Robert HardingAcross Latin America and the Caribbean, sequins and feathers are being sewn onto exuberant costumes, percussionists are honing their rhythms and dancers are rehearsing their routines in preparation for some of the most vibrant street parties in the world. Here are five of the best.
Morenada dancers wearing masks in the procession of Oruro carnival, Bolivia (Robert Harding/Peter Langer)
Oruro, Bolivia
This usually unremarkable Andean mining town becomes one of the world’s great spectacles as its central streets are brought to life with eye-popping parades. Made up of vast troupes of dancers, including technicolour devils, masked warriors and whirling cholitas in traditional bowler hats, the procession’s soundtrack is provided by brass bands and drummers. The parades enact myths and folklore, bringing to life Bolivia’s ancient heritage, from the Incas to the Spanish colonists through to present-day culture, in a celebration that has been enacted since the early 1800s.
Diablada dancers wearing elaborate devil masks and costumes in the procession of Oruro carnival, Bolivia (Robert Harding/Peter Langer)
Thousands of revellers, including a sprinkling of tourists, pack the streets, plazas and balconies for a view of the action while making offerings to Pachamama (Mother Nature), as well as liberally covering each other in streamers and water balloons. Oruro’s carnival is among the highest in the world at 3,710 metres above sea level, and was proclaimed one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2001.
Llamerada dancer in the procession of Oruro carnival, Bolivia (Robert Harding/Peter Langer)
Tobas dancers wearing elaborate masks, feather head-dresses and costumes in the procession of the Carnaval de Oruro, Bolivia (Robert Harding/Peter Langer)
Portrait of a Tobas warrior during carnival, Oruro, Bolivia (Marco Simoni/Robert Harding)
Suri Sicuri dancer wearing an elaborate feather headdress in the procession of the Oruro carnival, Bolivia (Robert Harding/Peter Langer)
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Appearing on many a bucket list, this legendary five-day party will transport you to a larger-than-life fantasy world with giant floats, enthralling dance troupes, opulent fancy dress balls and street parties. If you want to join in, hit the streets, where blocos, each with their own drummers and singers, party their way through the city with whoever wants to join them. Some require fancy dress while others will offer you a t-shirt to make you part of the crew.
Dancers during the Rio Carnival, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Bhaskar Krishnamurthy/Robert Harding)
The spectacle to end them all is at the legendary Sambadrome built by Brazil’s celebrated modernist architect Oscar Neimeyer, where the very best samba schools compete in a whorl of lavish colour and energy. Some agencies offer tourists the experience of a lifetime, dancing in the parade. With a costume and basic dance class, you can enjoy your own moment of glory, and be on a high all the way to Fat Tuesday.
Carnival parade at the Sambodrome, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Yadid Levy/Robert Harding)
Carnival parade at the Sambodrome, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Yadid Levy/Robert Harding)
Carnival parade at the Sambodrome, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Robert Harding/age fotostock)
Beija Flor samba group, carnival, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Robert Harding/age fotostock)
Salvador de Bahía, Brazil
It may be less famous than Rio and a little more edgy, but Brazilians advocate Salvador’s effervescent, soulful carnival as the ‘real thing’. The largest street party in the world, it moves to the sounds of axé and samba-reggae, with troupes of drummers and dancers dressed in African inspired costumes, reflecting this North Eastern city’s status as the beating heart of Afro-Brazilian culture.
Street carnival, dance group, Pelourinho, Salvador , Bahia, Brazil (Robert Harding/John Banagan)
Giant puppets bump up against dancers on the cobbled streets of Salvador’s old town, while across the city huge blocos – larger than Rio’s – feature famous musicians playing to teeming crowds. Visitors are advised to buy an abadá, a t-shirt which allows you into the cordoned off areas, closer to the stars, for a more comfortable carnival experience away from the crazy hordes.
Salvador street carnival in Pelourinho, Bahia, Brazil, South America (Robert Harding/Godong)
Street carnival, dance group, Pelourinho, Salvador , Bahia, Brazil (Robert Harding/John Banagan)
Carnival troupe in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil (LOOK/Robert Harding)
Salvador street carnival in Pelourinho, Bahia, Brazil (Godong/Robert Harding)
Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago’s calypso and soca inspired carnival centres around its multi-cultural capital, Port of Spain, and was the likely inspiration behind London’s Notting Hill Carnival. The flamboyant event features huge bands of girating dancers in jewelled and feathered costumes, embodying mythical and historical themes, as well as limbo and steel drum competitions.
Trinidad Carnival, Queens Park Savannah, Port of Spain, Island of Trinidad (Robert Harding/Alvaro Leiva)
Get down and dirty at ‘j’ouvert’ late into the Sunday night, where revellers douse each other with mud and paint in a pre-Lenten expression of animal nature, before being ‘reborn’ the next day in their best carnival glory. Tourists can also get involved in the mas parades with costumes for sale, so there’s no excuse to stand on the by lines.
Women wearing carnival costume, Trinidad Carnival, Queens Park Savannah, Port of Spain (Robert Harding/Kristian Cabanis)
Man in Carnival costume, Mardi Gras, Carnival, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago (Robert Harding/Ingolf Pompe)
Carnival, Trinidad, West Indies, Caribbean (Robert Harding/Adam Woolfitt)
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
There are carnivals all over the island but many performers head to Santa Domingo’s colourful celebration – fuelled by a happy soundtrack of merengue, bachata and reggaeton – which usually reaches its peak on Dominican Independence Day, February 27th. Among them are mask wearing creatures, cross dressers and winged dancers with feather head-dresses.
Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo, Carnival (Robert Harding/Mickael David)
Carnival participants often take the guise of traditional characters, like the Califé, a ‘voice of the people’ who performs poetry and social critique, or the Roba la Gallina (Chicken Stealer). But the most well known is the Diablo Cojuelo, or limping devil, who was supposedly banished from heaven for his childish pranks and hurt his leg upon hitting the earth.
Dominican Republic, Carnival (Robert Harding/Irene Alastruey)
Colourfully dressed man, Carnival in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (Robert Harding/Michael Runkel)
Colourful dressed masked man in the carnival in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (Robert Harding/Michael Runkel)
See more photos of carnival around the world here