Brazilian Carnival, or Carnival in Brazil?

Just in time for Carnival 2026, our latest article about "Experiencing Carnival in Brazil: participation, motivations and outcomes" analyses the experience of Carnival Goers in Brazil in the post-Covid era. This is the fruit of a longitudinal research project on Carnival supported by ATLAS, and initiated by Lenia Marques over a decade ago.

Over the last three years we surveyed over 1500 Carnival participants to find out how they experienced Carnival and and how this varied by location, demographics and group participation. We found significant differences between major cities in terms of experience, with bigger cities such as Rio and São Paulo offering more spectacular events with higher overall experience values. But there were fewer significant differences in experience dimensions between residents and visitors, indicating a shared Carnival atmosphere. We found a uniform and relatively high level of satisfaction across all ages, and by sex, income and education level. But the location and mode of participation, for example, being part of a group (or bloco) had a significant effect. Motivations for attending Carnival influenced the level of participant experience, which in turn influenced outcomes, including satisfaction and intention to return.

The social aspects of experience are particularly important, such as“feeling part of the community”. People attend Carnival in groups, follow routines and rituals, and in this way generate high levels of 'emotional energy'. Greater social interaction is also linked to higher levels of satisfaction and enjoyment.

Carnival participation in Brazil 2019-2023 (ATLAS Event Experiences Project)

Our findings suggest that Carnival in Brazil has now fully recovered from the effects of Covid-19, with experience scores and participation levels equal to or even higher than in 2019. But one interesting change in behaviour is that the increase in TV and Internet viewing seen during Covid-19 has persisted. Over 20% of our respondents were watching the celebrations on TV in 2025, while participation in events in public space also increased.

Let's see what happens in 2026!

You can download the full article here.