Sun, sea, savings! Book your summer escape today (including £100 child reductions).

Carnival in South America Carnival in South America

Looking at the extravagant parades and customs on show at the Rio carnival, it’s easy to forget that the tradition of celebrating this annual feast is even vaguely related to religion. The best clue as to its roots is in its moveable date, timed as it is according to the date of Easter. The purpose of celebrating carnival (derived from ‘carne vale’ or ‘goodbye to the meat’) was originally a final binge of food and drink before the start of Lent and the obligatory 40 days of fasting. The celebration has taken on many forms over the centuries, and its European influences have been merged with local traditions to create a series of giant parties which vary widely, not only from one South American country to another, but even within countries.

The Rio de Janeiro carnival is without doubt the world’s most famous, with around 1 million visitors attracted to the city during the long party weekend. Around double that number crowd onto the city’s streets as over 200 different samba schools ensure that the noise and dancing continue without a break.

While the celebrations in Rio are legendary, other cities stake a claim to equally wild carnivals. Salvador in the state of Bahia has what is considered to be the world’s largest street party. Over 15 miles of the city’s streets are turned over to an enormous celebration which is deeply influenced by the city’s rich African heritage. The events are free and attract some of the biggest Brazilian celebrities, who put on performances at various stages around the city. Brave people can try and join the dancing masses behind the floats, but for those who want to enjoy the spectacle from a safe distance there are grandstands with advance ticketing, from where you can comfortably take photos of the parades.

Sao Paulo is not renowned as a carnival city and in fact many locals will head to the celebrations in Rio or Salvador for the party weekend. That said the city does has its own parade and for carnival first-timers it’s still very impressive, with big parades on the Friday and Saturday night of the Carnival weekend.  Sao Paulo’s carnival will appeal most to those who want to enjoy samba dancing, as there’s a keenly-fought competition between the city’s many dance schools.

But it’s not only Brazil having all the Carnival fun. The Oruro Carnival is the largest celebration in Bolivia, and the dances, costumes and music have a strong Andean flavour. The Oruro Carnival is also known as the Diablada (Dance of the Devils), and every year it attracts around 400,000 visitors to Bolivia. The Diablada is an bewildering parade which features demonic dancers in extravagant costumes; its cultural value is such that it was short-listed as a masterpiece by UNESCO. The first procession takes place on the Saturday and features 20,000 dancers and 10,000 musicians; it can last up to an incredible 20 hours!

The Sunvil Family

By The Sunvil Family

27th January 2016



The Sunvil Family
The Sunvil Family
The Sunvil Family

Sunvil's holidays are designed by passionate travellers just like you. Our reservations experts and product teams, many of whom have been with us for many years, are passionate about our destinations and, through their personal, first-hand knowledge can answer any questions that you may have. They are well qualified to advise and recommend, based on your own holiday criteria. We can point you to those special, little-known places, some not found even in guidebooks.

Call one of our experts to discuss your next holiday with Sunvil on

020 8568 4499

We're open today till 5:30 PM

Make an Enquiry

Please use this form to request further information about a Sunvil holiday or destination.

We promise that a member of our specialist reservation teams will reply personally to your holiday enquiry before 5.30pm if received before 12.00pm (Monday to Friday). Enquiries received after 12.00pm will be replied to within 24-hours (excluding Sundays).

If your enquiry is of an urgent nature, please telephone our dedicated reservation teams on the numbers listed below.

Our lines are open from 9.00am to 5.30pm Monday-Friday and from 9.30am to 4.30pm Saturday.

  • Greece: 020 8758 4758
  • Cyprus: 020 8758 4759
  • Portugal, the Azores, Spain, Italy, Sicily and Scandinavia: 020 8758 4722
  • Latin America: 020 8758 4774
  • Marketing: 020 8758 4731

Required Information

* Mandatory Information
Title *
First name *
Surname *
Telephone number *
Alternative telephone number
Email address *
Confirm email address
Preferred method of communication *
If you would like to be called during a specific period, please specify

Details

Preferred departure date *
Duration *
Preferred UK departure airport *
Party size *

Back

  • Adults(12+ yrs)
  • Children(2 to 11 yrs)
  • Infants(Under 2 yrs)
Budget range
Other comments:

Email newsletters

 

We promise that a member of our specialist reservation teams will reply personally to your holiday enquiry before 5.30pm if received before 12.00pm (Monday to Friday). Enquiries received after 12.00pm will be replied to within 24-hours (excluding Sundays).

If your enquiry is of an urgent nature, please telephone our dedicated reservation teams on the numbers listed below.

Our lines are open from 9.00am to 5.30pm Monday-Friday and from 9.30am to 4.30pm Saturday.

  • Greece: 020 8758 4758
  • Cyprus: 020 8758 4759
  • Portugal, the Azores, Spain, Italy, Sicily and Scandinavia: 020 8758 4722
  • Latin America: 020 8758 4774
  • Marketing: 020 8758 4731

Required Information

* Mandatory Information
Title *
First name *
Surname *
Telephone number *
Alternative telephone number
Email address *
Confirm email address
Preferred method of communication *
If you would like to be called during a specific period, please specify
Booking reference number *
Alternatively, please enter your query in the box below:

Email newsletters

 

Thank you for your enquiry

Thank you for your enquiry. A member of our specialist reservation teams will be in touch shortly.

If your enquiry is of an urgent nature, please telephone our dedicated reservation teams on the numbers listed below.

Our lines are open from 9.00am to 5.30pm Monday-Friday and from 9.30am to 4.30pm Saturday.

  • Greece: 020 8758 4758
  • Cyprus: 020 8758 4759
  • Portugal, the Azores, Italy, Sicily and Scandinavia: 020 8758 4722
  • Latin America: 020 8758 4774

Your details have been saved

Feel free to continue to browse the site and add to your enquiry. Don't forget to send the enquiry before you leave!

My Suitcase

We understand that so much choice can be overwhelming which is why we have developed 'My Suitcase'. This facility allows you to save and compare your favourite holidays, and even allows you to return to your selection at a later stage.

Why not use 'My Suitcase' to compile a wish list of your future Sunvil holidays?

 

Sign in


New to Sunvil?

Create Account

 

Already have an account?

Password reset

Back

Close

Close