Rio de Janeiro kicked off its Carnival season on Friday with a symbolic ceremony that placed King Momo in charge of the city for a five-day run, a tradition meant to flip everyday life into celebration. The mayor handed over the city’s key as the festivities began, with King Momo taking over through Wednesday to preside over the revelry and take part in parades.
This year’s King Momo is Danilo Vieira, a 30-year-old Rio native. Vieira told The Associated Press before his symbolic coronation that Carnival is run by him, while adding that “The rules still apply, of course,” and that participants still have to follow the rules of the city and country.
The key ceremony has been formalized by policy: in 2024, Mayor Eduardo Paes issued a decree making the key ceremony an annual official event that obliges future successors to carry out the handover. Organizers say the celebration is expected to draw massive crowds, with Rio City Hall estimating about 6 million revelers at street parties.
One of those parties unfolded in Santa Teresa, where Braulio Ferreira, 48, joined the Carmelitas street party dressed as Jason Voorhees from the Friday the 13th film franchise. Ferreira said it was “very nice and satisfying to see so many people happy from abroad,” enjoying Carnival “with full-on happiness.”
Even as Carnival brings music, percussion, and costumed performers into the streets, City Hall officials have pointed to security planning amid a recent wave of thefts involving young people acting in groups, which has raised concerns. Former councilwoman Luciana Boiteux posted on Instagram that Carnival is meant to be a time of joy but that people have been seeing “fear” at street parties, and she called for better lighting and preventive community policing.
Rio City Hall’s secretariat of public order and the municipal guard said it has set up a special operation involving around 1,100 agents for patrols, with teams monitoring street parties from start to finish because officials said the risk of theft tends to intensify as the events go on. The city also said teams specializing in violence against women would be present at key locations to provide support and guidance.
At the Sambodrome, samba schools will stage parades that have been prepared for months, with elaborate costumes and large floats, and judges awarding points before naming winners. This year’s parade themes include tributes to Rita Lee, recognition of Black communities in the Amazon, and themes that also address sex workers.
Carnival’s start in Rio comes as the festival unfolds across Brazil. While Rio is the best-known destination for Carnival, samba schools in other cities and regions have also been preparing, and festivities in the colonial city of Olinda began on Thursday. As Rio’s streets fill and the parades draw near, the city’s King Momo ceremony is unfolding alongside a security plan aimed at keeping the focus on celebration rather than fear.
FRED verified figures referenced: none.