The 2021 edition of the famous Rio de Janeiro carnival, which was to be held next February, has been postponed indefinitely due to the Covid-19 epidemic, still very active in Brazil, an official announced on Thursday.
The 2021 edition of the famous Rio de Janeiro carnival, which was to be held next February, has been postponed indefinitely due to the Covid-19 epidemic, still very active in Brazil, an official announced on Thursday.
"We have come to the conclusion that the event should be postponed. We simply cannot do it in February. Samba schools will not have the time or the financial and organizational resources to be ready for February," he said. Jorge Castanheira, president of the Independent League of Samba Schools of Rio de Janeiro (LIESA), which is organizing the event, told reporters.
LIESA's announcement only applies to the Samba Schools Competition, which takes place in the iconic Sambodrome in the Marvelous City. However, municipal authorities have not yet said whether street festivities would be authorized. The Rio carnival is indeed made up of innumerable parades of "blocks", these groupings of districts which stroll dancing, in an explosive cocktail of music, disguise and, often, alcohol.