylines such as Braguinha, Tom Jobim, and Vinícius de Morais.
They are advocates and representatives of the “Carioca way of life” and value joy, fun, and, above all, Brazilian popular culture.
Read more: What does Carioca mean?
Carioca Tip:
On the same day, the bloco has a carnival block party for kids – Spantinha, starting from 9 am at Corte do Cantagalo park, also in Lagoa.
Suvaco do Cristo
Founded in 1985, Suvaco do Cristo block parades in the Jardim Botânico neighborhood, in a location that would be a straight line from the armpits of the statue of Christ the Redeemer, on Corcovado Hill (so the name that means Christ`s armpit).
According to the creators of the carnival block, the name would have been inspired by the musician Tom Jobim, who lived in the neighborhood and once said that in his house, everything was moldy because he lived in the “Christ`s armpit”. A percussion area, Bahian-clad women, and a flag-bearer wearing blue, green, and silver colors are their differential.
During Carnival
Banda de Ipanema
The Banda de Ipanema (Ipanema Band) block is one of the best known and oldest carnival blocks in Rio de Janeiro. It was born in 1964 and first paraded on Carnival Saturday in 1965. The block parades in its neighborhood, Ipanema, and leaves annually from General Osorio Square on Saturday, two weeks before Carnival, and also on Saturday and Carnival Tuesday.
For its tradition and importance to the Carnival history, the Ipanema Band is one of the intangible cultural heritage of the city of Rio de Janeiro. Learn more here.
Cordão do Boi Tolo e do Boitatá
Boitatá block came first, having been founded in 1996. In 2000, the carnival block, which today is made up of more than 100 professional and amateur musicians, adopted the main stage of Praça XV, to raise the discussion about the process of occupation and revitalization of Rio`s downtown area. Since then, thousands of partygoers are taken to the venue each year on Carnival Sunday.
Ten years later, the Boi Tolo block began unusually. When the Cordão do Boitatá block did not parade (much to the frustration of the revelers), a group gathered and improvised a street party with trumpet, tambourine, and other instruments. Since then, the Boi Tolo block is the best known unofficial block in the city.
With the aim of not letting gigantism shake the tranquility of the party, the block is divided into several groups that follow different paths but will meet again at some point. The routes are not predefined, and those who are interested in following the parade need to follow their social networks here.
Bangalafumenga
In 1998, poet Chacal and musicians Rodrigo Maranhão and Celso Alvim created Bangalafumenga, at the Gávea Planetarium, as a meeting of artists dedicated to poetry, samba, and improvisation. In the same year, its members organized a Carnival block party at Leblon.
The Bangalafumenga Carnival Block plays it all! But it is primarily known for promoting fusions between funk and samba and other Brazilian rhythms.
Sargento Pimenta
Sargento Pimenta is a Carnival block founded in 2010 whose repertoire consists mainly of versions of songs by the rock band The Beatles. The name of the carnival block is a reference to the album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
They perform the Beatle`s songs with arrangements of samba, marchinha, maracatu, and other Brazilian rhythms. Their parade is at Aterro do Flamengo, and year after year, the carnival block hit a record audience.
Orquestra Voadora
The group was formed by musicians who performed in several carnival blocks of Rio de Janeiro. Determined to innovate the Carnival repertoire, they began to mix the traditional marchinhas (a polka like music) with sambas, rock’n roll, movies and cartoon soundtracks and pop music in general.
The Orquestra Voadora Block (Flying Orchestra) has been parading since 2008, always at Aterro do Flamengo, ending its presentation in the garden of the Museum of Modern Art of Rio de Janeiro, one of the 8 best museums in Rio de Janeiro.
Carmelitas
Founded in 1990, the traditional Carmelitas Block parades every year in Santa Teresa, home to the Carmelite Convent that gave rise to its name.
The block was created from an anecdote told by a local resident who said he saw a nun jump over the convent wall to mingle with the revelers. So every year are two parades: one on Friday, at the beginning of Carnival, marking the date when the runway nun falls into samba, and the second on Tuesday when she has the opportunity to return to the convent without calling attention.
Enjoy Carmelitas with a local on this special Carnival tour.
Carioca Tip:
The local tradition is to wear nun costumes so that no one identifies the runaway nun.
After Carnival
Quizomba
Quizomba is a Carnival block created in 2001 by musicians from a percussion workshop. Since 2005, Quizomba parades in Lapa neighborhood, playing a repertoire of sambas-plot, marchinhas, rock, and MPB. In addition to the band’s musicians, there are about 60 rhythm artists, among professionals and students of the workshop.
Monobloco
Monobloco is one of the best-known carnival blocks in Rio de Janeiro. Conceived in 2000, it emerged from a workshop intended to teach people without any musical initiation how to play percussion instruments.
The workshop’s students form a percussion section of over 150 people who perform each year during the four Fridays preceding Carnival at Fundição Progresso, in Lapa. These parties are the rehearsals for the official parade that ends the Carnival in the city.
Monobloco was renowned for incorporating various rhythms and musical styles to the beat of samba and traditional marchinhas.
Carioca Tip:
If you are visiting Rio de Janeiro during January and February but won’t be here at Carnival, you can enjoy street blocks and samba school rehearsals! (Some say that Pre-Carnival is even better than the official Carnival). Send us a message and ask us how.
Ready to enjoy the party?
We hope these tips help you choose the best Carnival block parties in Rio de Janeiro Carnival, one of the most popular celebrations in the world!
If you are going to attend the Rio Carnival, it is advisable to plan as far ahead as possible, as travelers from around the world flock to Rio de Janeiro annually to take part in the fun.
So if you want help choosing the Carnival block street party that best suits you or organizing all the tours you are interested in doing during Carnival, we can help you!
You can have a customized itinerary for your trip or book one of our local experiences to see Rio de Janeiro like a local.
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