Rio samba schools vie for Carnival Champion title

World Today

Only one of Rio de Janeiro’s top samba schools will win the coveted title “Carnival Champion.”

The schools are racing against time to put finishing touches on costumes and floats for their famous annual parade.

CGTN’s Lucrecia Franco reports.

The City of Samba in Rio de Janeiro is a huge complex that resembles a movie studio. It is where the top samba schools work on the costumes and floats for the Carnival parade.

“Carnival is the fantasy of common people becoming a king, a queen, a prince, and that’s the mirage we are bringing this year,” Alexandre Louzada, artistic director for Mocidade Independente de Padre Miguel said.

Mocidade has won the Carnival Champion title five times, but the last victory was two decades ago.

Louzada said the samba school is spending $2.5 million on its parade, inspired by the Arabian Nights tales.