The festival is by far the largest in the world. Hundreds of thousands of visitors come every year for the celebration before the start of 'Lent' –a fasting period of forty days before Easter-.
The carnival takes place in the sambadrome, a huge stadium. There, samba schools compete with each for the best costumes and dancing.

They spend a lot of time of money on carnival preparations, making fantastic costumes, masks, decorations, mobile floats and teaching the samba.

In the past, the carnival procession was held in the streets of Rio, where beautifully clothed people threw streamers and confetti and danced for four days. Nowadays, the world's biggest street party has become a pleasure for those who can afford the entrance fee.