Have you missed participating in Rio Carnival? If the answer is yes, we have some good news for you. After months of discussion, Rio de Janeiro Carnival, one of the world’s most popular party events, will resume in 2022. It is scheduled to be held between Feb. 26 and March 1.
Postponed in 2020 due to high COVID-19 case numbers, the announcement was made amid the advancement of Brazil’s vaccine rollout process.
Despite case numbers remaining high, Paes said he believes that the city will be fully immunized by December 2021.
“It’s our belief that we’re going to have Rio Carnival because everyone will be protected,” said the mayor during the presentation of Rio de Janeiro’s 27th Epidemiological Bulletin.
Based on the city’s calendar, Paes estimated that the application of the first dose for all the targeted population (over 18 years) will be completed on August 15. In November, the same people would be also immunized with the second dose.
“This means we are returning to normal life. Based on this premise, we made the decision of organizing Rio Carnival in 2022. However, it will require a lot of preparation, to move forward,” said Paes.
Carnival is the main festivity in Brazil, which earned the distinction of being “The Greatest Show on Earth.” It starts on Friday and goes until Tuesday, or just a day shy of Ash Wednesday— a significant Catholic tradition which signals the start of Lent.
Every year, thousands of spectators jam into Sambadrome to watch the annual spectacle of samba-school floats, dancers, and extravagant costumes during Carnival. Even more people take part in the blocos, or street parties, dancing and drinking into the wee hours of the night.
In 2020, the number of tourists visiting the city of Rio de Janeiro for the Brazilian Carnival surpassed the two million mark, according to Rio’s official data.