The Top Five Best Carnivals

by Emma Frost
(Crawley, UK)

The word carnival comes from the Latin ‘carne valle’, originally meaning to use up meat before lent, but has now come to conjure up images of huge street parades, feathered head dresses and brightly decorated floats. Carnivals are celebrated all over the world, throughout February and early March in the lead up to lent. Here is a list of the top five most exhilarating carnivals that you should visit at least once from around the globe…

1) Rio Carnival – When you think of carnivals, you think of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. It is celebrated throughout Brazil although the lively festivities have long been associated with the stunning city of Rio under the shadow of the Christ the Redeemer statue. It is widely thought of as the biggest and best carnival in the world. The legendary winding street parties reaching their peak with the Sambadrome parade, with its incredible salsa dancing troupes competing for most outrageous costumes.

• Where to stay: Hotel Fasano for some 5* luxury
• When: February 18th to the 21st 2012
• Tip: Take some salsa lessons before you go!


2) Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnival – One of the largest crowd pullers in the world, the Carnival de Santa Cruz is unlike any other, where you will be out of place if you are not in drag and you will need some serious stamina. The whole of the festival is four weeks long, starting off with bizarre parades of clowns and the election of carnival queens. The opening parade of floats and party processions is on the 17th February, starting off a week of madness with hundreds of thousands of people taking to the streets, with most parties not getting going until midnight. This sparkling carnival comes to a close on the 22nd Feb with the traditional burying of the sardine.

• Where to stay: The Hotel Escuela Santa Cruz
• When: 17th to the 22nd February 2012
• Tip: Take fancy dress and join in. Don’t go to this carnival to spectate, you will feel out of place if you don’t dress up.

3) Mardi Gras in New Orleans – The carnival atmosphere here is one of glamour and extravagance, with masquerade balls and at least one huge parade each day. The carnival in New Orleans is more of a whole season than an individual carnival, starting on Epiphany (6th Jan 2012) and leading up to Lent. The largest of the parades and parties are on the last five days of the season, including the traditional king cake parties. These are coffee cakes with a hidden coffee bean inside, whoever finds the coffee bean has to host the next king cake party.

• Where: Anywhere in the French quarter, close to all the action.
• When: 17th to the 22nd February 2012
• Tip: Do not forget your camera at this visually stunning carnival.

4) Notting Hill Carnival – Taking place over the August bank holiday since 1964, the West Indian themed festival attracts visitors from the world over with its vibrant Caribbean roots, multicultural music and food, and dancing in the narrow streets of London. Calypso music fills the air with steel bands on every corner, and the smell of a hundred different types of food cooking on street stalls creates a magical celebration of multi-cultural London.

• Where: Abbey Court Hotel, only 100m away from Notting Hill Gate, you will be in the centre of the action
• When: August Bank holiday 2012
• Tip: Try some cuisine that you have never tried before at the street stalls selling traditional Caribbean food.

5) Goa Carnival – This eclectic mix of Portuguese and Indian culture make for a truly unique festival, centred in the capital of the state, Panjim. The sights and smells of this vibrant festival truly transport you to another world. The tropical beaches are taken over by the sounds of drum beats, guitars and singing, with colourful costumes and processions leading through the town. If you are planning on visiting Goa then this is without a doubt the best time to go.

• Where: Dona Sylvia Hotel for a stay right on the beach
• When: 18th to the 21st February 2012
• Tip: Make sure you take something black and red to wear for the last day black and red dance.

All these hotels are available at lowcostholidays.com