RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Special Coordination for Sexual Diversity in Rio (CEDS-Rio), in partnership with the CandyBloco LGBT block, will promote a diversity mega-fest that promises to attract thousands of people to Marechal Âncora Square, downtown, on Carnaval Tuesday, February 25th.
The CandyBloco will parades for the first time through the streets of Rio; during the revelry, a 30-meter rainbow-colored LGBT flag will be erected to celebrate diversity and respect in Carnaval.
Nélio Georgini, special coordinator for Sexual Diversity at Rio’s City Hall, says the body has developed several LGBT events in the city, and reiterates the relevance of the CandyBloco’s existence to plurality, democracy and inclusion in revelry.
“The CEDS Rio has sponsored dozens of LGBT projects. The CandyBloco is an entrepreneurial project of a group of friends who turned a VIP box in Sapucaí (the Sambadrome) into a block, and for the first time is going to parade on the street, on Carnaval Tuesday. Rio de Janeiro is a portrait of diversity”.
“The revelry period is the most democratic and inclusive in Brazil. Carnaval is not just a celebration, it’s part of culture, it uses joy and humor to make social criticism and the celebration to raise visibility for significant causes”, reiterates Georgini.
“This is our first year on the street, officially participating in Rio de Janeiro’s 2020 Carnaval. The street has always been a goal, because we understand that what we do must be essentially as democratic as possible. Therefore, in all our events to date, we distribute thousands of free tickets. It’s a way for us to feel the energy and diversity of the streets.”
“We need to create this atmosphere of diversity, acceptance and celebration for everyone, LGBTQI+ or not, who wants to add their voice to ours. Taking up a space in the city of Rio de Janeiro, making yourself present on the street, celebrating love, peaceful coexistence and tolerance is the most beautiful way of doing politics and understanding yourself as a Rio citizen. As a queer artist, this is much more than I ever dreamed of for my career,” says Beni Falcone, lead singer and one of the block’s idealizers.
“The CandyBloco was born out of our need to celebrate LGBTQI+ culture. To unite all these lyrics through music and what brings us together, through our differences within this diverse community. We believe that Carnaval works as a key element within the Brazilian LGBTQI+ culture. So, uniting the pop divas with the diversity of Brazilian rhythms was a very logical step and it worked right away,” adds Beni Falcone.