PICS: Brazil hosts annual Rio Carnival
Samba music, dancers in feather head-dresses and colourful, revealing costumes could be seen and heard on the streets of Rio de Janeiro during a five-day annual festival. See pictures form the event here.
It is reported almost 5 000 people a night are involved in the performances while the climax of the carnival season is estimated to attract five million fans.
The event is hosted every year during the week prior to Lent and themed this year 'racial pride' and the 'fight against racism' in Brazil.
Festivities are said to not only be a form of entertainment but also that of learning about the true culture of Brazilians.
Partygoers at the carnival were determined not to let Zika spoil the fun despite the fear of contracting the virus from mosquitoes becoming a national crisis.
Brazil has been the first country to sound the alarm on the the virus' link to birth defects, after health authorities noticed a surge in babies born with microcephaly in the country.
See pictures from the event below.