Rio de Janiero in Brazil, considered the "Carnival Capital of the World", is wrapping up its four-day celebration before Catholics across the world begin Lent on Ash Wednesday. The loud and colorful parade is the last chance to party before the sober forty-days of Lent ensue until Easter.
Each year the carnival draws millions of Brazilians out onto the streets and roughly 500,000 tourists come to enjoy the festivities with the locals. The parade features hundreds of floats, bands, and the renowned samba schools competition. Dressed in decoratively adorned costumes groups of thousands of competitors come up with their own unique dance, typically from their hometown, and put on a festive show with a drum band.
The Sambadrome and Copacabana Palace are the center of attention for the paraders and dancers but the festivities also spill out onto onto the bouelvards, clubs, and bars. Maybe with not the same grandeur as the official parade, the many street events that take place throughout the celebration add the flavor of local bandas and bondos bands that serenade dancers who keep in step with the African influenced samba.
During Carnival 2012 over two million people celebrated in Rio and as wild as the party may have appeared police say it was peaceful and not a single arrest was made.