The Carnival

Rio's samba schools are organised into six competitive leagues which compete over four days. The winning school of each league parades on the fifth day.

The biggest samba schools have up to 5,000 participants and take up to two hours to parade down the Sambodromo runway in Rio de Janeiro.

Each school is judged on a range of criteria, from the school's central theme to the drumming section and, of course, the dancing, the floats and the costumes.

Carla is the 'porta-bandeira' - flag bearer - of her local samba school, Vila Isabel, and worked all year round preparing for the parade, which kicked off the Carnival. She had to hold the school flag during an elaborate dance routine with her consort. The samba school followed on behind with an army of percussionists known as the 'bateria'. The school's theme for this year's parade was the work of Oscar Niemeyer, the famous architect of Brazil's capital city, Brasilia.

• CARLA'S CARNIVAL DIARY - DAY 2 - BEFORE THE PARADE
  
  Estou sendo maquiada, me enfeitando, fazendo a unha e depois eu tenho que me descansar.
  
  Estamos nervosíssimos, com certeza. Tá esgotadíssimo, está todo mundo muito nervoso, aguardando a hora do desfile.
  
  Nós desfilamos às oito e meia, nove horas. Tínhamos que reduzir o número de componentes de 4,000 pra 3,000 pra conseguir acabar dentro de uma hora. Então 800 pessoas foram cortadas do desfile. Geralmente são os que vêm da escola particular, os que compram, não os que vão dar conta.
  
  A Vila Isabel tem 99% de chance. Trabalhamos super correto, super bem, fizemos um bom trabalho desde o ano passado. Estamos tentando superar o prejuízo do ano passado ao máximo possível. E acho que temos um bom chance de ganhar...

Carnival Time in Rio: Carla's Diary - After The Parade