4–14 February 2027 · Rio de Janeiro

Flavinha is turning 50.
She's doing it at Carnaval.

Next March 12th I hit the big five-oh, and there is no way I'm celebrating that with cake and candles when I could be celebrating it a month early, sweaty and glittered-up, in the best street party on Earth. Come with me?

See the (chaotic) plan → How much will this hurt?
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The idea

Why celebrate one night when you can celebrate an entire Carnaval?

Turning 50 is a big deal. So instead of one dinner and a slightly-too-honest toast, I'm hijacking Rio's Carnaval — the loudest, sweatiest, most joyful festival on the planet — and turning it into a full week of celebration with friends flying in from all over the globe. Some of you will only make it for a few days, some of you are certifiably unhinged enough to do the whole ten. Either way: welcome to the plan.

Christ the Redeemer overlooking Rio de Janeiro
When

Mark the dates (and pack the sunscreen)

The full window is 4th–14th February 2027. Carnaval proper runs 5th–9th Feb, but the party starts and ends around it — so here's what actually matters.

Thu 4 Feb

Baile do Sarongue

The unofficial kickoff. A legendarily good ball happens the Thursday before Carnaval officially begins — this is where the week gets loud.

5–9 Feb

Carnaval itself

Five days of blocos, samba, sequins and questionable sleep schedules. This is the main event.

Wed 12 Feb

🎂 The Big 5-0

My actual birthday toast — somewhere, TBD. Possibly the most off-beat night of the entire trip, and a celebration of this whole new chapter too.

Sat 13 Feb

Desfile das Campeãs

The Champions Parade at the Sapucaí — the best samba schools from the week get one more lap of glory. Camarote (VIP box) territory.

How this works

The logistics, minus the boring bits

1
This website is the source of truth.

It'll be updated as the Carnaval organisers release real information — ticket windows, camarote availability, all of it lands here first.

2
There's a WhatsApp group for anyone joining.

Say you're in (or maybe-in) and you'll get added for real-time updates, chaos coordination, and memes.

3
I'm building a full "in and off Carnaval" beats plan for every day.

Blocos, meals, beach time, the works. You're welcome to skip anything and do your own thing — no hard feelings. The only mandatory day is 12th Feb. That one's not optional. 😉

4
I'll recommend where to stay and eat

All mapped around the plan, so you don't end up 45 minutes from everything by accident.

5
There'll be a shared photo album, too.

One link, everyone dumps their pics and videos there — no fifteen-person AirDrop chaos at 3am trying to get that one perfect bloco photo.

How much

Let's talk money (it's Carnaval, babe — it's not cheap)

It won't be a budget trip. But it's a once-in-a-lifetime one, and every real (100%) of it is worth it. Here's the honest breakdown.

Flights

~€1,500

GVA → GIG, best fares found so far. Book these after accommodation, not before.

Accommodation

€1,500–3,000

Skip hotels — they get brutal. Airbnb-style stays in the right neighbourhood, full period, with free cancellation. You don't need fancy, just location + A/C.

Baile do Sarongue

~€200

The opening ball. Fun, festive, and a solid warm-up for the week.

Camarote (Sapucaí)

~€1,200

VIP box for the Champions Parade — transport, prime parade views, open bar & food, plus side parties. Not cheap. Extremely worth it.

Blocos

Free 🎉

The street parties cost nothing but your energy (and possibly your voice).

Daily spend

€30–50/day

Food, transport, caipirinhas or cold beers — depends entirely on your lifestyle choices.

💡 Move fast on accommodation. Prices (and availability) only get worse the closer we get to February. Flights can wait — beds can't.
The (draft) plan

Day by day, in beautiful chaos

I'm building this out as we speak, so treat it as a very confident work-in-progress. Click through the days.

Pro tips

Pack smart, stay smart

A few things worth knowing before you book anything.

🔥 Read this first

It. Is. Hot.

Expect high temperatures and a city running on zero sleep and pure adrenaline. Pack light — this is a summer-clothes-only trip, so think shorts, linen, breathable everything. Leave the jackets at home. Hydrate like you mean it.

Where to actually stay

Stick to these neighbourhoods and you'll be close to everything that matters — beach, blocos, and good food.

Leblon Gávea Jardim Botânico Humaitá Lagoa Ipanema

Found a place? Send me the link and I'll double-check the location before you book. And seriously — book with free cancellation, immediately. Flights can come later.

🧭 These are genuinely some of the safest, best-lit areas of the city — but stay smart and attentive always. This is a major city, not a small town: normal big-city common sense applies, day and night.
🎟️ Camarote prices climb the closer we get to Carnaval. Right now, Camarote N1 runs around R$5,100 (≈€870) for men and R$4,350 (≈€745) for women. As more camarotes open up, I'll post updates here.
Map of the recommended Rio neighbourhoods: Leblon, Gávea, Jardim Botânico, Lagoa, Ipanema, Copacabana — click to open in Google Maps
The zone: Lagoa, Jardim Botânico, Gávea, Leblon & Ipanema — close to the beach, close to the blocos, close to Cristo watching over all of it. Tap to open in Google Maps →

🛡️ Street-smart basics

None of this is Rio-specific — it's just good crowd sense, and it makes a real difference in a packed bloco.

  • Keep your phone on a cord or wrist strap, not loose in your hand. You'll see it everywhere, not just in Rio — it's the easiest way to stop it getting lifted out of a crowd.
  • Skip the selfie in the middle of a packed bloco. That's exactly the moment a phone gets grabbed. Step to the edge of the crowd first, then shoot.
  • Go cashless. No need to carry real money or a full wallet — a phone or smartwatch for payments is safer, and it's one less thing to lose.
  • Leave the jewellery at home. Nothing flashy needs to come to a crowd... except the glitter, obviously. That's mandatory.
  • Get around by Uber. It's fast, and probably the safest bet if you don't know your way around the city yet — check the plate against the in-app verification code before you get in. Buses work fine too, and the city's public transport (trams included) has genuinely improved since the Olympics, so don't rule it out.

🎭 Costumes: yes, you actually need one

Bring something. Rule of thumb for blocos: less is more — it is stupidly hot out there — but "less" still has to be funny and make some sense. A single pair of novelty glasses is not a costume, it's an accessory that got lonely. Think one strong, simple idea, executed well: a theme, a color, a pun, a group bit.

For the balls (Sarongue, Copa, etc.) you can put in more effort — better lighting, indoor AC, higher stakes — but the same rule still applies underneath it all: less, but smarter, not lazier.

Don't stress about packing it all from home, either — Rio is full of costume shops and street stalls that pop up specifically for Carnaval, and costume shopping there is genuinely half the fun. Arrive with an idea, finish the look once you're on the ground.

Glossary for the gringos

What on earth is a "bloco"?

Bloco street party crowd in Rio

Blocos de Carnaval

Free, open-to-anyone street parties that basically take over entire neighbourhoods. A truck blasts samba and marchinha, a few thousand people follow it dancing, and that's the whole event. No tickets, no rules, just show up in costume and go. This is the actual soul of Carnaval in Rio.

Full bloco schedule →
Ipanema beach at night, Rio de Janeiro

Baile do Sarongue

A proper ball — think costumes, live music, and a room full of people who take dressing up very seriously — held on the Thursday before Carnaval officially kicks off. It's the perfect warm-up party and honestly one of the best nights of the week.

sarongue.com →

Desfile das Campeãs

The Champions Parade. The top samba schools from the week's competition get one final, spectacular lap down the Sapucaí on the Saturday after Carnaval — massive floats, thousands of dancers, all-night spectacle. This is the one worth splurging on a camarote for.

nossocamarote.com.br → camaroten1.com.br →

What the Sambadrome actually feels like

Drums you feel in your chest, floats several storeys tall, and tens of thousands of people losing it in unison. Footage really doesn't do it justice, but here's last year's parade to get you hyped.

What you have to do

Your actual homework

Only two deadlines. Miss them and you risk paying more, or worse — missing out.

By end of September 2026
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Tell me your intention: In? Potentially in? Out?
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If in (or maybe-in): book accommodation with free cancellation
By end of November 2026
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Book your flights
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Mid-November: full plan lands here — then grab your Camarote ticket
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Tickets for the balls (Baile do Copa, Carnagéralda, etc.) open later — no need to decide now, I'll keep you posted

RSVP here 👇

This opens your email app with everything pre-filled, addressed straight to me — nothing gets stored anywhere else.

Prefer WhatsApp? That works too — just send me the same three things there.