Rio de Janeiro carnival expected to net $780 million – 5 days of fun assured

#riocarnival #kingmomo #sambaparade #petrobras #brazil The annual carnival of Rio de Janeiro consisting of five days of over-the-top parades and raucous, alcohol-soaked street parties has kicked off as reported in foxnews.com dated 15 February 2015.
This carnival is famous all over the world and people rom far off places gather to join in the fun in spite of major problems that Rio is facing. Problems like more evidence of Brazil's stalling economy, an ongoing drought and a snowballing corruption scandal at state-run oil giant Petrobras. But, these have not dampened the spirit.
As a part of the annual ceremony to mark the official start of the festivities, Eduardo Paes, the Mayor of Rio handed over the keys of the city to King Momo, the mythical jester who reigns over the extravaganza.
Musicians from Unidos da Tijuca, the samba group that won last year's flamboyant parade competition, played a medley of the samba classics that make up the city's tried and true Carnival soundtrack while some dancers showed off their fancy footwork.
The Mayor said the festivities were sure to bring more than a welcome dose of fun. As per estimates, over 450 street parties were expected to bring an estimated 975,000 tourists out onto the streets and these visitors are expected to add nearly $780 million into the local economy.
The carnival would end on Wednesday after the all-night-long samba group parades at the city's Sambadrome, where there would be thousands of musicians, sequin and feather-clad samba dancers and costumed revelers to compete for the title of the year's top group.