RIO DE JANEIRO: Rio de Janeiro's carnival, which kicked off Friday, is arguably the world's biggest party. Here are some key numbers.
They include some 1.5 million tourists from Brazil and abroad. Many attend the "bloco" street parties, while 72,000 can fit into the Sambodromo parade stadium.
These schools compete in the top division contest at the Sambodromo, each of them with about 3,000 dancers, musicians and float operators. Watching them are 54 judges – and huge crowds of passionate fans.
Rio's going through a crime wave and some 17,110 officers are deployed during the festivities. Just around the Sambodromo there are 794.
The mayor's office estimates that the city pulls in 3.5 billion reals (US$1.06 billion) in tourism revenues. That's partly thanks to an 86 per cent hotel occupancy rate during the period.
Carnival means music, costumes and... beer. Drinks giant AMBEV aims to sell 1.8 million gallons (seven million liters) during carnival.
That may sound like a lot. But at the biggest "bloco," which takes place Saturday with an estimated one million or more people, the proportion will be just one toilet per 2,600 people. -- AFP