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With parades, music, and dancing in the streets, joyous carnival festivities culminate in New Orleans, Rio de Janeiro, and other parts of the Americas and Europe, marking the last day of pre-Lent revelry.
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 puppets 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.
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.