Rio de Janeiro, Brasília (EFE).- Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival officially kicked off on Friday, with the handing over of the keys to the city to King Momo, the supreme ruler of Brazil’s most iconic festival, who has decreed five days of unlimited revelry.
The Carioca monarch received the keys from the hands of Rio’s mayor, Eduardo Paes, in a symbolic ceremony at the city’s palace, which was abuzz with samba, color, and joy as a prelude to the festival, which runs until Tuesday.
“Here I hand over the keys to the one who will lead Rio de Janeiro until Ash Wednesday: don’t look for me, look for King Momo, so that he can open the greatest of all celebrations, the Rio de Janeiro Carnival,” said the mayor during the ceremony.
The regent promised “not to lose the key,” accepted his duties, and after foreseeing that this would be the best year for the iconic festival, declared: “Rio Carnival 2025 is open.”
The event began with stilt walkers dancing to the rhythm of “Cidade Maravilhosa,” the official anthem of Rio de Janeiro. Afterward, the Carnival presented the most representative characters of the samba schools.
The legendary flag-bearers and the dancers who move to the frenetic rhythm of the samba were followed by the traditional “bahianas” with their wide skirts, who added joy and color to the ceremony, accompanied by the percussion orchestra, considered the heart and soul of the samba schools.
Party everywhere
Although Carnival officially began on Friday, the party started in January with the street parades that roam the city.
In addition to the street party that kicks off the Carnival in the early hours of Friday morning, from Saturday to Monday nights, the public can enjoy the magnificent parades at the Sambadrome, where the samba schools bring glitter and glim to the catwalk of Sapucaí Avenue.
As of 2025, the Sambadrome parades will extend up to three days, one more day than usual, to allow more Cariocas, as Rio residents are called, and tourists to enjoy what is known as the world’s biggest open-air spectacle.
There will also be a variety of special theme parties and popular dancers in different parts of the city during the carnival days.
By 2025, around 8 million people are expected to enjoy the carnival in a festival that will add around 5.7 billion reais (982 million dollars) to the city’s economy. EFE
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