The History of Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival: From Masked Balls to the Greatest Show on Earth

Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival is synonymous with joy, color, and samba. But behind the costumes, parades, and street bands lies a fascinating history that blends tradition, popular culture, and the creativity of the Carioca people.

Entrudo

Origins: A European-Style Carnival

Carnival arrived in Brazil with the Portuguese colonizers, around the 18th century. The celebration was inspired by the “Entrudo,” a popular game in which people took to the streets throwing water, flour, and even fruit at each other. The chaos was so great that the government of the time tried to ban it several times. Over time, the Entrudo gave way to something more elegant: masked balls, parades of floats, and marchinhas inspired by European carnival traditions. In the 19th century, Rio’s ballrooms hosted the elite at lavish parties, while the common people enjoyed themselves in the streets with drums, dances, and improvised costumes.

Samba Takes the Stage

At the beginning of the 20th century, samba began to take over the city. Born in the music circles of working-class neighborhoods, especially in the Pequena África area (now Saúde and Gamboa), the rhythm came from African traditions brought by the descendants of enslaved people. It was there that legendary figures like Tia Ciata helped establish samba as a core expression of Carioca culture. The batucada, once marginalized, gradually gained prominence until it became the heartbeat of Carnival.

Deixa Falar

The Birth of the Samba Schools

The first samba school in Rio, Deixa Falar, was founded in 1928 in the Estácio neighborhood. It was created with the idea of organizing samba and turning it into a competitive parade. The initiative was so successful that, a few years later, other schools emerged, such as Mangueira, Portela, Salgueiro, Mocidade, and Beija-Flor, each with its own community, colors, and spirit. The parades began to grow, gaining bleachers, judges, and an ever-larger audience. In the 1980s, the Sambadrome at Marquês de Sapucaí, designed by Oscar Niemeyer, was inaugurated, solidifying Rio’s Carnival as the greatest show on Earth.

Cordão Bola Preta

The Street Carnival

But Rio’s Carnival isn’t just about the Sambadrome. In the streets, the blocos and bands have multiplied. Some, like Cordão da Bola Preta, have existed since the early 20th century. Others, like Monobloco or Sargento Pimenta, show that the celebration is renewed with each generation. Today, there are more than 500 blocos parading throughout the city, from the Centro to the Zona Sul, from Lapa to the Zona Norte, bringing music, joy, and diversity to millions of people.

Much More Than a Party

Rio’s Carnival is more than just a holiday. It is a celebration of creativity, cultural resilience, and Brazilian identity. It blends luxury and simplicity, tradition and innovation, samba and sweat. Every February, Rio transforms into a vast stage where everyone is invited to experience the joy of being themselves. And it is precisely this mix that makes Rio’s Carnival eternal: a festival of the people, by the people, and celebrated by the entire world.