Thousands of people are thronging the streets of Rio de Janeiro for the second day of the city’s world famous carnival which attracts more than 500,000 visitors to the City.
Overnight, the final six of the city’s top 13 samba schools took to the Sambadrome.
Brazilian actor and comedian Marcelo Adnet starred in the Sao Clemente school’s parade dressed up as President Jair Bolsonaro, mockingly doing push ups, saluting, and firing an imaginary gun with his fingers, all of which the ex-army captain has done in public during his presidency.
The Sao Clemente float also displayed placards with the words ‘It’s OK?!’, a popular Bolsonaro phrase, and ‘It was Leonardo di Caprio’, a reference to Bolsonaro blaming the Hollywood actor for the Amazon rainforest fires last year.
Since Bolsonaro took office in January 2019, Brazilians have been sharply divided, with supporters crediting him for a rapid drop in violent crime and an improving economy, while critics have denounced his racism, sexism and stance on the environment.
The judges’ verdicts are announced on national television on Ash Wednesday.
The 90,000-capacity Sambadrome was designed by revered architect Oscar Niemeyer and constructed in 1984.
Members of Rio’s various samba schools have spent 12 months preparing their costumes for this week’s epic celebration
Each year the performers take a different theme and design their costumes and routines to suit the idea
Each of the samba schools gets an hour at the Sambadrome to entertain the 90,000 spectators and impress the judges
Members of the samaba Acadeicos do Salgueiro samba school took past in day two of the festival in Rio de Janeiro
The city’s top 13 samba schools have performed in the celebration with the final winner announced on Ash Wednesday
Many of the perfomers, such is this woman with the Unidos da Jijuca samba school wear elaborate costumes
Up to 500,000 people a year take to the streets in Rio de Janeiro for the city’s carnival celebration which marks the beginning of the austere Lenten season
Most towns and cities in Brazil host similar festivals but Rio’s are renowned across the globe as the most elaborate
The carnival schools make their way to the Sambadrome which has a 90,000 seat capacity
Each year the Sambadrome, which was designed by revered architect Oscar Niemeyer and constructed in 1984, is packed with carnival fans
The second day of the parade lasted well into the early hours of Tuesday morning and features performers from the samba Aacademicos do Salgueiro samba school
This woman appears to be dressed as some from of clock tower and is from the Unidos da Tijuca samba school
The men appearing during the parade appear to have been given safety equipment such as protective glasses and hard hats
The 13 Samba schools spend much of the previous 12 months getting ready for the festival where they get just an hour to entertain the public and wow judges
Many of the Samba schools are based in Rio’s poorest districts and have some 70,000 volunteers working on the projects
However, officials in the city’s government have slashed the amount of public money that is invested
The performances normally start around 9pm and carry on all night until dawn in front of packed crowds
Many of the performances criticised Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro and his hard-line government
Many of the Samba schools are facing economic uncertainty after the city’s government slashed their funding
Each of the samba schools takes a theme which they base their costumes on and spend months preparing their performances
The carnival winners will be announced during a special television show to be broadcast on Ash Wednesday
Each year, more than 500,000 people travel to Rio for the carnival which marks the start of Lent
The Rio festivities are probably only rivaled by those which take place in New Orleans for Mardi Gras
This float took on the theme of a circus, whichi was rather appropriate for a carnival
Thousands of men and women perform each year in the Rio carnival. Today, almost every district of the city will have a festival
These performers appear to be dressed in costumes showing large numbers of US dollar bills
Traditionally, the female performers at carnival are renowned for wearing skimpy costumes with elaborate wings