Leave Rio and Salvador aside and choose the cities of Recife and Olinda, the Carnival in Brazil here is the real one, felt, in which you dance for days and drink caipirinha, here's how to celebrate it.
When you are talking about Carnival, the most animated, the most typical and recognized, the whole world thinks of Brazil. And after having lived it, I have no doubt about the veracity of this thought.
The most famous cities to experience a perfect Brazilian-style carnival are River e Salvador. What people don't know is that a city like Salvador is very expensive. To be part of the carnival you have to pay a very high sum (per day it is difficult to spend under 1000 reais or 330 euros) because to participate you must enter the parades. Staying out means less partying and danger. In fact, Salvador, reluctantly, is not exactly definable as a quiet city. Especially at carnival.
A great place to party, unknown to tourists but famous for the Brazilians, are the nearby cities of Recife e Olinda. You can move by bus from one side to the other at any time of day or night. The party here never ends.
During the day Olinda, which brings together more than 500 carnival groups and hosts more than a million people, welcomes its visitors with a river of people, music on every side, disguises and cachaça. The carnival of Olinda revives a magic belonging to the past, where locals and tourists mix in the traditional rhythms of the state of Pernambuco with its African / Portuguese dances.
There is no shortage of great concerts of samba, maracatu, reggae, frevo and coco, great musical styles of the host state. Drums and songs everywhere. Obviously, the cavaquiño, an indispensable instrument in samba as a fusion of rhythm and harmony, is a must.
Recife the night is lived more. Here the concerts are bigger and we celebrate mostly in Recife Antiguo. The city hosts international and national artists for the carnival, to celebrate these 5 days of celebration. The carnival in fact starts on Saturday until Wednesday at noon. I recommend training ... as if it were a marathon because the party is continuous.
The beginning is marked with the Galo da Madrugada (the Rooster of the Dawn) where people, disguised, go wild at samba rhythm and frevo. As I said the big difference of this carnival is that it is more typical, with groups that are free to play their own musical style and make their own show.
Brazilians are crazy about this event so even if you are not an organized person, if you want to participate in the cheapest way possible you have to organize yourself in advance. The two cities are teeming with doing people couchsurfing. Start contacting your potential hosts at least a month and a half before carnival. If you prefer more "comfortable" situations, however, organize well in advance. Know that the pousadas and hotels will have a very considerable price hike. Therefore also consider the option of Airbnb.
The housing problem is the most complicated. To move from one city to another, buses cost Real 3 (1 euro) and they are present at all hours of the day and night, very organized for the carnival.
Cities are also full of stalls on the side of the road that sell food, beer and caipirinhas so you will never have the problem of survival (and the fiester necessities Brazilians love Caipirinha, you will find it cheap (2 euros) on each side).
And for the party inside the cities, well the information brochure is there but I highly recommend that you follow the crowd and your ear and stop where the music captivates you, you are spoiled for choice!
