Carnival 2011 Kicks Off in Rio de Janeiro

By Michael Lopez

If you thought New Orleans was wild, wait until you see the five-day event going on in Rio De Janeiro. With giant floats, shirtless celebrities, and ongoing parties that last until dawn, Brazil’s 2011 Carnival festival is expected to have one of the highest turnouts on record.

Based around the same premise as Mardi Gras, Carnival is traditionally held forty-six days before Easter and ties into the Catholic tradition of Lent. Per the teachings of the church, followers have to give up their vices from Ash Wednesday (March 9) to Easter Sunday (April 24). So before that happens, Rio becomes a free-for-all of excess and drunken celebrations.

And this year, there’s plenty of excess to go around. The official kickoff on Friday, March 4, brought 424 street bands, hundreds of half-naked women and more than 750,000 attendees. Not only that, Rio hotel capacities reached nearly 100 percent and the entire event is expected to rake in more than $559 million.

As the festivities began, Rio’s mayor Eduardo Paes “officially” handed the key to the city to Carnival’s iconic character, King Momo.

“I declare the Rio de Janeiro Carnival open,” Paes said with a grin on his face. “I hope people enjoy the party safely, without fighting and looking after the city's cultural heritage.”

King Momo, played by Brazilian actor Milton Rodrigues, represents the jovial atmosphere of Carnival. Always a popular attraction on the city’s floats, he is regularly accompanied by a modelesque Carnival Queen and two scantily clad “princesses.”

And if that wasn’t enough, there were plenty of celebrity sightings throughout the city last weekend too. Gisele Bundchen was riding high as a float headliner, Jude Law was seen bare-chested overlooking the streets, and gossip blogs placed Pamela Anderson and will.i.am in the middle of the excitement.

Of course, that was just the first three days. We can only imagine how much wilder it will get the night before everyone has to wind down for Lent.

Have you been to Brazil’s Carnival? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3!

Tags 2011 Carnival, Brazil, Carnival, Cultura, Gisele Bündchen, Hot Stuff, Rio de Janeiro