Carnaval, Salvador da Bahia

New info on the last 2005 Salvador Carnaval in my new Travelogue.

Carnaval is Locura Total : for 6 day and 6 night million of people dancing, singing and drinking.
The old carnival consisted of big party with brass band, hornet singer.....dancing all the night.
In the 50’s Dodo e osmar started to play on little truck with simply soundblaster, running through the city, but the music involved too much that the Carnival growned up .
Now the Carnival is divided in 3 circuits. The first,Batatinha in Pelourino, is the most traditional, it’s like a festival with some stage where bands play until 2 o’clock or there are brass and hornet bands accompanied by marching drummer.
“Blocos” are the most important part of the other 2 circuits: in the bloco there is a big Trio Eletrico (THe evolution of the first little truck: the truck/music soundstage with band on top, palying for 6 hours, that slowly parade through the street) all the people of the bloco follow the truck in the circuit, ‘cordeiros’ bring ropes to separete them from the ‘Pipoca’ ( common people watching and dancing in the road).
Campo Grande circuit have much more traditional afro blocos like Ile Aye, Olodum,...Barra Ondina circuit was added in the 80’s and have more tendency bloco, they play the new style music, like Axè.
You can have three solution to enjoy the carnival: you can stay in the ‘pipoca’, such as stay in the road waiting the differents ‘blocos’ to enjoy the different musics. It’s anexpensive, but a little bit dengerouse for the thieves and the crowd, but I like it. Or you can buy an ‘abada’, a special t-shirt that allow you the entrance in a bloco for a day, it’s safe cause you are in the middle of the protected ropes. Third, you can buy a ticket for a ‘camarote’, a carnival viewing stand, often complete with bar, food and relax area.
There are a lot of web site where find info on the next carnival (Centra do Carnaval,...), or buy a abada or a camarote ticket.

This years the Carnival was enormous, millions of people dancing days and night so the Municipality of Salvador are thinking to create a 4th circuits for the Blocos.......Carnival is for all, but Salvador Canival became evry years bigger and bigger.