Black Ball Cord, Friends of the Ounce, Snack and more blocks move the city with tradition, diversity and memory

Tradition and emotion marked the Sabbath (14) of Carnaval with the parades of the Black Ball Cord, Friends of the Ounce, Scavenger, Heaven on Earth and Terreirada, historical blocks that returned to the streets reaffirming their strength in the carnival calendar and gathered generations of celebrations that go through time.

With more than a century of history, the Cordão da Bola Preta brought the theme DNA, dragged an estimated audience of 500,000 people and presented a repertoire that includes historical marchinhas as “Wonderful City”, “Mother I Want”, “Give Me Money There” and “The Garden”, besides sambas and popular songs that dialogue with different times of Brazilian music. The band of the block consists of professional musicians and veterans of the folia that maintain the orchestra format of breaths, characteristic of traditional carnivals.

With much spontaneity and joy, the Black Ball put the block in the street with all its royalty: Leandra Leal (Porta Banner), Paolla Oliveira (Rainha), Emanuelle Araújo (Musa da Banda), Tia Surica da Portela (Ambassador) and Selminha Smile (Musa das Musas) who followed ahead of the Cordão.

Actress Paolla Oliveira said she intends to take advantage of the Carnaval by reconciling moments of leisure and professional commitments. According to her, the schedule includes accompanying parades and, at the same time, maintaining preparation for a new film project.

The queen of the block also highlighted the cultural and social relevance of the feast, emphasizing the role of traditional blocks, such as the Black Ball Cord, in the preservation of history and in the promotion of diversity.

"The Carnaval in general, we understood that it is much more than just a party, it talks about us breaking prejudices, we make room for diversity. The Carnaval for me is this party, which is why I get goose bumps when I get here and see these people on the street. The moment the Carnaval is more democratic is on the street. The Ball has been doing this for over 100 years, bringing tradition and culture to the Carnaval of Rio de Janeiro that is this wonder", said Paolla.

Actress Leandra Leal highlighted the strong affective and cultural connection with the Black Ball Cord when commenting on the block theme this year. According to her, the relationship with the traditional procession is part of her own cultural identity, defining the block as part of her “DNA”.

Leandra also commented on the new path that honors Black Gil, emphasizing the symbolic importance of the initiative. “ The homage represents a space of celebration, joy and love, values that reflect the spirit of the Carnaval and the essence of the block”He did.

Black and white costumes, official colors of the block, dominated the streets of the Center this Saturday and reinforced the visual identity that has been going through generations for decades.

Friends of Onça highlights the importance of environmental preservation

Ones, alligators, snakes, capybaras and a multitude of elements of the Brazilian fauna and flora met, in rhythm of folia, on the morning of Saturday, February 14, at Aterro do Flamengo, for the parade of the block Friends of the Onça.

In its 14th parade, the block united irreverence and a strong discourse on the importance of environmental preservation.

To greet the beginning of the parade, a true chorus of revelers beating their fans gave the tone of the procession. With legels, dancers performing performances and rhythmists who made the procession of Friends of the Ounce a unique moment.

The successes of Baiana System, Zombie Nation, Gilberto Gil, Maria Bethânia and even Michael Jackson made the joy of those who woke up early to enjoy the block. The landscape, with the Pão de Açúcar in the background, made the procession even more beautiful to accompany

While the block followed its route to post 0, a crowd of revelers sang and danced animatedly on the sands of the beach of the Flamengo, choiring with the musicians and following the performances of the dancers as if they had been rehearsed.

Escanlha rescues sambas-enredo to the Carnaval street Rio

Founded in 2007, the Bloc Escanlha emerged from a restlessness: the perception that samba-enredo, born in the streets, had moved away from them over time. Without its own annual theme or plot, the block built its identity from research, music curation and respect to the traditions of samba schools, assuming as a mission to return to the city a repertoire that marked generations of the Rio Carnaval.

For Pedro de Alencar, one of the founders of the Snack, this distance happened gradually. “The samba-enredo began in the street, then went to the avenue, and over time the street was losing contact with him”Explain. According to him, many blocks migrated to other rhythms or played only sambas of their own, while classics who made history in Sapucaí — from the 1960s, 70s, 80s and 90s — were no longer heard outside the sambódromo. “ We felt that the street no longer listened to these sambas. Only those few that every block plays were left, while others, equally important, were forgotten.”

The response of the Escançalha was to invest in research and curatorship, bringing together sambas-entredo from different times and schools, with the care of respecting the identity of each one. “ Our intention, perhaps a little ambitious, is to try to reproduce and respect the traditions of each school, honoring what they have most characteristic”, says Peter.

This respect goes through elements that often escape the view of the general public, such as the rhythmic particularities of each battery. “ Each school has very specific characteristics that go back to its origin. The way to play box, deaf, third, inversions... all this carries history and culture.”

It was from this understanding that the block decided to establish itself in the South Zone, currently in the Jardim Botânico, transforming the neighborhood into a direct connection point with Sapucaí. For Peter, this choice was conscious. “The North Zone still maintains a very strong relationship with the samba-snake. In the South Zone, we noticed a void happening, a distance. Our mission is to pin the flag here and make this space a sound box to reverberate a culture that is about to turn 100.”

One of the pillars of this work is the drums of Escançalha, today commanded by Mestre Waguinho, recognized by the deep knowledge of the traditions of samba schools. “ Without him, we couldn't maintain that level of respect. He guides, teaches and conducts a continuous training work throughout the year”, highlights.

The battery consists of several generations and has a female majority, with about 60% of women, also functioning as a space for learning and cultural transmission. “ People aren't there just to play. They're learning about history, tradition and culture. It is a work that grows in the mouth, little by little, but with much consistency.”

Even going against the trends of thematic blocks, the Scavenger retains its essence with conviction. “We know that not having a theme or an annual plot may seem out of fashion, but believes that the classic does not die”, concludes Pedro. “And as far as the Snack is concerned, these traditions will never die.”

Coming from Three Hearts, in Minas Gerais, Barbara and Amanda chose Rio de Janeiro to live the Carnaval as a family. At Jardim Botânico, they participated for the first time in a street block in the city, an experience that began even before the trip, with research and information exchange for social networks.

“ It was all on the Internet anyway. We went to research and said that the Jardim Botânico is pretty cool”Tell Barbara. For them, the choice went through the expectation of an animated environment, with music and a pleasant atmosphere to enjoy together.

Although it was not the first Carnaval in Rio for Amanda, it was the debut of the two in a street block. Family presence was a central part of the experience. Between meeting, music and coexistence, Barbara and Amanda lived in the Jardim Botânico a Carnaval that welcomes those who come from outside and transforms the folia into a moment of collective celebration.

Carnaval as a fresh start: the story of the couple who chose to follow after the pain

Between blocks, costumes and songs that go through generations, the Carnaval can also be a place of reconstruction. For Nadja Neri and Denilson Cardoso, who lost a daughter as a child, the folia ceased to be just a feast and began to represent the possibility of living — without guilt, without shame and without giving up the joy.

“Seeking happiness and not being ashamed of being happy”, says Nadja, thrilled. For a long time, pain came with a silent feeling of judgment, including internal. “Until then I was ashamed to be happy. How does a couple who lost a five-year-old go out every year to the block?”, question. The answer today comes with more firmness and simplicity: “No. It's Carnaval. It is Carnaval”.

The couple's relationship with the party is old. Even before they were together, Carnaval was already part of Denilson's life. “ Even single, I always went to the Black Ball”Remember. They met in the late 1980s, in Sergipe, in a meeting that time turned into destiny history. Life went on, marriage came, and a few years later also came the children — along with the greatest pain they could experience.

After his daughter was lost, Carnaval also silenced. “ There was this hit and we stopped. Stopped for years”, count. The break was not only from the feast, but from occupying spaces of joy, as if smiling was a forbidden gesture. In time, however, the return was happening carefully, without denying mourning, but learning to live with it.

Today, being in the blocks is a conscious choice for life. “She will always be with us”, says Nadja, when talking about her daughter. Dancing, smiling and celebrating do not erase the absence, but reaffirm love. The Carnaval thus becomes an intimate gesture of memory and presence, where happiness does not exclude longing.

Between tears and smiles, Nadja Neri and Denilson Cardoso transform folia into a legitimate space of continuity. A reminder that joy can also be deep, respectful and necessary — even after loss.

Terreirada mix rhythms of the North and Northeast of the country

Quinta da Boa Vista, in the North Zone of the City, became even more colorful on the afternoon of Saturday, February 14, with the parade of the block of Terreirada. Joining the traditions of popular culture with the Carnaval of Rua Rio, the block brings a sound that brings rhythms such as maxixe, baião, xaxado, samba de roda, forró and other sounds of the North and Northeast. All of this with arrangements made especially for the block and accompanied by more than 100 legs.

Raquel Poti, one of the founders of the bloc, says that the Terreirada is inspired by popular culture. “It is a force of expression of our masters who for so many years have been paving the way for us to play. Several movements of communities that we see, which are built around play, music and dance. And the block of the Terreirada plays in the Carnaval Carioca, with that force, that energy, that would charm. So we bring characters, there are specific arrangements that are created for our block”Tell me.

The block also brought dozens of leglets. “They play with this wooden leg, which is an ancestral toy, witches, sorcerers, healers, farmers, artists of all time. We extol your rituals, your ceremonies, your performances. It is a combination of many fronts, many languages that add up and that are built by people who spend a year rehearsing, studying, to come here and play with our community, with this Quinta da Boa Vista, filled with families, people who come from far away, because they love this magic that the Block of the Terreira shares”, completed.

The Carnaval Street followed animated in Rio in various corners of the city: had Heaven on Earth shaking the slopes of Santa Teresa, Block of Barbas through the streets of Botafogo, Bloc Brazil in the Leme and Block Exaggerated, inspired by the work and attitude of Cazuza, paraded in the Center with a repertoire centered on the great successes of the singer and composer.

The Multibloco showed once again because it is recognized for its musical excellence and appreciation of samba and Brazilian popular music in its parade on Saturday morning at the Center.

In the afternoon, the Ipanema band parades through the streets of the South Zone and shows why it became a reference not only for music, but for the cultural and symbolic role it plays in the Carnaval Rio.

Full programming can be checked in the application Rio blocks 2026 and on the official website https://www.carnavalderua.rio/ Making sure all the revelers know where and when the revelry is coming.