Carnaval Brasileiro (photo by Will van Overbeek)
Since starting in 1975 as a way for homesick Brazilians studying at the University of Texas at Austin to get a taste of home, Carnaval Brasileiro—which will be held this year on Feb. 10—has recreated the joyous, rowdy, and energetic street parades that Rio de Janeiro is famous for. The main event of the evening is a performance by Maracatú Texas, in which dancers and musicians stage a roving musical theater production. Austin’s Carnaval Brasileiro has become the largest indoor carnaval celebration in the United States, with 4,000 attendees packing into the Palmer Events Center to get lost in the intoxicating rhythms of samba drums.
