The carnival is currently raging in Rio. It started yesterday and runs for four days until Ash Wednesday.

The main event is the Samba Parade at the Sambadrome tonight and Monday night. You need tickets (from $57) and it's strictly regulated - there are cheaper ways of sharing the fun. Before the Samba Parade, the samba schools gather in a huge outdoor arena near the Sambadrome, called the 'concentration'. You can watch the performers practise for free if you turn up(1) a couple of hours before the show which starts at 9pm. You can also watch the samba schools rehearsing in special 'quadras de samba' centres, which are dotted through the outskirts of the city and best(2) visited with a guide. Details can be found at www.riodejaneiroguide.com.Local tourist guide Fabio Sombra, who works for Cazenove & Loyd, says one of the most interesting things to do is take a night ride on the subway. The carriages are typically full of thousands of people dressed in the glitzy, feathery costumes, singing and rehearsing. Each neighbourhood also hosts its own 'banda' or 'bloco', a free street procession with orchestras and costumed dancers. For a list of the best, see www.ipanema.com, or check out one of the best known, the Banda de Ipanema, which travels along the beach on Tuesday at 4pm.