I am planning to visit Carnaval next February as someone posted a really good deal on AA flights from SFO-GRU... obviously I'll have to get myself over to Rio.
I have read through several of the Carnaval websites and none of them actually tell me what I want to know, what are the dates I actually need to be there for? The start dates? the end dates? the middle? The whole damn thing? I can't seem to distinguish the different days. I want to see the most unique elements as well as the big or epic moments, and any LGBT moments if there are any... I'll then spend the rest of my time doing non-Carnaval things or checking out Sao Paolo plus a Hyatt mattress run in Macae... thanks in advance to anyone from Rio or with prior experience. Also, are there any smaller Carnavals outside of Rio in Brazil? I know there's some other South American cities like Baranquilla in Colombia.

Here's the official Carnival website [I think] which if you haven't seen it may be a good starting point Rio Carnival Tickets 2024 - Ticket Prices - Rio Carnival Tickets (rio-carnival.net)

Carnaval is everywhere in Brazil, starting like 2 months before the official start and ending like a month after. And it’s a sh*t show. The parade you see on tv is like not even what most people consider carnaval? Like you should do that once but the main part is all the blocos, which are big street parties that wind their way through the streets following some band or music on a truck. And they are every day in all parts of the city/country. You could just ask your hotel where are the biggest/best blocos today and they will tell you. And you wear a costume based on theme of the bloco or as little as possible or whatever and just drink and leave trash all over and go to the bathroom wherever and try to hook up or whatever. So I know you would like to nail down an itinerary but I’m gonna say it doesn’t matter. Just show up and you will be in the middle of it and everything will work out.

From all that I have seen about Carnival in Rio the important parts are the breasts and the bundas (buttocks)

Now to get more serious Salvador has a wonderful and quite different Carnival to Rio much more orientated to truck-mounted performances by top local musicians. But pick any city in Brazil and there will be a great celebration. (Or go to Quito instead and get soaked in the streets)

You�ll get soaked by a variety of fluids in Brazil. Agree the NE is the best.

Hey, I will also fly to Rio for the carnival in 2024. I was already last year in Rio and have already done most of the touristic things. So far I plan to go on 11.02 to the Sambadrom and possibly to the Magic Ball in the Copacabana Palace (although that may be too expensive). Otherwise there are all the parties (blocos) on the street.
Small note: Hardly anyone in Rio speaks English. Spanish can help, but it does not have to. Therefore, it may help to learn a little Portuguese beforehand via an app.

The important thing about the dates is that almost all the accommodations have a minimum of 4-5 nights during the Carnaval. So just book whatever you can and you cannot miss anything important.
Also, there is the parade of the winners in the weekend after the Carnaval, when usually there are no such restrictions with the accommodation.
The Carnaval is everywhere, the most famous are Rio and Salvador, but there will be something even in the small towns.

The best days to attend are Sunday and/or Monday. These are the days featuring the schools in the special group. The eventual champion always comes from one of these days. I'd suggest a shared camarote (box suite) Not sure if I should list specific company names so I'd say go to IG and search Carnival camarote. You'll see 4-5. Prices are around $400-$500 USD per person currently but will increase periodically leading up to the event. There are cheaper ways but the camarotes include open bar and buffet and ground transportation.

I am also attending Carnaval this year. I attended in 2020 and it was very difficult to find exact info on what to expect at the event online.

For a foreigner, I would definetely recommend finding a ball to attend, with the Magic Ball being the premier event. Sadly, the prices have gone up even more to around $700 USD just to get in. It is really fun and glamorous, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself in 2020. I would not recommend buying a table seat as you'll be on your feet most of the night, and a seat isn't had to find when you need a break. There are other well regarded balls around the city as well, including one geared toward the LGBTQ community.

The Parade itself is pretty spectacular, but gets really repetitive fast as the songs just loop and it takes a while for each float to pass you. Still worth seeing once, and if you get a camarote ticket you can go inside and drink/mingle until the next float reaches your section. Camarote #1 and Rio are the two top ones if I remember correctly.



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Every city has street partying during carnival in Brazil. It's a huge thing in Salvador, Recife and S�o Paulo.

Recife has the largest Carnival "block" in the world, it's called "Galo da Madrugada"...