Carnival time in Brazil

Well in case you mised it last week was carnival week here in Brazil. The world famous carnival once again got under way. What a lot of you (outside of Brazil) probably may not realise is that the main Rio carnival that we all know is actually a fiercely fought competition held over 3 days between 12 main samba schools and is held in closed off area called the Sambodrome. It's 700 mtrs long and has tiered seating for 70,000.
Carnival in Rio has become a big tourist attraction and everybody says that the true carnival spirit lies in the smaller towns where it is held on streets and anyone can join in.

Maybe one day I will go and see it. Yes, i've lived in Brazil 6 years now and never seen it. So I have to admit that the pictures are not mine but they do show what a great event it is. The costumes and whole spectacle is quite amazing from what I have been told, told from a very reliable source, my wife, who actually participated in it many years ago now, but that's another story.
Enjoy the photos.