A Rio Carnival Party That Goes On and On

 

 

  The Boi Tolo, one of the city’s most iconic street parties, has come to represent the glittery, gritty grass-roots celebration far from the glamour of the official parades. 

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"The square started filling well before dawn. Some revelers arrived clad in neon fishnets and doused in glitter. Others, who had been at parties elsewhere, napped on a grassy patch. The musicians came last, lugging drums and trumpets.

It was Sunday morning during carnival in Rio de Janeiro, and the square in the city’s historic center was the setting for the start of a kind of roving marathon block party known as the Boi Tolo.

The Boi Tolo has no set time, script or route, a swell of thousands of euphoric revelers marching through the city at a frantic pace.

Those who miss the start spend the day trying to catch up, firing off messages in group chats: “Where is Boi Tolo?”"

READ REPORT BY ANA IONOVA
AND SEE THE GALLERY BY DADO GALDIERI