Rio Sets 2026 Street Carnival With 462 Parades as Police Roll Out Expanded Security

Overview

• The street carnival runs from January 17 to February 22 and is expected to draw about 6 million people across the city.
• The Centro will host roughly 135 of the 462 parades, with the Circuito Preta Gil featuring 10 megablocos led by acts such as Cordão da Bola Preta, Ludmilla and Anitta.
• Cordão do Boitatá joins the megablocos for the first time in its 30th year, as crowds at individual events are forecast to range from 50,000 to 700,000.
• More than 4,000 Military Police officers, 500 vehicles and aerial monitoring will support operations, with camera‑equipped patrol cars tied to recognition systems and checkpoint searches to block glass and cutting objects in the Centro circuit.
• Municipal support includes over 1,100 public-order and guard agents, 34,000 bathroom positions and extensive crowd‑protection barriers, plus seven pre‑hospital posts and specialized teams to assist women following a reported 275% rise in harassment cases last year.