When is Rio Carnival? Rio Carnival (or Brazil Carnival in general) is an annual event that always begins on the Friday before Ash Wednesday, and officially lasts for five days. (ending on Ash Wednesday).
The dates of the Brazil Carnival change every year because they are determined by the Catholic church calendar. Carnival is always celebrated seven Sundays before Easter Sunday. It is is a period of celebration and indulgence that takes place immediately before Lent . (Lent being a 40-day period of prayer, penitence and fasting, that Christians observe in preparation for Easter) . Since the dates of Lent change every year, so do the dates of Rio Carnival. The exact formula for the calculation of Easter by the church is very complicated and has to do with cycles of the moon and the spring equinox . The dates of Carnival can fall any time between February and March but generally are usually sometime in February of each year.
Online search results for “When is Rio Carnival?” may display dates ending on the Saturday after Ash Wednesday. This is because of the “Winners’ Parade”, also known as the Champion’s Parade and it can confuse many travelers. The Winner’s Parade is a special event that takes place on Saturday after Rio Carnival. The parade features the top six Samba Schools from the Special Group – the Champion from Rio Carnival, and the five runners-up. It is basically a victory parade celebrating the winner from a few days prior.
Now, this is where the confusion and misconception starts. By looking at the title Winners’ Parade, people (meaning foreigners) somehow think that the Winner’s Parade of Rio Carnival is still “the main event” but is NOT! The Winner’s Parade after Rio Carnival on Saturday is thus a RE-RUN. For this parade the winning samba school of Rio Carnival has already been announced and selected! The competition itself has already ended, thus the parade itself is less exciting with a smaller crowd, less performers, and no judges.
It is not as vibrant as the actual competition which takes place on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday nights of Carnival. A good example of this is comparing the Super Bowl to the Pro Ball or the NBA Finals to the All-Star Game. If you can’t travel for the official actual dates of Carnival (Friday – Wednesday), then the Winner’s Parade is a great alternative plan, and we can provide you with an individual customized package for it. Most people, however do prefer Rio Carnival as that is the ACTUAL competition and celebration.
One important thing to keep in mind for the Winner’s Parade is that most Carnival Events like the Street Parties and Exclusive Carnival Themed Parties will already be over as they mostly all end on Ash Wednesday. For most Brazilians, life goes back to normal as the Brazil Carnival Holiday is over and they must go back to work on Ash Wednesday.
If you are looking to experience everything that Rio Carnival has to offer, we recommend traveling for the actual dates of carnival. Check out our Rio Carnival Travel Package.
When is Rio Carnival? Dates through 2035:
- 2025: February 28 – March 5
- 2026: February 13 – 18
- 2027: February 5 – 10
- 2028: February 25 – March 1
- 2029: February 9 -14
- 2030: March 1 – 6
- 2031: February 21 – 26
- 2032: February 06 – 11
- 2033: February 25 – March 02
- 2034: February 17 – 22
- 2035: February 02 – 07