Joyous carnival festivities with parades, music, and street dancing to mark the last day of pre-Lent festivities are reaching a crescendo in New Orleans, Rio de Janeiro, and other parts of the Americas and Europe.
Although each city has its own Carnival customs, similarities are inevitable. Feathered dancers whirled and strutted in a parade accompanied by extravagant floats carrying giant figures of Greek gods and pop stars. Costumes were plentiful and the themes of the various festivals ranged from the whimsical to the satirical.
At Salvador's Music Truck and outside nightclubs on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, crowds stood shoulder to shoulder, savoring the music and rhythm.
The Krewe of Taxes parades the Uptown Route through New Orleans on Saturday, February 10, 2024, during Carnival season before Mardi Gras. (Sophia Germer/Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate, via AP)
As the festive atmosphere grew over the weekend, so too did the fanciful costumes. One group of revelers dressed in costumes made from beer and soda cans took part in a parade in Brazil's Madre de Deus on Sunday. New Orleans revelers strolled down Bourbon Street wearing intricately beaded hats adorned with gold butterflies.
Politicians and world celebrities were ridiculed. A float in Cologne, Germany, has the words “Choke” written on it and depicts a giant Vladimir Putin eating Ukraine. In New Orleans, Donald Trump, President Joe Biden and his son Hunter, and the local mayor were mocked with caricatures of floats.
Revelers gather to watch a passing soundtrack performance, commonly referred to as the Electric Trio, during the Bumbola Carnival street party in Salvador, Brazil, Saturday, February 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
Revelers walk down Bourbon Street on the Friday before Mardi Gras Day in New Orleans, February 9, 2024. (Sophia Germer/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)
Performers of the Salgueiro Samba School parade during Carnival celebrations at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, early Monday morning, February 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)
On Saturday, February 10, 2024, NOMTOC members run through Algiers, New Orleans. (David Grunfeld/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)
Revelers in costumes made of beer and soda cans participate in the carnival parade of the street party “Broco da Latina” in Madre de Deus, Brazil, Sunday, February 11, 2024. participants. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
A person squirts champagne into the mouth of another Mardi Gras enjoyer in New Orleans' French Quarter on Friday, February 9, 2024. (Sophia Germer/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)
A float depicting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy rolls through the streets during the Rose Monday Parade in Cologne, Germany, Monday, February 12, 2024. (Rolf Vennenbernd/DPA via AP)
A carnival float depicts Russian President Vladimir Putin eating Ukraine during a traditional Carnival parade in Dusseldorf, Germany, Monday, February 12, 2024, with the text “choking'' “it is written like this. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Portraying the characters of Russian President Vladimir Putin (left), Alice Weidel (AfD Alternative for Germany), center, and Sarah Wagenknecht (BSW Bundnis Sarah Wagenknecht) during the Rose Monday parade A float depicting “Barbie and Ken” travels through the streets on Monday, February 12, 2024 in Mainz, Germany. (Arne Dedert/dpa via AP)
A carnival float depicting U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump holding an American flag cut in the shape of a Nazi swastika stands in front of an old carnival float during a traditional carnival parade in Dusseldorf, Germany, Monday, February 12, 2024. I drove around the city. (AP) Photo/Martin Meissner)
Dancers from the Gavioes da Fiel Samba School perform on a float during the Carnival Parade in São Paulo, Brazil, Sunday, February 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
Endymion will perform in New Orleans on Saturday, February 10, 2024, during the pre-Mardi Gras Carnival season to the theme “Silence is Golden.” (Scott Threlkeld/Times-Picayune/New Orleans Defender, via AP)
Performers of the Salgueiro Samba School parade during Carnival celebrations at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, February 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)
Revelers watch the Krewe of Totes parade along the traditional uptown route in New Orleans, Sunday, February 11, 2024. (David Grunfeld/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)
Raquel Poti performs on stilts at a street party in Carmelitas during the first day of carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Friday, February 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)
