A joint statement was issued by the health authorities of Brazil’s two largest cities, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, announcing the postponement of the official carnival parades in both cities. The move comes after the spread of the Omicron variant of Coronavirus in the country, a situation that is seen all over the world. Daniel Soranz, Rio’s Health Secretary said, “It is a necessary postponement. We can carry out the samba-school parades much more safely in late April.”
Although the carnival holiday itself is not changed, the world-famous samba-schools parade will take place in late April together with the ‘Tiradentes’ national holiday, 21st April.
With the postponement, the parade dates would be as follows, according to a first preview released by Rio’s Samba-school League:
Wednesday (20 April 2022) – First day of Access Group (Group B)
Thursday (21 April 2022) – Second day of Access Group (Group B)
Friday (22 April 2022) – First day of the Special Group (Group A)
Saturday (23 April 2022) – Second day of the Special Group (Group A)
Sunday (24 April 2022) – Children’s Parade
Tuesday (26 April 2022) – Counting of votes
Saturday (30 April 2022) – Winners Parade
Being one of Brazil’s most important holidays and right in the summer season, the Carnival is a busy period throughout the country. The Carnival vibe is in the air, even if the samba-schools will parade in April only.
We will keep you updated on everything related to the carnival parade in April as information is released.