Carnival in Recife: The New Rio

The first thing that probably comes to mind when you hear the word Carnival is Rio de Janeiro. Forget about Rio, its massive floats and feathers, the buxom dancers with strategically placed outfits, its exclusive Sambadrome and the booming battalions of samba drummers. There is another place in South America to explore during this time of year that holds just as large of a festival to celebrate that you may be unfamiliar with. Recife. 

Recife is along the northeast coast of Brazil.

Recife is one of the major cities of tropical Brazil's tropical Northeast, an old city originally built by Dutch sugar planters on the easternmost bulge of South America, the part that fits like a puzzle piece into West Africa's nook. Carnival in Recife and in its colonial sister Olinda is more of a carnival for the streets. There are no roped off areas or expensive tickets, just utter human chaos and crowds of people celebrating in the sun. It is a one of a kind experience that is more like Halloween meets Mardi Gras than like a religious celebration. Many party-goers can be seen dressed up in costume and parading around. There is no specific theme to the festival, all you need to do is use a little creativity. Typically these costumes satirize moral, social and political aspects of Brazilian society. 

A display of the bonecos gigantes. 

Some of the most popular costumes are inspired by political corruption and so many political figures (as well as television personalities and athletes) are displayed in the form of bonecos gigantes, or giant dolls, which are carried throughout the streets during the celebration. 

Galo da Madrugada has been listed as a Guinness 

World Record for the largest Carnival parade in the world!

The party starts early and opens with perhaps considered the largest carnival celebration in all of Brazil, Galo da Madrugada, or the Dawn's Rooster. It boasts more than 1.5 million paraders bringing together a variety of dissimilar people flocking around a giant rooster float about forty feet high. The first blocos, or marching Carnival bands which parade through the streets starting at 8 am. During the day, nearby Olinda is the hot spot, where there are many wandering vendors sell an arranging assortment of alcoholic drinks for essential party hydration. These streets are literally packed beyond capacity, so you have no choice to follow where the crowd flows. When the blocos come, they are playing frevo music on tubas and trombones or thundering maracutu on giant wooden drums. Smaller impromptu dance parties are taking place everywhere and anywhere with anyone who has a tambourine or a loud-speaker and a song to sing. One of the main advantages of Carnival in Recife is the many small groups of friends and family that come together and perform. Locals also encourage tourists to take an active part in the more personal and traditional samba dances and events. This kind of interaction between the locals and the tourists and their friendly, open personalities is what keeps attracting millions specifically back to Recife in order to witness this carnival for themselves. When night falls, Olinda clears out and revelers head to downtown Recife to enjoy waterfront concerts on large outdoor stages. The programming varies every year, but the concert brings a new wave of energy and a lot of life to the already lively festivities. 

Downtown Recife with gigantic crowds of party-goers enjoying a concert.

One day of Carnival feels like an entire week. The whole experience feels like an entire lifetime. By the end of the event, you are so tired and happy that you experimented with a Carnival experience outside of Rio. So the next time you think about heading to Brazil to celebrate Carnival, you should head on over to Recife to embrace the traditional and modern celebrations and experience this wonderful atmosphere for yourself. 

For more information on visiting Recife or planning a vacation during Carnival please contact a travel adviser at www.peruforless.com.