PHOTOGRAPHY LUKE BURGESS (IPANEMA BEACH) & GETTY IMAGES (SAMBADROME).154 GOURMET TRAVELLER
pastotherguests,andcomplimentsarevolleyedaround
theroomwithabandon.Glamourmightwellbea
competitivesportinBrazil,butthereis nofustiness,
formalityorfrosttobefoundhere.It strikesmethatI’ve
beenat snootierdinnerpartiesinFitzroyorShoreditch.
Theballoffersupanabundanceofpinch-me,
princessmoments,butI cometorealisethatcelebration
is considereda fundamentalhumanrighthereinRio.
And,infact,muchofthefunofthecarnivalis found
inblocos,orstreetparties,aroundthecityforthe
ensuingfivenights.Revellersat theball– cladasthey
maywellbein$5000Balenciagagowns– willhappily
decamptoa dawnstreetpartyblaringsambamusic
whentheballdwindlestoa close.ButI’ma newbie
toallthiscarnivalactionandI tumblegratefullyout
ofmyheelsandintobedat 7am.Riohasofficially
out-partiedme.Andthepartyis onlygettingstarted.
I’dbeshirkingmyhedonisticresponsibilitiesif
I didn’tmakea pilgrimagetoRio’sSambadromethe
followingnight.TheSambadromeMarquêsdeSapucai
is essentiallya 700-metre-longrunwaywherefiercely
competitivesambaschoolsparadefora meticulously
choreographed 75 minutes,theirchancetodazzlethe
90,000spectatorsandjudges.Forthesupporters,this
eventis takenas seriouslyas a footballtournament.
Thesheerartistryofeverysinglefloatpassing
me– eachwithproductionvaluesto
rivala Broadwayshow– takesmy
breathaway.Spectators,whohave
paidfrom$46forthecheapseatsto
$2190fora hostedboxwherethe
Champagneandsnacksflowfreely,
sambaawaytirelesslyinrhythmic
supportoftheirbelovedschool.A
nightat theSambadromekicksoffat
10pmandwrapsuparound6am–
wheneveryonegoestoworkasnormal.
Well,as normalas lifeinRiogets
duringCarnaval,becauseforcarnival
weekinFebruary,theentirecity
grindstoa halt,as blockparties
overtakestreets;toughluck,traffic.
SoI abandonmyregulartraveller
urgestochargearoundmuseumsand
discoverquirkyneighbourhoods,
surrenderingmyself,guilt-free,entirely
tothepartyspirit.Afterall,during
Carnaval,partyingis a full-time
commitment.Daytimesat the
CopacabanaPalacearededicatedto
recovery,andpreparingoneselfforthe
partyahead.A pop-upatelieris found
ina roomalongsidethelobby,hawkingfeathered
fascinatorsandsequinnedgowns,essentiallya corner
shopforhardcorepartiers.Rio’sglitteratilounge
poolside, in oversized sunglasses and undersizedswimwear,slurpingicedcoffeeandnibblingsalty
snacksthoughtfullydistributedbyservingstaff.
The spa,as you’dimagine,doesa roaringtradein
hangover-fixingmassages,glow-inducingfacialsand
glamorousup-dos.Andbrunchis the
finalpartytraditiontotickoffthelist,a
decadentday-longaffairwhereseafood,
stewsanddelicatelypreparedpastries
arewasheddownwithCaipirinhas.
I cornerthemostglamorouswoman
intheroom– thehotel’sformidable
general manager,AndreaNatal– to
quizheronpreciselyhowthehotel
hasturnedhedonismintoanartform.
“Hospitalityis definitelyoneofour
country’sstrongsuits,”shesays.“I
supposeweknowhowtobewelcoming
andwereallycareaboutenjoyinglife.
Cariocaslovetocelebrate.Truthfully,
weliveformomentslikethis.”
Mullingoverherwords,I reclineon
a loungerbythepool,resolvingtotake
celebrationmoreseriouslyinmylife;
thisis thelessonI wanttobringback
fromRio,as a souvenir.Andjustwhen
thepost-brunch,mid-afternoonlull
threatenstosendmetosleep,a samba
bandinflamboyantcarnivalcostume
burstsintothepoolcourtyardwitha
flourish,determinedtogettoestapping.
BeforeI knowit,I’mdancingwiththebandandonce
againmarvellingat Rio’srelentlesscommitmentto
celebration.Andyouknowwhat?Ata timelikethis,
celebrations are something worth celebrating.●DetailsGettingthere
Qantas,UnitedandEmirates
flyone-stopfromSydney
toRiodeJaneiro.
Stay
Roompackagesfora four-
nightstayatBelmond
CopacabanaPalacestart
from$7295,basedontwo
peoplesharing.belmond.com
Bookahead
Ticketsforthe 2020 celebration
(21-26February)attheBelmond
CopacabanaPalacerangefrom
$820forstandingto$1560
fora VIPbox(fora minimum
of 10 people).belmond.com
Formoreinformationabout
Sambadrometickets,
visit rio-carnival.netAbove:
sunbathersat
IpanemaBeach.
Right:the
Sambadrome
parade.