A reveler from the Grande Rio samba school performs at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, early Tuesday, February 21. Countries around the world celebrate before the beginning of Lent with balls, parties, and parades with floats and costumed dancers.
Rio de Janeiro (CNN) -- Carnival revelers descended on Rio de Janeiro, flocking to hundreds of block parties and cramming into designated areas to watch elaborate parades from dusk until dawn.
Pounding drums and fireworks explosions announced the start of each samba school that parades down the emblematic strip, flanked by stands with seating for 80,000 spectators.
Dancers with platform heels and little else posed for photographers before bursting onto the dazzling pavement.
Brazil's big party
Carnival has started in Brazil
Just before the lavish floats hit the Sambadrome, cranes lowered feathered dancers onto podiums where they will dance and swivel their hips nonstop for 40 minutes.
But the five-day Carnival in Rio, which started Friday, is more than just the official parades.
Neighborhoods across the city host block parties that attract revelers by the thousands -- sometimes more than a million. They drink and dance behind samba bands that wind their way through the streets.
This year, about 850,000 tourists descended on Rio for Carnival celebrations, according to tourism officials.
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Members of the Unidos da Tijuca samba school dressed as birds perform on a float during a carnival parade at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday.
A Unidos da Tijuca samba school reveler performs at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday.
People in traditional costumes parade during a carnival celebration in the streets of Binche, Belgium, on Tuesday.
iReporter Dilip Sahijwani shot this photo of the 58th annual carnival in Ornjestad, Aruba. He said it was the best one he has seen in the last 24 years, and everything went very smoothly. "Groups make up parties and they dance on the street and you have to pay to join the groups," he said. "A lot of people from the U.S. participate, too."
A carnival float featuring caricatures of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy makes its way through the streets of Dusseldorf, Germany, during the traditional Rose Monday parade on February 20.
Carnival revelers accompany a float in the Rose Monday parade in Cologne, Germany.
A Beija-Flor samba school reveler sings on a float representing African slaves at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro on Monday.
A Brazilian reveler dons makeup during carnival celebrations in Rio de Janeiro on Monday, February 20.
Revelers parade through the streets in Barranquilla, Colombia, on Monday.
Carnival revelers perform at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro on Monday.
Dancers from the Vila Isabel samba school perform during festivities in Rio de Janeiro on Monday.
Members of the Vila Isabel samba school perform in the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro on Monday.
Performers from Portela samba school dance at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday, February 19.
A carnival performer has her makeup done before the start of the second-day parade in Barranquilla on Sunday.
Revelers on a float enjoy the parade as Rio de Janeiro's carnival kicks off Sunday at the Sambadrome.
Three girls take a break from the festivities to pose for a photo during carnival celebrations Sunday in Rio de Janeiro.
A reveler in costume attends a parade during the 128th Nice Carnival on Sunday in Nice, France.
A boy dressed in a traditional costume poses before the start of the second-day parade in Barranquilla, Colombia, on Sunday.
Performers play music before a carnival parade in Barranquilla on Sunday.
A masked reveler poses on the Piazza San Marco during the carnival in Venice, Italy, on Saturday, February 18.
iReporter, photographer and documentary filmmaker Nora de Angelli of London spent the weekend photographing carnival masks and celebrations in Venice, Italy.
Clowns take part in the annual carnival parade in Loule, Portugal, on Saturday.
Revelers throw confetti to the public in the annual carnival parade in Loule on Saturday.
A woman throws flowers as she takes part in a carnival parade in Nice, France, on Saturday.
The king's float parades during the 128th Nice Carnival on Saturday, February 18, in Nice, France. The carnival, which runs until March 4, celebrates the "King of Sport" -- a nod to the upcoming London Olympics.
A dancer takes part in a parade at the 128th Nice Carnival on Saturday.
The parade moves through the streets at the Nice Carnival on Saturday.
Dancers perform during a carnival parade in Barranquilla, Colombia, on Saturday.
A performer marches in the carnival parade in Barranquilla, Colombia, on Saturday.
Revelers fill the street in Recife, Brazil, on Saturday.
Brazilian revelers pose for photographers during carnival celebrations along Ipanema Beach on Saturday in Rio de Janiero. Carnival revelers descended on Rio, flocking to hundreds of block parties and cramming into designated areas to watch elaborate parades from dusk until dawn. This year, about 850,000 tourists visited Rio for carnival celebrations, according to tourism officials.
A dancer from the Imperio de Casa Verde samba school performs during the opening night of parades at the Sambadrome, as part of carnival celebrations in Sao Paulo, Barzil, early Saturday.
Revelers from the Vai Vai samba school dance during carnival celebrations in Sao Paulo early Saturday.
A dancer prepares before participating in the opening night of parades at the Sambadrome in Sao Paulo.
Members of the Ilu Oba de Min percussion band wait to perform along downtown streets, at opening of the street carnival in Sao Paulo, Friday, February 17.
A boy awaits the start of a parade on the second day of Carnival celebrations on Friday in Salvador, Brazil.
A South Korean hip-hop dancer performs in a parade in Sao Paulo on Friday to commemorate the 50th anniversary of South Korean immigration to Brazil.
A Beija Flor samba school dancer performs during the launch of carnival in Rio de Janeiro on Friday. Neighborhoods across the city host block parties that attract revelers by the thousands -- and sometimes more than a million. They drink and dance behind samba bands that wind their way through the streets.
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