Rio’s dazzling Carnival parade resumes after pandemic hiatus

By DAVID BILLER and MAURICIO SAVARESE
Associated Press

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival parade have returned after a two-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19-pandemic. The top samba schools’ colorful floats and flamboyant dancers began entering the Sambadrome grounds late Friday to parade before tens of thousands of fans on the first evening of the two-night spectacle. Rio’s Sambadrome has been home to the parade since the 1980s, and is a symbol of Brazil’s Carnival festivities. During the pandemic, it was a shelter for more than 400 homeless people and also served as a vaccination station.