Updated on Feb.10, 2013.
Carnival Monday 2013 in Rio de Janeiro has Santa Teresa and Copacabana as some of the best spots, but Leblon, Lapa, Centro and other areas also offer great options. Choose your destination the best you can, enjoy your bloco thoroughly and save some energy for the next day. It's a good thing some blocos go out more than once.
Find more about blocos parading this Carnival on Agenda Samba & Choro.
- 7 a.m. - Corre Atrás, Leblon
Starting Point: Rua Dias Ferreira (in front of Azeitona & Cia
Upbeat Corre Atrás ("Run After It") parades are popular with young people, but welcoming to people of all ages. The bloco is one more reason to love Leblon, one of the best neighborhoods in Rio for the international tourist.
Corre Atrás on YouTube
- 8 a.m. - Volta, Alice, Laranjeiras
Starting Point: Rua Alice
Safe and fun, "Come Back, Alice" is a fantastic way to start Carnival Monday in Rio. The bloco takes over the area known as Baixo Alice. See Volta, Alice on YouTube
- 8 a.m. - Afroreggae, Ipanema
Starting Point: Posto 9 (Lifeguard Station 9), Avenida Vieira Souto
The bloco of Grupo Cultural Afroreggae, an organization dedicated to fostering social inclusion and justice through art, Afro-Brazilian culture and education. Their 2013 parade will showcase the high-quality music that has made the band famous in Brazil and abroad, and also launch a novelty: the urine-powered trio elétrico, or sound truck. According to the organizers, every time the Xixi Elétrico ("Electric Pee") porta potty at Posto 9 is used, the flow is turned into energy by a dynamo, in a process similar to that of a hydroelectric facility. The project is a partnership with JWT.
- Noon - Bloco Sem Noção, Lapa
Starting Point: Rua do Lavradio
Their name means "clueless", but that's really just an insider's joke the friends who created the bloco saved from their fun times. The percussion band plays a mean samba and the bloco followed by hundreds is one of the best options in Lapa Carnival.
- 2 p.m. - Bloco do Sargento Pimenta, Flamengo
Where: Between the Marina da Glória and MAM elevated walkways.
Here's the Beatlemaniac's top pick for Rio street revelry: Sargento Pimenta, or Sgt. Pepper. Over 100,000 joined this Beatles cover bloco in Carnival 2012.
- 3 p.m. - Aconteceu, Santa Teresa
Starting Point: Largo dos Guimarães
Once you fall in love with Santa Teresa, it's hard to leave. If you're staying at one of the area's charming hotels or guest houses and riding the trolley everyday, have become a regular at Aprazível and Bar do Mineiro and feel right at home at Chácara do Céu, stay around and go out with this friendly neighborhood bloco.
- 3 p.m. - Bloco de Segunda, Humaitá/Botafogo
Starting Point: Cobal do Humaitá, Rua Marques
Less explored by tourists than Ipanema or Copacabana, Botafogo is full of attractions that deserve attention, and one of them is Bloco de Segunda ("Monday Bloco" or "Second-Rate Bloco"). Consider it a humorous go at full-fledged democracy - poking fun at politics is the bloco's main theme.
- 3 p.m. - Banda da Bolívar, Copacabana
Starting Point: Rua Bolívar
Faithfully present on every Carnival day, the bloco is one of the best in Copacabana. See an immersive panorama of Banda da Bolívar 2008 by Rio photographer Ayrton. The song they were doing is "Coisinha do Pai", a Cacique de Ramos (see below) tune turned into a national hit by singer Beth Carvalho.
- 3 p.m. - Banda de Ipanema Kids' Carnival Party, Ipanema
Where: Praça General Osório
Bring confetti and streamers to this fun party on the square, which has a playground.
- 5 p.m. - Rancho Flor do Sereno, Copacabana
Where: Av. Atlântica Posto 6, near Rua Júlio de Castilhos
You can thank Bip Bip Bar for this delightful party celebrating the Carnivals of olden days, with lots of marchinhas, a tranquil atmosphere and a nostalgic name ("Dew Flower"). The rancho (pronounced HUN-sho) is an early form of Carnival group which preceded samba schools.
- 5 p.m. - Soul Carioca, Madureira
Starting Point: Rua Carvalho de Souza
Many internationals are already familiar with this neighborhood, home to the legendary Portela. Percussionists from the samba school play lots of samba in the bloco parades. The crowd following this bloco founded in 2010 has been growing exponentially; it went from about 5,000 in the first year to about four times that many last Carnival.
- 9 p.m. - Cacique de Ramos, Centro
Starting Point: Av. Rio Branco. The parade will go down Avenida Presidente Vargas towards Cinelândia.
One of the great things about the Ramos Chief is that it parades more than once every Carnival. Here they are, on their second Carnival night - and they'll be back, starting from the same spot, on Fat Tuesday.
