It’s often described as “the greatest show on earth” — and with good reason.
With befeathered dancers atop floats the size of small houses, the fast-moving feet of sparkling samba queens, and thousands of performers in colorful costumes singing at the top of their lungs, the Carnival procession of Rio de Janeiro’s top samba schools is truly a feast for the eyes and ears.
It is also a minutely organized endeavor, the result of months of preparation and rehearsal. The carefully timed processions down the purpose-built Sambadrome are, after all, as much a competition as they are an extravagant show.
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