Brazil is already boiling a week before Carnival: they hope to raise 1.8 billion dollars

Carnival has already awakened the streets of Brazil, less than a week after its peak. The economic engine that powers the party is running at full capacity with the hope of raising around 9,000 million reais (approximately 1.8 billion dollars).

The National Trade Confederation expects the celebrations to end this year record turnover10% more than last year, plus 25,000 temporary jobs and hotel occupancy above 60% across the country.

On the central Via 25 de Marzo in San Pablo, one of the favorite places to get a swimsuit, there is barely room to walkr on sidewalks full of customers. In the shops, obviously, there is no shortage of sequins and neon colors.

“Blessed Carnival”, reads a banner at the entrance of one of them. Karina Theodoro, director of the plant, explains to EFE the increase in sales It all started in the first week of January.

Among the customers looking for colorful and bright products is Mónica Gómez, who says she is starting to look for accessories as soon as the previous Carnival ends.

Gómez’s budget for this year is around 200 reais ($38), but there are shoppers who spend more than 500 reais on a single purchase, according to Luiz Gustavo de Oliveira, manager of another store in 25 de Marzo.

The Carnival Factory

In the Samba Factory of San Paolo, where everything necessary for the parades is produced, the Carnival has been preparing for months.

The giant gates of what looks like an airport hangar hide the floats of each samba school, on which painters and welders are still working tirelessly, finalizing every detail before next weekend’s parade at the sambadrome.

Luiz Robles, coordinator of the Vai-Vai school, the city’s greatest champion who has been parading since 1930, reveals to EFE that preparations began last March. Despite the advance notice, he explains that “the biggest challenge is always arriving on time.”

Since August, rehearsals have been held every Sunday to develop the parade of over 2,000 people, who this year will dress up to celebrate 50 years of the hip hop musical genre.

It costs this school approximately to organize a project of this magnitude three million reals and throughout the process approximately 600 jobs are generatedamong carpenters, welders, sculptors, designers and seamstresses.

But the economy of Carnival goes beyond the parades at the sambadrome. The industry has become more sophisticated over the years and there are now options for all audiences, from those who want to hit the streets with the bare minimum to those who want to do it. a more exclusive environment.

Private individuals who move millions

In Salvador, the capital of Bahia, the entrepreneur Luciana Villas-Boas runs Camarote Salvador, a private party whose one-day tickets cost up to 4,500 reais and which claims to employ around 5,000 people, directly or indirectly.

“There is a lot of demand for Carnival parties, but the sector is also very segmented with products for families and the elderly. Ours is the only public that frequents the European summer”, explains the entrepreneur to EFE.

In addition to the usual concerts of electronic music and Brazilian samba, this year the offer includes a concert by Colombian reggaeton artist J Balvin. “Reggaeton was the rhythm that was missing,” says Villas-Boas.By Laura Rodríguez and Jon Martín Cullell, from EFE