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Carnival in Rio: the best blocos and “survival guide”

Find out how to have the best carnival of your life

By Diego Bonel

Enjoying carnival in Rio de Janeiro can be a life changing experience. We have no doubts about that! It is however very important to know how to enjoy it the best way possible without having a bad experience. Having a great time while only keeping the good history and the great pictures as memories.

We gather in this article two things that most worry first trip travelers and those who didn’t have a good experience before: a list of the best blocos as well as valuable tips “to survive” the days of partying.

Wake up early …
… or don’t sleep, if you are one of those hardcore partiers! It’s important to remember that the best street carnival in Rio de Janeiro is during the day, and really early. Some blocos starts at 5 a.m. and some at 7 a.m. You can think that it isn’t worth losing a good night sleep or waking up early for, but you will regret it when you wake up the following morning to all of the fun stories of people who did, trust us!

Don’t be shy, wear your constume and join the fun
Everything is possible and creativity is your best weapon. Your costume doesn’t have to be something elaborated nor does it have to be expensive. Improvise, brainstorm with your crew and maybe do a group costume. A creative and funny costume is a great conversation starter. After meeting a new group of friends you will see how your group will get bigger and bigger as the day goes on.

Use the subway it will be open 24 hours every day
The rio subway will be one of your best friends this carnival. This year time sheet has just recently been released. There will be 5 days of 24h uptime. The main tip here is to buy the pre-paid card this way you avoid the long lines and will be allowed to enter stations that won’t be selling tickets. Don´t forget to download the “Metro Fácil” app (Android and iOS).

Plan ahead… 
With 505 official street blocos scheduled there are many options that aren’t as good as others. The most important thing to know is which bloco you’re going to start your day (very early, just to emphasize). It is a good idea to keep a list of blocos that you would like to attend in case one is not as good as you thought it was gonna be.

…but not that much 
You probably already have read our suggestions and took notes as to what your interested in, right? But that doesn’t mean your carnival will be just that. Part of the magic of having fun during carnival is to be open to sudden changes in your plans, routes and paths. Some “secret blocos” don’t publish when or where they will perform. They provide their plans during other blocos or by word of mouth. So don’t be shy! If you want to go to a bloco you just heard about go ahead and take a look. These usually are the best adventures!

Don´t underestimate Rio’s heat 
Drinking water is a wise decision, remember that! In the middle of the crowd, partying, we end up forgetting that our bodies are getting dehydrated at a alarming rate. For those of you who like to drink a cold beer, know that the dehydration process is excelerated by the alcohol. Water, plenty of it, deal?

The sun burns badly without pitty or mercy 
“But I’m used to the sun I don’t use sun block not even on the beach”. Alright, everyone knows their bodies, but its a wise choice to use plenty of sun block to protect yourself. During the bloco we forget how much we are exposed to the sun and during this time of the year it sets at 7 pm. That means you are out in the sun for a fair amount of hours. A hat is always a good choice as well as taking advantage of the shade to avoid direct sun exposure.

Be prepared to walk a lot 
When you are picking your costume a key part is the shoes. Not necesseraly to match your costume but to help you feel comfortable given the fact that you’re going to be walking around all day. Girls, forget about high heels or those “beautiful shoes” that hurt after 30 minutes of wearing them. During carnival they are gonna hurt a lot so do yourself and your feet a favor and dont wear them. Boys, good ol’ sneakers will handle the situation perfectly, the more comfortable the better. No one wants to lose a whole day of partying for a foot full of blisters, right?

Its better to be safe than sorry, always be aware of your belongins 
In any big city (especially in a party with thousands of people) there will always be pick pockets out there looking to score. There is no reason to panic, just be prepared, take care of your belongings and you won’t have problems. Money belt is a good pick and if you don’t have one you can buy it from R$5 to R$10 from a street salesman.

Street blocos you shouldn’t miss
Amigos da Onça — Aterro do Flamengo — FOTO — Diego Bonel

Every year we make a list between a group of friends to know where we should go. This year we want to share with you the blocos we like most, the criteria we use to prioritize the list are the blocos with the best and music, with good people and lastly the ones that are full but not too crowded. These blocos are also free of charge and are easily accesable via train. Most importantly though, these are the blocos in which freedom, respect and tolerance are imperative.

To make it even easier on you, we linked the list with the bloco facebook fan page. Be sure to take a pen and paper to write down your top blocos. Let’s get to work!