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Carnival posts
Video Of The Day: Italy's Biggest Food Fight
Jan 28th, 2013 at 6:00PM:
Each year, thousands of people in the town of Ivrea in northern Italy have one of the largest food fights on the planet during the Battle of the Oranges. Part of the city's annual Carnival celebrations, origins of the tradition are somewhat unclear, but it's believed to have originated by the townspeople's revolt against their tyrant during the 12th or 13th century. As the story goes, the ...
Bizarre Carnival Celebrations You Haven't Heard Of
Jan 25th, 2013 at 10:00AM:
It's that time of year again, when thousands of dancers prepare to don feathers, beads, and sequins and parade down the streets to mark Carnival. And while big Carnival (or Mardi Gras, as it's also known) celebrations such as the one in Rio de Janiero get plenty of press, there are lots of other festivals that are just as colorful and creative ... and perhaps a little weird.
Wanna see men ...Photo of the Day: Fasnacht characters
Mar 8th, 2012 at 6:30PM:
Context accounts for so much. In the right context, even the most outlandish costume looks appropriate, and an everyday outfit can look out of place. Last month, much of the world celebrated Carnival or Mardi Gras, leading up to the Lenten period which marks the 40 days and nights before Easter. In Germany, they celebrate Fasnacht on the day before Ash Wednesday, when Lent begins, with ...Video of the Day: Tilt-shift Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro
Feb 27th, 2012 at 6:00PM:
Carnaval (or, as we like to write it, Carnival) was last week, but we're just not done celebrating here at Gadling HQ. This video is from Carnaval 2011 in Rio de Janeiro, but we can't stop watching it. Of course, we love tilt-shift and this video uses the technique perfectly. Though, we'd like some explanation about why it opens with someone getting rescued from the ocean by a helicopter. ...
Rio Carnival 2012: A playlist of traditional Carnival songs
Feb 25th, 2012 at 9:00AM:
During Carnival, the city of Rio de Janeiro pulses with the sound of percussion. Music is an integral part of the Brazilian festival, and it doesn't seem like you can turn a corner without hearing the infectious drum-driven beats of samba music or the sounds of drunken celebrants singing traditional marchinhas at the tops of their lungs. Particularly in the blocos, music is a binding force, ...Rio Carnival 2012: The hottest drag queen costumes
Feb 24th, 2012 at 11:00AM:
At Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, it was common to come across fully made-up men who had traded their Havaianas for high heels. Though some were experienced cross dressers and drag queens, others saw the holiday as an opportunity to get in touch with their more feminine sides. Costumes ranged from the elaborate (Sambadrome-style feathers, stilettos, fake lashes) to the scrappy (tiny skirt, ...Rio Carnival 2012: Backstage at the Sambadrome parades
Feb 22nd, 2012 at 5:30PM:
"Follow the feathers" was my strategy for finding the Sambadrome stadium in Brazil this past Sunday, the first evening of Rio Carnival's famed samba parades. The metro exit was packed with crowds moving in all different directions, so I had little choice but to follow the handful of people wearing large, extravagant costumes in front of me. They were obviously going where I needed to go. ...Video of the Day: Adorable little girls dancing samba at Rio Carnival
Feb 21st, 2012 at 6:00PM:
The scene outside the Sambodrome stadium on the first night of Rio Carnival's famed samba school parades was madness. Hordes of people moved in all directions while scalpers hawked tickets, street vendors fried food, and costumed paraders maneuvered in huge feathered costumes. As far as Fat Tuesday celebrations go, this was tops.
In the middle of the chaos, these two talented little girls ...
Rio Carnival 2012: Costume shopping and impromptu samba dancing
Feb 21st, 2012 at 11:00AM:
During Carnival, the streets of the Saara market in Old Downtown Rio de Janeiro are flooded with local cariocas shopping for wacky beer hats, neon-colored wigs, cheap plastic accessories, and the ubiquitous noise horns, which echo periodically (and loudly) in the air. If you're in the market for last-minute costumes for Carnival's parties and parades, Saara is undoubtedly the place to be. ...Rio Carnival 2012: 10 best bloco street parties
Feb 20th, 2012 at 3:30PM:
If you want to feel the real essence of Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, look no further than the city streets. In the weeks leading up to Fat Tuesday, lively street parties and parades, called blocos, wind throughout Rio's various neighborhoods, led by floats blaring live samba music. Crowds can swell to upwards of 200,000 people, many dressed in outrageous costumes and more than a little ...Video: Rio Carnival's biggest street party, Cordão do Bola Preta
Feb 20th, 2012 at 10:30AM:
Despite a nearly unbearable early morning start time, the Cordão do Bola Preta bloco on Saturday attracted more than 2.2 million people -- the most any of Rio de Janeiro's popular Carnival street parties has ever seen.
The party got started at 8:30 a.m. in Largo da Candelária and traveled down Avenida Rio Branco before finishing in a huge dance party in Cinelândia ...
Italy's Battle of the Oranges
Feb 19th, 2012 at 12:00PM: Even before Filippo Prior rides into the ancient piazza on the back of a horse-drawn carriage, he feels the giddy adrenalin rush of battle and the unnerving fear that comes with the knowledge that he and his teammates are about to get pelted with hundreds of cold, hard oranges.
"You hear the roar of the crowd, people screaming before you enter the piazza," says Prior, a 21-year old member of ...Rio Carnival 2012: what's new this year
Feb 17th, 2012 at 10:00AM:
Rio Carnival 2012 is being looked upon as the Brazilian city's "coming of age". Not only are experts predicting a record number of revelers, but the world's eyes will also be trained on Rio de Janeiro to see how it manages the crowds and festivities, particularly as the city prepares to host both the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games.
Organizers are pulling out all the stops ...Rio de Janeiro police strike threatens Carnival festivities, then fizzles
Feb 13th, 2012 at 2:30PM: A police strike in Rio de Janeiro just a week before Carnival threatened to wreak mass chaos upon Brazil's largest festival celebration. But just one day in, Rio's state government announced that the strike had "failed", with just a small percentage of officers taking part.
"It is very difficult to talk of a protest movement without participants," said Chao Francisco, union president for the ...The ultimate guide to Carnival in Rio: parties and parades
Feb 3rd, 2012 at 9:00AM:
What's Carnival in Rio de Janeiro without its lively parties and parades? Now that planning, packing, and logistics are taken care of, it's time to think about the important stuff: your social calendar. In this second installment of the ultimate guide to Carnival in Rio, we'll walk you through some of the main events. ...The ultimate guide to Carnival in Rio: planning, packing and logistics
Jan 31st, 2012 at 1:00PM:
Attending Carnival in Rio de Janeiro tops many a bucket list, and for good reason. Not only is Rio Carnaval one of the world's sexiest festivals, it's also an important cultural event for the people of Brazil. Last year, more than 4.9 million people participated in the week-long festival of parades, parties, and carousing in the streets, and the number is expected to increase yet again this ...10 sexy festivals from around the world
Jan 14th, 2012 at 10:00AM: While sexy can mean different things to different people, sometimes there is just no disputing. From naked bodies covered in paint to scantily clad burlesque dancers to artistic bondage shows, there is a festival out there that will fulfill your idea of what sexy is.
New Orleans Burlesque Festival
New Orleans, Louisiana
The New Orleans Burlesque Festival takes place in New Orleans every ...Attend the World's Biggest Party on a Six-Day "Carnival in Rio" Tour
Oct 27th, 2011 at 1:00PM: A new tour by the Adventure Center will allow travelers to fully experience both the city of Rio, Brazil, as well as the biggest party in the world, Carnival. The "Carnival in Rio" tour is six days long, taking place from February 17-22, 2012, and features a full tour of Rio, with some of the highlights being:
visit to Maracana Stadium
cable car ride up Sugar Loaf ...Carnival Magic: experience is the name of the game
May 7th, 2011 at 7:00AM:
New cruise ships seem almost commonplace in recent years, with several cruise lines pumping them out quickly. Worldwide economic concerns slowed down new orders but ships still emerge with more features and more attractions than ever. One could say that Carnival Cruise Lines new ship, Carnival Magic, is a bit light on the bells and whistles expected of a big new ship today. One would be wrong. ...Photo of the day: A new cruise ship in town
Apr 30th, 2011 at 9:54PM:
Carnival Cruise Lines new Carnival Magic is shown in today's photo arriving in Venice, Italy ahead of its inaugural nine-day voyage departing Sunday. The ship will be officially named in ceremonies presided over by Lindsey Wilkerson, a former patient at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital who now serves as an employee and an ambassador of the organization.
Sunday's nine-day cruise ...
