Feb
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Mar
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2014
Dance Through the Streets During the World's Largest Street Party: Salvador's Carnival
Published by Jeff McCreight, Writer
Country: Brazil 
The Experience
The carnival in Salvador de Bahia is recognized by Guinness World Records to be the largest street party in the world. This is truly a massive week of partying, attended by hundreds of thousands of foreign visitors, and literally millions of Brazilians. The secret to surviving and having a good time is to learn some background before you arrive; and then travel light and go with the flow. Do some research ahead of time so that you'll understand what going on when the party flares up!
Salvador's Carnival centers around local schools, or blocos, that organize massive marching bands complete with dancers and costumes. If you know a little about the key players, it will help you clue in to the action. Besides having a good time, each school is competing to be the freshest of the year. The groups practice all year long in order to compete for just one night during the carnival in Salvador de Bahia when they will take to the streets en masse. Finalists go on to the championship during the last night, with the winner earning a year of fame and glory.
Salvador's Carnival has evolved over the last century to highlight Afro descendants in counterpoint to Rio's glamourous Euro-influenced traditions. While the famous Rio Carnival is best seen from the bleachers, Carnival in Salvador is everyone together in the street. The pop rock party music called Axé, developed by the schools, has become widely popular in recent decades, making Salvador the current Brazilian pop culture incubator. During Carnival in Salvador, events transpire that will reverberate throughout Brazilian popular culture all year long.
It's important to distinguish that there are two distinct carnivals happening side by side. The massive pop cultural event happens downtown and at the beach. In Pelorinho, the old part of the city, a historic carnival is held, connected to Afro-Christian religious rites, and the schools tend to be a bit more spiritual. Here you'll see giant puppets and children's parades. One of the most famous schools is the Filhos de Gandhi (sons of Gandhi): a religious men's organization that has mashed together Gandhi's ideals as a freedom fighter, with the local Candomblé religious rites. Participants wear terry cloth turbans, play trance-inducing heavy percussion music (called Afoxé), make offerings to the Orishas, and spritz pretty ladies with perfume. The cultural blend is a head scratcher, but it sure is interesting.
Meanwhile, downtown, a modern party rages. The most famous schools are African-themed like Olodum, Ilé Aiyé, and Timbalada. The dominant musical styles reflect tribal drumming influences as well as reggae and rock, and the focal point of each school is a trio electrico. These are customized tractor-trailers that have been outfitted with huge speakers and a platform on top for the stars. They cruise through the crowds at about one mile an hour. A moving rope cordon around the truck protects and distinguishes the group's huge entourage, the band, and the dancers. In some cases we're talking about 4,000 people, or more.
Many visitors choose to buy membership in one of these schools before they arrive. The standard package includes the group's t-shirt and admission into the group as official entourage. This isn't a bad idea as it gives you a method for navigating the party. You can attend practices and exclusive events, and it's fun to have a team to root for. Entry into these groups is a bit expensive, but it does buy you some protection within the cordon around the trio electrico. Also, your money supports the city and its traditions.
If you tackle the streets alone and unaffiliated, it still helps to know a basic rundown of events and highlights. There will be posters pasted up everywhere as well as plentiful internet and TV coverage. Knowing who's in the competition and their social relevancy will help you get more out of the party. Choose some events to check out, but mostly just to give you some direction, even if you end up getting side tracked en route.
Remember that Salvador Carnival is the biggest street party in the world. It is huge, chaotic and wild. There are more hot dancing bodies pressed into one place than you can imagine. There is no easy way to get out once you're in, and the city effectively becomes a lawless zone. The crush can be so intense that your feet may leave the ground at times. The best attitude is to relax and let the crowd take you along. If you're with friends, arrange meeting places in case of separation.
The whole concept of Carnival is to turn society on its head and invert social norms. Therefore, sexy behaviour and heavy drinking are a given. Though the Brazilians understand it inherently, Americans and Europeans often aren't quite sure how to behave in these situations. The trick is to relax and keep smiling. Don't take advances, either sexual or aggressive, too seriously. It's all just excited play, so don't get attached. Remember, a smile goes a long way even if you're not sure exactly what's going on.** Undoubtedly you will enjoy Carnival in Salvador much more if you take the time to understand what's going on. Wherever you end up, remember to relax and go with the flow. Trying to fight this kind of crowd is impossible; but if you let them carry you along, you'll wind up inside the world-famous Brazilian Carnival.
Salvador's Carnival centers around local schools, or blocos, that organize massive marching bands complete with dancers and costumes. If you know a little about the key players, it will help you clue in to the action. Besides having a good time, each school is competing to be the freshest of the year. The groups practice all year long in order to compete for just one night during the carnival in Salvador de Bahia when they will take to the streets en masse. Finalists go on to the championship during the last night, with the winner earning a year of fame and glory.
Salvador's Carnival has evolved over the last century to highlight Afro descendants in counterpoint to Rio's glamourous Euro-influenced traditions. While the famous Rio Carnival is best seen from the bleachers, Carnival in Salvador is everyone together in the street. The pop rock party music called Axé, developed by the schools, has become widely popular in recent decades, making Salvador the current Brazilian pop culture incubator. During Carnival in Salvador, events transpire that will reverberate throughout Brazilian popular culture all year long.
It's important to distinguish that there are two distinct carnivals happening side by side. The massive pop cultural event happens downtown and at the beach. In Pelorinho, the old part of the city, a historic carnival is held, connected to Afro-Christian religious rites, and the schools tend to be a bit more spiritual. Here you'll see giant puppets and children's parades. One of the most famous schools is the Filhos de Gandhi (sons of Gandhi): a religious men's organization that has mashed together Gandhi's ideals as a freedom fighter, with the local Candomblé religious rites. Participants wear terry cloth turbans, play trance-inducing heavy percussion music (called Afoxé), make offerings to the Orishas, and spritz pretty ladies with perfume. The cultural blend is a head scratcher, but it sure is interesting.
Meanwhile, downtown, a modern party rages. The most famous schools are African-themed like Olodum, Ilé Aiyé, and Timbalada. The dominant musical styles reflect tribal drumming influences as well as reggae and rock, and the focal point of each school is a trio electrico. These are customized tractor-trailers that have been outfitted with huge speakers and a platform on top for the stars. They cruise through the crowds at about one mile an hour. A moving rope cordon around the truck protects and distinguishes the group's huge entourage, the band, and the dancers. In some cases we're talking about 4,000 people, or more.
Many visitors choose to buy membership in one of these schools before they arrive. The standard package includes the group's t-shirt and admission into the group as official entourage. This isn't a bad idea as it gives you a method for navigating the party. You can attend practices and exclusive events, and it's fun to have a team to root for. Entry into these groups is a bit expensive, but it does buy you some protection within the cordon around the trio electrico. Also, your money supports the city and its traditions.
If you tackle the streets alone and unaffiliated, it still helps to know a basic rundown of events and highlights. There will be posters pasted up everywhere as well as plentiful internet and TV coverage. Knowing who's in the competition and their social relevancy will help you get more out of the party. Choose some events to check out, but mostly just to give you some direction, even if you end up getting side tracked en route.
Remember that Salvador Carnival is the biggest street party in the world. It is huge, chaotic and wild. There are more hot dancing bodies pressed into one place than you can imagine. There is no easy way to get out once you're in, and the city effectively becomes a lawless zone. The crush can be so intense that your feet may leave the ground at times. The best attitude is to relax and let the crowd take you along. If you're with friends, arrange meeting places in case of separation.
The whole concept of Carnival is to turn society on its head and invert social norms. Therefore, sexy behaviour and heavy drinking are a given. Though the Brazilians understand it inherently, Americans and Europeans often aren't quite sure how to behave in these situations. The trick is to relax and keep smiling. Don't take advances, either sexual or aggressive, too seriously. It's all just excited play, so don't get attached. Remember, a smile goes a long way even if you're not sure exactly what's going on.** Undoubtedly you will enjoy Carnival in Salvador much more if you take the time to understand what's going on. Wherever you end up, remember to relax and go with the flow. Trying to fight this kind of crowd is impossible; but if you let them carry you along, you'll wind up inside the world-famous Brazilian Carnival.
When to Go to Carnival Salvador
Salvador Carnival dates run for the week leading up to Ash Wednesday each year, which typically falls end of February or early March. Places to stay are in high demand, so book early. There are lots of different packages for tourists, so do a thorough search in order to find something that makes sense for you.
Odds n' Ends
Many youthful entrepreneurs take up pick-pocketing for the season, and will sometimes even look you in the face while they're doing it. The best strategy is to have nothing to steal. Shrug it off and move on, your new friend will probably laugh about it with you. I always just carry enough money to patronize the guys selling beer, BBQ, and fried cheese. When the crowd gets thick I hold the money in my hand. Salvador Carnival is not a camera or cell phone friendly environment: leave them at home. It's also a good idea to wear sneaks. Sandals tend to disappear. This actually happened to me once.
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