Never mind the mess, Carnival kicks off in Rio de Janeiro with coronation of King Momo

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — To thunderous applause, Rio de Janeiro's mayor coronated King Momo on Friday, marking the beginning of the symbolic Carnival monarch's five-day reign over the revelry.

“I officially declare Carnival 2024 open!” King Momo said after Mayor Eduardo Paes bestowed upon him a gigantic, silver and gold key. Confetti flew in a hall of the Palace of the City in the Botafogo neighborhood where the ceremony took place.

Looking on were the usual suspects of Rio’s Carnival scene: revelers dressed as folkloric characters, jaguars, gypsies and ‘bate-bolas’ – exuberant clowns in identical, elaborate outfits who travel in packs. Festivities will last through to Feb 14.

Nowhere to be seen were the troubles recently ailing the tropical city: a dengue outbreak that days ago prompted the decree of public health emergency; a federal decree to combat a rise in violence by militias and drug-traffickers. Indeed, Carnival is a chance for people to temporarily put aside their troubles.

“Carnival is everyone’s passion here,” said Marcio Perrotta, who was carrying on a stick a huge, fake ox’s head, its horns decorated with flowers. “I’m happy to be part of this moment, because in normal life things are very hard for everyone.”

Paes on Thursday issued a decree making the key ceremony an annual official event, obliging his successors to participate. In 2017, former Mayor Marcelo Crivella broke with tradition and did not hand over the key.

Momo, played this year by Caio Cesar Dutra, is charged with “presiding over Carnival festivities, participating in the parades and costume competitions, and promoting the joy of partygoers,” City Hall said in its official gazette on Friday.

Brazil’s tourism minister Celso Sabino, also present at the ceremony, said 49 million people across Brazil will take part in festivities, 6.5% more than last year.

Around 200,000 foreigners are set to pour into the country and many of them - scantily dressed and covered in glitter - will join the street parties that occupy and dominate public spaces across Rio, Sao Paulo and other cities.

On Friday morning, the Carmelitas street party was already underway in Rio's bohemian Santa Teresa neighborhood.

Leonardo Xavier, 20, was kitted out as a blue-chested Smurf. “We needed a quick costume that we could make in the subway. I said – let’s go as Smurfs! Just buy the paint, paint yourself, white shorts, all done!”

For others, the highlight will be the samba schools’ parades in Rio’s Sambadrome, which was designed by modernist architect Oscar Niemeyer and inaugurated 40 years ago this year.

The samba schools spend much of the year preparing gigantic floats and churning out elaborate costumes to enact a parade before millions of spectators - both present and watching live on television. A set of judges dish out scores and decide on the champion of the fierce competition.