Thousands, many wearing costumes, danced as live bands on lorries played tunes of traditional carnival songs and samba school themes.

BBC: Thousands of carnival revellers on a Rio de Janeiro street

Luciana Gimenez was a six-foot vision in green plumes, prancing ahead of the drum section of the popular samba school Imperatriz Leopoldinense.

NPR: Carnival in Rio: A Party Like No Other

Samba school Carnaval shows are work.

FORBES: World's Biggest Party Kicks Off In Rio