Rio de Janeiro Events

The streets of Rio go wild when Carnaval strikes for five heady days, beginning at midnight on the Friday before Ash Wednesday. Every year, wealthy and spaced-out foreigners descend on the city en masse to get drunk, get high, bag some sun and exchange exotic diseases. Dancing, parades, head-dresses and bare breasts are all part of the spectacle.

The Festas Juninas in June is one of the most important folkloric festivals in the country. In Rio, it's celebrated throughout the month in various public squares. Music, colorful stalls and a street procession mark the Festa de NS da Glória do Outeiro on August 15.

Taking place every Sunday in October, the lively Festa da Penha is one of the largest religious festivals in the city. Not surprisingly, the year ends with a bang on New Year's Eve and Festa de Iemanjá, as millions of people celebrate - preferably beachside - while tons of fireworks explode in the glittering sky.