Staid Sao Paulo is getting in on Carnival fun in Brazil
SAO PAULO — For Dayana Barros, Carnival always meant leaving Sao Paulo for the northeastern Brazilian city of Salvador, where she participated in its famous street parties throughout her childhood.
But in the past few years, Sao Paulo has experienced an explosion of “blocos,” the singing and dancing parties normally associated with Carnival in Brazil’s northeast and, more recently, Rio de Janeiro.
“Things started to be similar here,” said Barros, a 28-year-old psychologist who is gearing up to celebrate the holiday in her hometown for the second year running.
This year, the metropolis that many have traditionally seen as too buttoned-up and serious to host a good party expects 4 million people to flood its streets — making the celebrations in Brazil’s financial capital competitive with those in Salvador and Rio.