Rio Carnival 2027 kicks off on February 5, 2027 in Rio de Janeiro, the biggest carnival on the planet, when samba schools parade through the Sambadrome and millions fill the streets for five days of blocos, costumes and music. The date moves with Easter; this countdown targets the next opening.
Rio's samba schools spend the whole year preparing for the Sambadrome parades, vast choreographed processions of floats, drummers and thousands of dancers, judged like a championship. Meanwhile hundreds of free street parties, the blocos, take over every neighborhood.
Carnival is tied to the start of Lent: it runs from the Friday before Ash Wednesday through Fat Tuesday, so it falls between early February and early March depending on the year.