By Lisa Flueckiger, Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Although Carnival 2015 has officially ended with Ash Wednesday on February 18th, the party is not over yet in Rio de Janeiro as another 45 blocos will take the city’s streets between Friday, February 20th and Sunday, February 22nd.
The highlight on Friday, February 20th is certainly the ‘Só Tamborins’ Bloco in party district Lapa. The bloco is scheduled to start at 9PM on Travessa Mosquera and then follow Rua da Lapa and Rua da Glória until ending at the Largo da Glória at around midnight. Around 3,000 party-goers are expected to attend.
On Saturday the city will see 23 different blocos parade. Among them are Quizomba, which is expected to move more than 10,000 people in Lapa’s Rua Riachuelo at 11AM; Banda Mulheres de Chico with attendance of around 40,000 Carnival lovers at 3PM on Leme beach and Bafafá partying at the same time in Ipanema near Posto 9.
On Sunday, after daylight saving time has ended, eighteen blocos will celebrate the very last day of this year’s Carnival madness. The biggest one is famous Monobloco, which expects to draw out the crowds one last time in 2015 with an attendance of over 500,000 “foliões”.
Monobloco will meet at 9AM on the height of Rua Tomé de Souza in Avenida Presidente Vargas and then parade down that street, as its traditional course down Avenida Rio Branco is restricted by the VLT construction. The party is expected to go on until 3PM.
Other Zona Sul (South Zone) blocos are Fofoqueiros De Plantão at 10AM in Jardim Botânico, Broxadão A Hora È Essa at 2PM in Copacabana, Boka De Espuma at 5PM in Botafogo and Galinha Do Meio-Dia at 5PM on Ipanema beach. These smaller blocos are expected to bring around 1,000 to 5,000 people to hear its drums and singing.
For some traditional Brazilian music, the Terreirão do Samba (Samba terrain) just aside of the Sambódromo, which will see the Champions Parade on Saturday, will showcase sambista Diogo Nogueira, the group Revelação, Ferrugem, Davi Pereira and several DJs on Friday. On Saturday, Pique Novo, Fundo de Quintal, Refrão and Vai por Mim will take the stage.
The shows in the Terreirão, on Rua Benedicto Hipólito, near Praça Onze, begin at 8PM and entrance is R$15.