Rio Carnival

When: February or early March, in the week before Lent - the dates move with Easter each year. The headline Sambadrome parades fall on the Sunday and Monday nights.

Where: Rio de Janeiro - ticketed parades at the purpose-built Sambódromo, plus free street blocos all over the city, biggest around Copacabana, Lapa and Centro.

Cost: Sambadrome seats run from about $30 to several hundred dollars; the street parties are completely free.

Don’t miss: A Special Group parade night at the Sambadrome, and at least one giant morning bloco.

Rio Carnival is the largest carnival on Earth and the beating heart of Brazilian culture. Every year in the days before Lent, the whole city becomes a stage: an estimated two million people take to the streets each day, and the celebrations draw visitors from every corner of the world. It is loud, joyful, and utterly overwhelming in the best way.

The festival has two very different sides, and most visitors dip into both. The Sambadrome parades are the ticketed main event. Over two nights, the city’s top escolas de samba - samba schools fielding thousands of costumed dancers, drummers and towering floats each - parade down the 700-metre avenue designed by Oscar Niemeyer, every school telling a story and competing fiercely for the championship.

The street carnival is the other half, and it is free and everywhere. Hundreds of roaming blocos - from tiny drum circles to million-strong marches like Cordão da Bola Preta - turn each neighbourhood into an open-air dance floor from early morning. This is where locals celebrate, and where you can simply show up in costume and join in.

For the parades, head to the Sambódromo; for the street scene, base yourself around Copacabana, Ipanema, Lapa or historic Centro, where the biggest blocos gather.

Carnival is a movable feast tied to Easter, so it lands in February or early March, at the height of the Brazilian summer. Official festivities run from the Friday to Ash Wednesday, but blocos begin a week or more beforehand and the whole city is in party mode throughout. The marquee Special Group parades take place on the Sunday and Monday nights at the Sambadrome, with the Champions’ Parade - a victory lap of the winning schools - held the following Saturday, often the easiest ticket to get.

Rio is served by Galeão International Airport (GIG), with direct flights from across the Americas and Europe, and the smaller Santos Dumont (SDU) for domestic hops. Carnival is peak season, so book flights and accommodation months ahead. Within the city, the metro runs extended hours during Carnival and is by far the fastest way to reach the Sambadrome - driving and taxis crawl in the crowds. Arrange airport transfers in advance and stay somewhere near a metro line.

• Wear a costume - the more colour and glitter the better; nobody here is just a spectator.
• Travel light and keep valuables hidden; crowded blocos attract pickpockets.
• Stay hydrated in the summer heat and pace yourself - Carnival is a marathon, not a sprint.
• Book months ahead. Accommodation prices spike and the best areas sell out early.
• Learn the bloco schedule - free apps and local listings map where each street party starts.