STORY: Location: Rio De Janeiro, BrazilRio's samba schools are rushing to finish their Carnival costumesLong hours are spent preparing feathers, ruffles and headpieces[Cecilia Teixeira, Seamstress ...

This year, the major league of samba schools' parades was set to take place on Sunday and Monday (February 12), with the 12 best schools parading and displaying their best costumes and floats.

A member of the Turma da Paz de Madureira, or TPM, samba school plays a drum during a rehearsal in preparation for Rio's Carnival parade, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023.

An image of Jesus lays amid costume pieces at the "Unidos de Padre Miguel" samba school as members prepare for their Carnival parade in Rio de Janeiro, Friday, Feb. 7, 2025.

Every samba school must have a song that is repeatedly played for up to 80 minutes to support the theme behind its costumes and floats. Unidos da Tijuca's theme is Logun Edé, the star’s orisha ...

Proudly, Regina Coeli adorns herself with a spectacular crown of green and orange feathers. She prepares to parade in a “escola” in a town in the interior of Brazil, with the “luxury” material that ...

To create the parade, which always consists of floats, costumes, dancers and a drum section, the school contracted two Afro-Brazilian women researchers, Kaka Portilho and Marina Miranda, who ...