Carnival is an event that breaks all economic and social boundaries – a love and passion for Samba makes everyone equal. The Carnival project enables volunteers to join the preparations and embrace the hard work involved in getting ready for one of biggest parties on earth!
Samba schools competing in Carnival have a full year of intense work to prepare the many costumes, floats, music and dances for the celebration, and volunteers are invaluable in helping with the many hours of preparation.
This project is well suited to creative volunteers with a flair for decoration and craft, as you will be helping some of the leading Samba schools in the creation of costumes and floats. Samba schools are born from the local favelas (urban slums) and most of the schools take their names from the community they represent. Each school unifies and proudly represents people from that community and all Cariocas (Rio-born Brazilians) also have their favorite school.
You don’t need to have any experience in costume or stage design, just a willingness to work hard at sewing, cutting, pasting and other craft-oriented tasks to help out with the costume and float design.
While volunteers are hard at work, they can also engage in Portuguese and English language exchange with fellow workers.
Please note that the dates for Carnival change every year - it is held 46 days before Easter - and in 2021 it is on February 12th to 19th. Participation in the actual parade is not included in the project, however volunteers may come across this opportunity at an additional cost by arranging this independently once in-country. This project is available between October and February each year.
Apply now