Festival & event · Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Rio Carnival

Carnival is less an event than a week-long suspension of the laws of physics, and the Sambadrome's feathered mega-parades are only the televised summit.

Best forGroups of friends · Nightlife · Solo travellers
In October28°C · 18 rainy days
Ideal stayA week or more
Approx. flying time~12h 40m from Los Angeles

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Takes place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — nearest airport Rio De Janeiro (GIG), about 12km away.

CurrencyBRLBrazilian real
LanguagePortuguese
Local time09:054h behind the UK
PlugsType C / NBring an adapter
Drive on theRightOpposite to the UK
Dialling code+55

The festival

For roughly a week the city stops working and starts dancing. Street bands draw crowds of thousands into closed roads from breakfast onwards, drums carry from several neighbourhoods away, and costume is expected rather than optional. The Sambadrome parades are a separate, ticketed, formal spectacle running deep into the night, with schools competing on choreography, floats and a song each has rehearsed for a year.

Dates move with Easter and usually fall in February or early March, in the hot, humid tail of the Brazilian summer. Build in recovery days and time either side, when the city calms down and the beaches and viewpoints become enjoyable again. Prices roughly double and minimum stays apply. Anyone who dislikes crowds, heat or noise should visit at almost any other time of year.

Ideal stay: A week or more
The vibe: Loud, hot, sequinned, relentless

From our guides

The real festival is the blocos: hundreds of free street parties, each with its own brass band, costume code and neighbourhood, rolling from 7am crawls to midnight mayhem. Book flights and rooms six months out, base yourself near Ipanema or Santa Teresa, and download a bloco timetable app — improvising is for amateurs.

Featured in Ten festival trips worth building a holiday around

Make a trip of it

Sambadrome parade night

The main schools parade across two nights in Oscar Niemeyer's purpose-built stadium. Grandstand seats are the affordable option, and sections near the middle see the floats best.
Champions' parade

The top schools parade again the following Saturday, with cheaper tickets, a smaller crowd and the same costumes and floats. Often the better night to attend.
Cordao da Bola Preta

The city's oldest surviving street band, founded in 1918, draws vast crowds into the centre on Carnival Saturday morning. A serious introduction to bloco scale.
Samba school rehearsals

From late in the year the schools hold open rehearsals at their own quadras out in the suburbs. Cheap, loud, and much closer to how Carnival is actually made.
Costume shopping at Saara

The wholesale district behind the centre sells wigs, glitter, sequins and fancy dress by the armful in the weeks beforehand. Cash, chaos and very good value.
Recovery beach day

Once the drums stop, Copacabana and Ipanema return to normal service. Keep the last two days free for swimming, Sugarloaf and a great deal of sleeping.

Getting there

Fly to
Rio De Janeiro (GIG)

Nearest airport to Rio de Janeiro, about 12km away as the crow flies.
Then
To Rio de Janeiro

Santos Dumont (SDU) sits ten minutes from the centre but takes mainly domestic flights; international arrivals land at Galeao (GIG), about 45 minutes by taxi to Ipanema in normal traffic and considerably longer during carnival.
On the ground
Getting around

The metro links Ipanema, Copacabana and the Sambadrome and runs extended hours through carnival; blocos are best reached on foot or by metro, never by car.

Public transport: The metro and app taxis cover the beach neighbourhoods well, and carnival brings longer running hours.

Flights

Los Angeles Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Flying from

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Roughly 12h 40m in the air from Los Angeles (LAX), estimated from the distance — check for a direct route. Pick a month to see every available flight with live prices.

Check dates and prices

Pick your departure date, then your return.

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Flight times are estimates; prices open on Google Flights.

When to go

Daytime highs run from about 26°C in July to 31°C in January. Driest in June and July; wettest in December, with rain on about 23 days.

The year at a glance — pick a month for detail

October28° · rain 18 daysWarm and often wet.

Monthly figures averaged from daily records for 2020–2024 at this location (ERA5 reanalysis).

Where to base yourself

Beachfront hotels, small pousadas in Santa Teresa and a huge supply of flat rentals, which is what most visitors use during carnival. Hostels sell beds at hotel prices that week.

Best base overall
Ipanema

Safe feeling, well served by metro and within walking distance of several big blocos. Carnival week rates are brutal and minimum stays are standard, so commit early.
Find stays in Ipanema
Best for nightlife
Santa Teresa

The hillside of old mansions above Lapa, home to some of the most characterful street parties and the shortest stagger home from the arches. Steep, and taxis are scarce at peak times.
Find stays in Santa Teresa
Best value
Copacabana

More rooms than anywhere else, which keeps prices marginally saner, plus the metro and beach blocos. The seafront strip is heaving and the back streets need care after dark.
Find stays in Copacabana
Best with children
Flamengo

A residential district with a park, easy metro links and daytime family blocos nearby. Quieter at night and cheaper than the beach districts, though the local beach is not for swimming.
Find stays in Flamengo

Worth knowing before you book: Book six months out, expect four or five night minimums and payment in advance, and check cancellation terms carefully. Sambadrome tickets are sold separately and rise sharply as the week nears.

Search everything else in Rio de Janeiro by budget. These are indicative budget bands in GBP per night for two people, not live quotes or guarantees of hotel type. Check your dates, guests, taxes and final price on Booking.com.

Or see everything in Rio de Janeiro

Good to know

Book ahead: Flights, rooms and Sambadrome tickets go on sale months in advance and prices climb steeply. Minimum stays of four or five nights are standard.
Safety: Carry a photocopy of your passport, a little cash and a cheap phone, and keep nothing in back pockets. Pickpocketing in bloco crowds is common.
Timing: Dates shift each year with the church calendar, generally landing in February or early March. Street parties begin the weekend before the official days.
Pack this: Light clothing you do not mind ruining, sun cream, a refillable water bottle and shoes you can stand in for hours. Glitter is effectively compulsory.
Etiquette: Blocos are free and open to everyone, but they are neighbourhood traditions. Follow the crowd's lead, learn a few words of the songs and never block the band.