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City Hall presents the operational plan for the 2026 Street Carnival.
Published on 15/01/2026 - 14:46 | Updated on 15/01/2026 - 17:58
The block parades will cause closures on some streets in the city - Riotur The Rio de Janeiro City Hall, through Riotur, released this Thursday (January 15th) the operational plan for the 2026 Street Carnival, which begins this weekend and extends until the end of the day on February 22nd, consolidating another large-scale edition of the country's biggest popular festival. Throughout the carnival period, 458 street block parades are planned, expected to mobilize more than 6 million revelers, including residents and tourists. The Street Carnival will have an extensive and decentralized schedule. The program brings together traditional blocks, mega-blocks and smaller processions, reflecting the city's cultural diversity and strengthening the democratic character of the festival. The operational plan was presented at the Operations and Resilience Center (COR-Rio).
– The street carnival is an integrated operation that involves planning, coordination, and joint action by different municipal agencies. Riotur's role is to coordinate this work, ensuring that the festival takes place with organization, safety, and respect for the city, preserving the cultural character of Carnival and the experience of residents and revelers – stated the president of Riotur, Bernardo Fellows.
The full schedule can be found on the Rio 2026 Blocks app and on... official website, ensuring that all party-goers know where and when the festivities will take place.
CET-Rio will have 320 traffic operators on the city streets.
The Rio de Janeiro Traffic Engineering Company (CET-Rio) will implement special traffic operations to ensure road safety for revelers participating in street parades accredited by Riotur. The plan includes road closures and parking prohibitions on several streets where parades will take place. Of the total number of parades, 11 are mega-parades and will take place on the Preta Gil Circuit, on Avenida Presidente Antônio Carlos, in the city center.
CET-Rio develops specific plans for each block, with operations taking place in all regions of the city. The megablock scheme is already consolidated and does not impact city residents. The circuit complies with public safety and urban mobility plans.
The operation aims to promote traffic flow, road safety, and reduce the impact on the city's mobility. Traffic teams will be working directly at the carnival locations, in addition to road monitoring by the Operations Center.
On average, 320 traffic officers will be deployed at the events, supported by 30 patrol cars, 45 motorcycles, and 24 tow trucks. For road signage, CET-Rio plans to use 2.500 cones and traffic cones at the road closures, in addition to 900 pennants and banners with traffic information. 36 variable message signs will provide information about the closures and guide drivers on detours and alternative routes.
CET-Rio advises the public to plan their travel in advance and prioritize the use of public transportation. It is important to remember that everyone must respect traffic signs and follow the instructions of traffic officers.
COR will feature the largest video wall in Latin America with real-time images.
All locations in the city with scheduled street carnival events will be monitored in real time by COR-Rio. The movements of the main official and mega-parade groups will be tracked by approximately 500 operators from 50 agencies, on standby, directly from the situation room, using images generated by approximately 4.000 cameras installed at the locations where the parades are planned.
In addition, three drones will reinforce monitoring along the parade route. The images captured by the equipment will be displayed to the on-duty teams on the largest video wall in Latin America, measuring 104 square meters, with 129 screens and 28 meters wide.
Representatives from municipal agencies such as Riotur, CET-Rio, the Municipal Guard, the Municipal Secretariat of Public Order (Seop), the Municipal Secretariat of Transportation (SMTR), the Municipal Secretariat of Health (SMS), and Comlurb, as well as the Military Police, Fire Department, and public service concessionaires, will take turns working in an integrated manner. In case of any emergency during the parades, the operational teams will be activated immediately.
Road closures caused by street parties and large parades will also be available on the Waze app, a partner of COR-Rio, preventing users from getting stuck in traffic jams caused by the parades.
Tourists and the general public can download the COR.Rio app to connect with key information about the city: real-time traffic, weather forecast, road closures, operational stages, heat levels, and more. In addition, it provides access to over five thousand cameras from the Rio de Janeiro City Hall. The app is free, available for Android and iOS in app stores, and has versions in Portuguese, English, Spanish, French, and Chinese.
COR-Rio also uses other communication channels to keep the public updated. Approximately 16 outdoor media panels will display bulletins with useful public information related to the city's weather, as well as special traffic and transportation plans for Carnival. These service messages will be broadcast in public spaces such as buses, bus terminals, airports, train, metro and light rail stations, bus shelters, clocks, totems and bicycle rental stations; and private locations such as shopping malls and commercial and residential buildings.
Through the @operacoesrio profile on social media (X, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and Bluesky), and the website color.river And through the COR-Rio news channel on WhatsApp, the Operations Center will also provide special coverage of Carnival in the city, in real time, with teams on standby.
Special Operation for Urban Planning and Patrol will involve 1.100 agents.
The SEOP (Municipal Secretariat of Public Order) and the Municipal Guard have set up a special operation for urban order and patrolling. The operation will begin this weekend, the 17th, and will include preventive patrolling and inspection actions at the main street carnival blocks. Approximately 1.100 agents (including municipal guards and SEOP employees) will use 70 vehicles – including tow trucks, motorcycles, and patrol cars – in the operations.
The teams will monitor the gathering, the route, and the dispersal of the groups, carrying out urban order enforcement actions and monitoring irregular street vending (street vendors, stallholders, and kiosks), paying special attention to the seizure of glass bottles, which are prohibited and can cause accidents, and to the suppression of offenses.
Municipal guards will also be involved in monitoring and enforcing traffic regulations, operating roadblocks, towing vehicles, guiding pedestrian crossings, and preventing illegal parking and obstruction of public areas, among other irregularities. The operation aims to minimize potential traffic impacts and expedite the reopening of roads after the events conclude. Taxis, ride-sharing vehicles, and other forms of transportation will be inspected, and officers will assist with the closing of official parade groups.
The officers will also be involved in patrolling BRT stations, participating in the Maria da Penha Patrol at large street parties, and distributing wristbands at children's street parties through agents from the School Patrol Group.
Medical posts will be distributed in the areas with the highest concentration of people.
The Municipal Health Department (SMS) has prepared a special pre-hospital care plan for areas with the highest concentration of people during the city's street carnival festivities, in the neighborhoods of Centro/Circuito Preta Gil, Aterro do Flamengo, Copacabana, Ipanema/Leblon, Jardim Botânico, and Barra da Tijuca. Seven medical posts will support a total of 55 carnival groups, including the ten mega-groups. The Centro posts will begin operating on the weekend of February 24th and 25th, for the parades of the first mega-groups on the Circuito Preta Gil, on Rua 1º de Março: Chá de Alice and Bloco da Alexa, respectively.
The posts will serve the public during the busiest street carnival events in the city. The SMS (Municipal Health Secretariat) structure will have a total of 36 beds, in addition to 42 hydration chairs. In total, there will be 566 shifts of healthcare professionals throughout the popular festival. All posts will have advanced ambulances for transferring the most serious cases requiring hospital support to units in the municipal emergency network. Hospitals will also receive reinforcements in their shifts to meet the demand of the carnival. Transfers will be coordinated by the Municipal Regulation Center.
In the city center, there will be two locations, at Praça Ana Amélia and Largo da Carioca, which will support a total of 30 carnival groups, including the 10 mega-groups of the Preta Gil Circuit. Besides Chá de Alice and Bloco da Lexa, which open the street carnival, there will also be Bloco da Gold on January 31st; and, in February, Será que Abre? (1st), Bloco da Favorita (7th), Cordão do Boitatá (8th), Cordão do Bola Preta (14th), Fervo da Lud (17th), Bloco da Anitta (21st) and Monobloco (22nd).
In Ipanema, the medical post will be set up in Nossa Senhora da Paz Square, providing care to revelers from the 11 street parties that parade through the neighborhood and Leblon. In Copacabana, the structure will be located in Lido Square, offering support to the 14 parades held in the Copacabana and Leme neighborhoods. In Flamengo, the post will operate at the MAM (Museum of Modern Art). In Jardim Botânico, the service will be concentrated in Santos Dumont Square, while in Barra da Tijuca the post will be set up in Ó Square.
Health promotion teams from the Municipal Health Department (SMS) will be in several areas of the city with high concentrations of revelers, conducting health awareness campaigns and distributing informational materials on the prevention of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and condoms. The VanBora, the SMS mobile unit, will circulate through public gathering points offering guidance, condoms, and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) against HIV. If necessary, all emergency and urgent care units in the municipal network will also have PEP available 24/7. And from Sunday to Sunday, from 8 am to 10 pm, the Combined Prevention Center, located in the Rocha Maia Municipal Hospital Complex (Rua General Severiano, 91, Botafogo), will be a reference point for those needing PrEP or PEP.
The Municipal Health Department (SMS) recommends the following precautions for revelers to enjoy the street carnival safely and healthily: maintain regular medication; drink plenty of water; moderate alcohol consumption; use sunscreen with SPF 50 or higher; wear a cap or hat; wear light clothing/costumes; wear closed and comfortable shoes; be careful with cosmetic/hair products that may cause allergies or sunburn; pay attention to the origin of food and drinks; and carry identification and a contact phone number. Those responsible for children require maximum attention, and in addition to hydration and sun protection, should wear an identification bracelet or badge with the contact phone number of the responsible adult.
Comlurb will have nearly 14 workers cleaning the city streets.
Comlurb has prepared a massive cleaning operation before, during, and after all the city's carnival parades. The cleaning work will be carried out on the main streets where the parades take place and throughout the surrounding areas, including access streets and adjacent streets, with services including mechanized sweeping, washing, emptying of trash cans and waste collection containers, and removal of waste. It is worth noting that all routine services of the Company will be maintained normally throughout the city during the entire pre-Carnival and Carnival period.
Comlurb's cleaning service will extend until the last day of the festivities, marked by the passage of Monobloco. The workforce will total 13.714 workers throughout the entire period, from the pre-Carnival events onwards, including 9.736 street cleaners.
Comlurb will provide the largest containerization service for events in the city, with 13 containers, including 10 with a capacity of 240 liters and 3 high-capacity containers of 1.200 liters, so that revelers can properly dispose of their waste.
During Carnival 2026, Comlurb will also carry out the largest hydraulic and mechanized cleaning operation in the city's history. During this period, the company will have 1.507 vehicles, including compactor trucks, satellite trucks, dump trucks, electric carts, large sweepers, mini-sweepers, tractors, and 180 leaf blowers. All vehicles and equipment will operate in three shifts.
After the parade floats have passed, the teams will carry out hydraulic cleaning using reused water, 40 liters of soap, and 5 liters of eucalyptus essence. This will involve 30 water tanker trucks, 26 vans equipped with hydraulic cleaning equipment, and five trucks with hydraulic cleaning equipment. Additionally, eucalyptus essence will be applied using 125 backpack sprayers around the portable toilets.
Comlurb will also be responsible for cleaning the four medical posts set up in the area where the carnival groups parade, two in the Preta Gil Circuit in the city center, one in Praça do Lido, and one in Praça Nossa Senhora da Paz in Ipanema.
Carnival + Safety for Women: City teams will be available to prevent and combat violence against women.
The Municipal Secretariat for Women's Policies and Care of Rio (SPM-Rio) has prepared a special operation for the Carnival period, focusing on the prevention and combating of violence against women in the city's most crowded areas. The strategy includes specialized teams working at key Carnival locations, offering immediate support, guidance, and referrals to the municipal protection network in cases of harassment or violence.
During the official parades, the Secretariat will set up permanent service points at Marquês de Sapucaí, Intendente Magalhães, and the Carnival Fan Fest in Copacabana. These spaces will have trained professionals, such as social workers, psychologists, and lawyers, prepared to provide qualified listening, offer emergency support, and guide women on their rights and the services available in the municipality.
In addition to fixed locations, teams of mobilizers will be present at street parties and the Carnival in the Parks. Their work includes circulating in areas with high concentrations of revelers, providing information, and distributing materials from the “Carnival + Safer for Women” campaign, reinforcing messages about preventing harassment and encouraging reporting.
The campaign will also be expanded with the placement of stickers in the restrooms of official Carnival venues, featuring clear messages against violence and QR codes that direct users to the platform www.mulher.rio, where it is possible to access information about support, legal guidance, psychological assistance, and the resources of the municipal network for the protection of women.
With this operation, the Secretariat seeks to ensure that public policy is present wherever the city is, including during festive times. The actions during Carnival are part of a permanent set of municipal initiatives focused on prevention, care, and protection of women, reinforcing that no situation of violence should be normalized and that access to information and support can save lives.
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