Carnaval Samba Parade in Rio de Janeiro

Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro is one of the greatest shows on earth, and the annual Samba Parade at the Sambodromo is the most festive and colorful of all. Imagine thousands of singers and dancers planning, practicing, and building elaborate floats, then parading for 75 minutes down a narrow 700-yard route in front of thousands of exuberant fans and millions on television.

Community groups called schools have performed in Rio's Samba Parade for decades, and 14 of the best perform at the Sambodromo on the Sunday and Monday nights (7 each night) before Ash Wednesday each year. Each school develops a theme and a new samba song. About a half dozen floats and 30+ different costumed groups support the theme and dance down the parade route singing the samba song. Drummers, a band, loudspeakers, and screaming spectators keep the volume and intensity up. It's an amazing celebration!

These photos from the 2007 Rio Samba Parade were taken on a Carnaval cruise to Rio on Celebrity Cruises' Infinity.