Rio Carnival evolves into low-cost street party extravaganza
RIO DE JANEIRO — Once a party of luxury and glamour, Brazil’s most famous Carnival is increasingly being dominated by thrifty tourists more interested in free street parties than the pricy samba school parades.
Cariocas, as Rio de Janeiro residents are known, and tourists used to spend a lot on Carnival parade tickets and costumes. But a grinding economic crisis in Latin America’s largest nation and the rise of “blocos,” as local street parties are known, are changing the nature of the big bash.
Rio’s tourism agency expects a quarter of all visitors to spend less than $100 a day, compared to 12 per cent who did so last year.
“We have millions of people willing to take to the streets for the free and cool blocos, while the samba school parades have been frozen in time and become very expensive,” Carnival historian Luiz Antonio Simas said. “For tourists who want to spend less, it is an obvious choice.”