Culture, music, and celebration: the best of the 2023 Latin American Carnivals

There is a reason why Latin America is considered to be the most fun-loving, passionate continent in the world. Their celebrations are bigger and flashier than any others, and that can be seen in the annual Carnivals held between February and March.

Rio de Janeiro Carnival

The Carnival of Brazil is an annual Brazilian festival held the Friday afternoon before Ash Wednesday at noon, which marks the beginning of Lent, the forty days before Easter. During Lent, Roman Catholics and some other Christians traditionally abstained from the consumption of meat and poultry, hence the term “carnival,” from carnelevare, “to remove (literally, “raise”) meat.” In the southeastern cities of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Vitória, huge organized parades are led by samba schools, which are meant to be watched by the public.

The roots of Rio Carnival lay in the Catholic traditions of Brazil when the first Rio Carnival ball was held in 1840. Participants danced polkas and waltzes, traditions very different from the popular samba, which was introduced in 1917. After being suspended for two years in a row due to Covid, the biggest carnival in the world is back and as spectacular as ever. The Brazilian Government estimated that around 70 million people attended this year’s celebration, which was held between the 17th and 25th of February.

“Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival is the moment when the city erupts into a week-long party that cannot be described in words and at this time there is no shortage of street parties. On every corner, the “blocos de rua” attracts thousands of visitors with the mesmerizing rhythms of samba,” state the organizers.

Some of the activities were the celebrations in the Sambódromo, the samba parades, the street parties- or “blocos”- and the classic Carnival dances that showcase glamorous and luxurious outfits for the dancers.

Censorship, racism, and discrimination in Brazil were some of the themes that were highlighted in this year’s Carnival. The mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Paes, had already anticipated that this would be a party with a political tone and its theme would be the “Carnival of Democracy,” as the country guaranteed its right to continue enjoying the festivities after a failed coup attempt against President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Many Carnival lovers also celebrated the end of the term of far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, who cut funds for culture and belittled this popular celebration.

Other themes were resistance, LGBTQ+ rights, the fight against discrimination, violence, oppression, malnutrition, and poverty, as well as a celebration of Brazil’s African roots, freedom, and expression. On the second day of parades, they exhibited Amazonian animals and mythological characters on a giant scale, a light show with drones in the sky, and even a float with fountains of wine gushing between dozens of polyamorous couples from ancient Rome.

In total, 12 “escolas” showed up between Sunday and Monday, each with several thousand members, including dozens of tourists who pay several hundred dollars to be part of the carnival frenzy. The groups have between 60 and 70 minutes to seduce the jury and obtain points in categories such as the theme of the parade, lyrics, percussion, costumes, floats, and staging in general. In economic terms, this will mean 4.5 billion reais (USD 880 million), with an expected hotel occupancy of more than 95%.

Anitta, the most recognized Brazilian singer in the world today, led a massive party on the streets of Rio de Janeiro on the 25th. According to the organizers, there were around 100,000 attendees. At the top of a truck, the “queen of pop” wore a costume that evoked Carmen Miranda, the legendary Brazilian performer who made many of the typical parades of Rio’s carnivals world-famous.

The “Bloco de Anitta” parade ended around noon, after about five hours of frantic singing and dancing. During that time, Anitta sang almost non-stop in Portuguese, English, and Spanish.

Barranquilla Carnival

The largest popular festival in Colombia, the Carnival of Barranquilla has traditions that date back to the 19th century. Four days before Lent, the city decks itself out to receive national and foreign tourists, joining the city’s inhabitants to enjoy four days of intense festivities.

During the carnival,  which take place between the 18th and the 21st of February, the city is filled with festivities, musical and masquerade parades, and dances such as the Spanish paloteo, African Congo, and indigenous mico y micas. Many styles of Colombian music are also performed, most prominently cumbia, with different instruments, drums, and wind ensembles.

The Carnival starts on the Saturday before Ash Wednesday with the Battle of the Flowers, followed by The Great Parade on Sunday. The Orchestra Festival, with Caribbean and Latin bands, is held on Monday. Tuesday signals the end of the Carnival, with the burial of Joselito Carnaval, who is mourned by everyone. Barranquilla’s Carnival slogan is: Those who live it are those who enjoy it (Quien lo vive, es quien lo goza.)

The Carnival of Barranquilla almost matches the popularity of that of Rio de Janeiro: up to 2.5 million people can gather for this event, recognized in 2013 by Unesco as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. Its origin goes back to colonial times, to the parties held by slaves, who took to the streets with instruments and distinctive outfits, singing and dancing, mixing the rhythms of their native Africa with those of their new world. 

Today, the Barranquilla Carnival continues to celebrate the heritage of the three cultures that gave rise to it: indigenous, African, and Spanish. A mestizo spirit is also present in its music; Vallenato merecumbé, champeta, mapalé, and salsa are some of the rhythms practiced by the comparsas.

After being restricted and postponed by the Covid-19 pandemic for two years, the festivities returned with a bang. According to the Carnaval en Cifras report, issued by the Mayor’s Office of Barranquilla, the city received 668,691 visitors this season. It was also estimated that tourists spent more than $1 billion (USD 270.000), 58% more than in previous editions. At the end of the 2023 edition, there were 300 different events that brought in around 4,975,448 spectators.

Gualeguaychú Carnival

Known as el Carnaval del País (Carnival of the Country), the Argentinian festival is one of the most popular in the country, recognized throughout the world as one of the best after Venice and Brazil. It takes place at the start of each year in the city of San José de Gualeguaychú, Entre Ríos, and runs for two months. 

This artistic extravaganza is made up of 15 floats that are 17 meters long by eight meters wide and up to 17 meters high, which parade along a 500-meter-long catwalk of the city’s Corsódromo. There are 5 comparsas, where over a thousand participants wear exuberant hand-embroidered costumes (which include more than 70 thousand feathers!) and are accompanied by a significant number of assistants, workshop leaders, and tailors. Every night some 30,000 spectators gather at the Corsódromo, founded in 1997.

Although the recent Carnival has been going on for forty years, its history goes back 180 years, starting as a celebration called the “International Carnival of the Uruguay River.” Later it became the “Carnaval de Gualeguaychú,” and today we know it as the “Carnaval del País.” 

Gualeguaychú obtained the first authorization to celebrate in the mid-19th century in 1840. But eight years later, a decree issued by Justo José de Urquiza, then governor of Entre Ríos, prohibited masquerades “forever.” This included “playing with water, shells, or the like.” However, in 1876, a municipal ordinance created a commission to organize parades and spread them along two of its main streets, starting from Plaza Independencia. 

Currently, the Carnival has five comparsas in total, but only three compete against each other in a given year. These comparsas are Papelitos (United Youth Club), O’ Bahia (Fishermen’s Club), Ara Yevi (Federal Shooting), Kamarr (Syrian-Lebanese Center), and Mari Mari (Central Entre Ríos Club). After 10 nights of pure color and rhythm, the 2023 edition of the Carnival of the Country came to an end, with Papelitos crowned as champion for the second year in a row after achieving the highest number of points. 

After different performances of batucada and elaborate costumes, the new Queen was announced. Andi Davrieux was appointed to represent the Ará Yeví comparsa of the Federal Shooting Club and will wear the crown throughout 2023, representing the city in different events.

The festivity had more than 150 thousand attendees, with almost 30 thousand in the Corsódromo. With an average of 60 million pesos (USD 160.000) in revenue per night, it reached the millionaire figure of 600 million  (USD 1.600.000) throughout the 2023 season.