Blocos in Black & White: The Heart and Soul of Carnival Unites the Streets!

My favorite images of the 2025 Carnival season in Rio.

There are theoretically millions of colors, as color is a continuous spectrum. In digital terms, colors are typically represented using systems like RGB (Red, Green, Blue), where each of the three color channels can have 256 possible values, giving a total of about 16.7 million colors (256 x 256 x 256). However, this is just a fraction of all the colors humans can see, and our perception of color is influenced by various factors like lighting, individual differences in vision, and even culture. Speaking of culture, there’s Rio de Janeiro, and then there’s Rio during Carnaval, arguably when every color of the spectrum is on full display.

I wanted to show the most colorful festival on the planet in black and white, where the moment has to shine. Reds, yellows, and greens are easy to cheat, making for a great image. But in black and white, the image has to stand on its own. Whether this succeeds is up to the viewer. Enjoy!

Blocos in Rio de Janeiro are lively, street-based Carnival celebrations that embody the heart and soul of the city's vibrant cultural identity. These informal parades, made up of crowds of revelers, music, and colorful costumes, have deep historical roots, evolving over centuries from colonial traditions and Afro-Brazilian rituals.

The origins of the blocos date back to the late 19th century, influenced by both European masquerades and the African samba rhythms brought to Brazil by enslaved people. Initially, these events were small, community-driven celebrations where participants would gather to dance, sing, and play music in the streets. Over time, they grew in popularity and scale, becoming a central part of Rio’s Carnival.

Today, Rio's blocos have transformed into massive, inclusive festivals that take over the city's neighborhoods, drawing both locals and tourists alike. Each bloco has its own unique theme, sound, and character, ranging from samba and marchinhas to funk and rock. With no formal parade route, the celebration spills across various districts, creating a sense of spontaneous joy and unity.

Despite their modern-day scale, the spirit of the blocos remains rooted in cultural expression and collective celebration, making them a quintessential part of Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival and a symbol of the city's enduring creativity and resilience.