Venice Carnival, Italy - Feb 11-21, 2012
This 10-day festival was first held in Venice in the 11th century and consisted of over two months of revelry each year before it fell into decline during the 18th century. Thankfully, the Italian government revived carnival in 1970 with great success and it's now one of the world's most photographed events. The streets of Venice are full of intrigue as revelers don dazzling Venetian masks and elaborate costumes.
Rio Carnival, Brazil - Feb 17-22, 2012
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The Rio Carnival is a benchmark against which every other carnival is compared. It's also one of the most lauded artistic events on the globe. Over half a million foreign tourists come each year to the "Carnival Capital of the World" to watch the debauchery. In Rio, Carnival is celebrated as a profane event and considered an act of farewell to the pleasures of the flesh before the start of Lent. From Ipanema to Copacabana, the city couldn't be more alive with scantily-clad samba dancers and blaring blocos.
Trinidad Carnival - Feb 17-22, 2012
Steel-pan drums, calypso dancers, and a cup of rum in each hand - that's the key to fitting in and getting into the spirit at the Caribbean's largest carnival celebration. A kaleidoscope of color, Trinidad's carnival is loud in more ways than one. The islands of Trinidad and Tobago have a wide mix of Amerindian, European, African, Indian, Chinese and Middle Eastern influences and each has a place at carnival. Though it may nab ideas from a myriad of cultures, this party is nothing like its counterparts in Tenerife, Venice, Rio, or New Orleans. Taking the best ideas from around the globe, Trinidad's carnival is fittingly known as "The Greatest Show on Earth."
Barranquilla Carnival, Columbia - Feb 18-21, 2012
