AP Explains: Who competes and how Carnival parades judged
Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival parade is world famous for the samba dancing, costumes that leave little to the imagination and the magnificent floats that roll down Avenida Marques de Sapucai, also known as the “sambadrome.” For the competitors, getting to the big show is months in the making.
Here are questions and answers about what goes into the big show that is Carnival:
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Competing schools of samba spend much of the year preparing for a 75-minute presentation that must include at least six floats to tell a story in an innovative way — while participants dance and sing, of course. The competitions begin on Sunday night and go into Tuesday morning.