Carnival block

Carnival blocks, carnaval blocos or blocos de rua are street bands that mobilize crowds on the streets and are the main popular expression of Brazilian Carnival.

Blocos usually perform Brazilian rhythms, such as marchinha, samba, frevo, maracatu, and axé.

One of the largest and oldest blocos is Cordão do Bola Preta, based in downtown Rio.

Besides Galo da Madrugada, thousands of others carnival blocks with sizes ranging from few hundred to millions of people, perform in the streets of Recife and Olinda including As Virgens de Olinda, Eu Acho É Pouco, Batutas de São José, Lenhadores, Pitombeiras, Segura o Talo, Bloco da Saudade, Enquanto Isso Na Sala de Justiça and O Homem da Meia-Noite.

Zé Pereira dos Lacaios in Ouro Preto, founded in 1867, is the oldest block still active in Brazil.