Rio de Janeiro’s oldest block announces closed parade after Carnival cancellation

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – After the cancellation of street Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, announced on Tuesday, January 4, the Cordão da Bola Preta block, one of the oldest in Brazil, announced that it will hold the event at the block’s headquarters in the city center.

According to the health legislation in force in the state, the holding of events in closed venues is allowed, provided that the presentation of a vaccine passport against the novel coronavirus and a negative RT-PCR test for the disease are required.

According to its press office, the block will hold Carnival dances during all 5 days of festivities, complying with the health protocols for private events.

Founded in 1918, the block is the oldest in Rio de Janeiro, and takes thousands of revelers to the streets during the city’s parades.

The decision to ban street parades for the second consecutive year was taken by city mayor Eduardo Paes during a meeting on Tuesday with sponsors and representatives of the city’s Independent Blocks Association.

Due to the spread of the Omicron variant, Paes decided to suspend street Carnival, but said that the special group samba schools parade, at the Marquês de Sapucaí Sambadrome, will be maintained, as it is easier to control the access of revelers.

“I have just had a meeting with the people from the street blocks, and we informed them that the street Carnival, the way it was held until 2020, will not happen in 2022. Unfortunately, I say this as a mayor who likes Carnival, as a citizen, and unfortunately we can’t hold it,” the mayor said during a live webcast after the meeting.

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