Festival & event · Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Rio Carnival

Carnival is less an event than a week-long suspension of the laws of physics, and the Sambadrome's feathered mega-parades are only the televised summit.

Best forNightlife
Approx. flying time~12h 40m from Los Angeles
Nearest airportRio de Janeiro (SDU)

Takes place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — nearest airport Rio de Janeiro (SDU).

The festival

The real festival is the blocos: hundreds of free street parties, each with its own brass band, costume code and neighbourhood, rolling from 7am crawls to midnight mayhem. Book flights and rooms six months out, base yourself near Ipanema or Santa Teresa, and download a bloco timetable app — improvising is for amateurs.

Featured in Ten festival trips worth building a holiday around

When to go

Daytime highs run from about 26°C in July to 31°C in January. Driest in June and July; wettest in December, with rain on about 23 days.

The year at a glance — pick a month for detail

August27° · rain 8 daysWarm with rain most weeks.

Monthly figures averaged from daily records for 2020–2024 at this location (ERA5 reanalysis).

Where to base yourself

Pick a budget to open live availability in Rio de Janeiro. Prices are per night for two people.

Or see everything in Rio de Janeiro

Flights

Los Angeles Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Flying from

Fly from anywhere — search 4,000+ airports worldwide.

Roughly 12h 40m in the air from Los Angeles (LAX), estimated from the distance — check for a direct route. Pick a month to see every available flight with live prices.

Check dates and prices

Pick your departure date, then your return.

Search flights