Brazil - Fire Destroys Rio Carnival Floats and Costumes

A major and devastating fire destroyed several warehouses at "Samba City" in Rio de Janeiro destroying many elaborate floats and thousands of costumes - including costumes of a group which has won many of the competitions. A major setback for Carnival 2011.

To read more:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110207/ap_on_en_ot/lt_brazil_samba_fire

This is a major disaster for Rio. The city lives for Carnival, and this facility housed several major samba schools. Recovering will be very difficult, but this is one area in which the resilience, creativity and determination of Rio de Janeiro will be evident. Rest assured the show will go on!

This is a major disaster for Rio. The city lives for Carnival, and this facility housed several major samba schools. Recovering will be very difficult, but this is one area in which the resilience, creativity and determination of Rio de Janeiro will be evident. Rest assured the show will go on!

I've never been to Carnival, probably would have been able to handle it 15-20 years ago. But the Brasilian people are resilience and will find a way to make the show gone on. There is an energy in Rio (at least in the beach areas) found very few places in this world.

I've never been to Carnival.

Neither have I. As a Brazilian citizen and Carioca I probably would be stripped of my citizenship and deported were I to openly admit that. At my age I like being here during Carnival because the streets are empty during the day, the restaurants are pretty empty until 9:30 PM or so. The result is a delightful holiday for me, more so because I live far enough away that few block parties are audible.

Yes, it is very sad. Because of the circumstances, no team from the best league will be relegated this year. Next year there will be 13 teams in the best league, and two will be relegated.

This year, I am parading with Alegria da Zona Sul (who also suffered from a fire, last week).
If anyone wants to join me, feel free to send me a PM, and I will hook you up. ;)

Saying the city lives for Carnaval sounds like the perspective of a tourist. Most people do not go to the expensive parades. Many Cariocas leave the city during the Carnaval holiday to escape the crowds. One local paper this week had an edotiral cartoon showing a young kid in a rundown school reading a news report that samba schools would get millions from the mayor as a result of the fire's damage. I'm in Fortaleza, where the city announced it has no money to fix the pot-holed streets. It does, however, have the money to continue free musical shows every weekend, and subsidize the blocos (sort of small samba schools putting on parades every week until Carnaval). Will Carnaval in Rio go on? Of course, it will. It's a big deal, not just culturally but financially. It won't necessarily take creativity and resilience for the people as a whole (doesn't mean they are lacking in Rio, but such an event would go on in most countries I've ever been to). There are enough resources involved to make things go forward, with some, apprently, minor changes. There are Carnaval celebrations throughout the country. I can't imagine many of them being canceled due to a fire. People will be off work, tourists (domestic and international) will be there. If the Samboadrome itself had burned down, the effect would be greater.

I did go to the Rio Carnaval parade back in 1994. I went to just one night. I enjoyed it, but one night was enough (I made it through much of the night, but left before daylight).

Bottom line: if you have tickets to go to Carnaval, the show will go on.

Formerly, if you were here you might reconsider. Many people I know spend most of their time either preparing for blocos or the main events or futebal. They are not tourists. Rio makes more out of Carnival than any other thing. It is an obsession. The Carnival edition of Veja is not read by foreigners, but is by almost all literate, and some illiterate, Brazilians.