Rio de Janeiro's Carnaval is a tradition that dates back to 1912. This year, due to the coronavirus pandemic restrictions, the celebration was canceled for the first time.

Eduardo Paes, mayor of Rio de Janeiro, had intended to postpone the Carnaval to July. Still, in the context of the health crisis, the organization did not have enough time to organize the event. Even though the country has already started the vaccination campaign, the event was not feasible.

"I never hid my passion for Carnival and the clear perception I have of the importance of this cultural manifestation for our city, but it seems senseless to me that we imagine that, at this point, we have conditions to hold the Carnaval in July," Paes wrote on his Twitter account.

Although the party was suspended indefinitely, some Carnaval fans gathered last Saturday in small groups of "bat-balls" with their handmade costumes to symbolically celebrate and broadcast the small celebration live on social networks.

The queen of Brazilian pop, Anitta, did not want to miss out on celebrating the legendary party and offered a virtual concert streamed through her social networks. "Carnaval is the biggest and best moment for our country: all the people are in the streets, enjoying, partying. (...) This year, it can't be, and we want to help celebrate," Anitta said in an interview with Efe.

Anitta explained that the Korbel champagne brand organized the concert to show the world that there are other types of carnivals in Brazil, "far from the famous ones in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, and the samba and feathers. In Brazil, Carnaval is like a big Halloween in the USA, full of fantasy and lasts ten days. It's something magical," he insisted.

Although doing this virtual concert seems like a good way to connect with people, and that she was able to present her latest song 'Loco' in concert for the first time, the artist confesses that she misses live concerts "... the energy of being in person, seeing people happy and enjoying themselves is completely different. I really miss the in-person concerts," said the artist.
If you missed the concert, here it is so you can dance and celebrate Carnaval in your own way.