I arrived in São Paulo right before the start of the Carnaval season. When people typically think of Carnaval, they think about Rio de Janeiro and samba, but the festivities go far beyond that!
In major cities like São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, entire city blocks come together and throw giant parties called bloquinho where bateria groups, a type of live band, play samba and popular music.
There was a bloquinho near my neighborhood called Filhos de Gilberto Gil (Children of Gilberto Gil). They played music by Gilberto Gil, one of Brazil's most legendary artists and an important activist who wrote songs protesting the previous military dictatorship. In fact, he was expelled (kicked out of the country) by that dictatorship because his music was seen as a threat to the dictatorship.
Some of my favorite songs from him are:
During the peak Carnaval season, you can find so many bloquinhos around the city, it's incredible!
Outside of bloquinhos, Carnaval is known for the champions parade, where some of the world's most elaborate parade floats are presented to the entire world. Every float has its own theme.
