The economic movement expected by the city of Rio de Janeiro for this year’s carnival should reach R$ 4.5 billion, with an increase of 12.5% compared to 2020, which was the last party before the new coronavirus pandemic.
Of this amount, street carnival alone should account for R$ 1.2 billion, an increase of 20% compared to 2020. Data are from the second edition of the study data carnivalpublication by the Municipal Secretariat for Economic Development, Innovation and Simplification (SMDEIS), in partnership with the João Goulart Foundation Institute and the Tourism Company of the Municipality of Rio de Janeiro (Riotur), released today (13).
“After the difficult moment that Rio and the Carioca Carnival have gone through, with the impacts of successive administrative and political crises in recent years, aggravated by the pandemic, it is time for us to have the greatest Carnival in history, in 2023”, said the mayor. Eduardo Paes during the presentation of the data.
The Momo party in the capital of Rio de Janeiro is responsible for a third of all economic movement in the country in the period. The city of Rio de Janeiro estimates that the collection of the Tax on Services (ISS) for tourism will reach BRL 23.3 million, a result 20% higher than that recorded in February 2020, of the order of BRL 19.4 million.
According to the study, the four days of Carnival revelry have a direct impact on the city’s tourism. Between 2011 and 2022 (excluding 2020 and 2021, due to the pandemic), February has the highest weight (10.2%) among the 12 months of the year in the collection of ISS linked to tourism, two percentage points above the average of the other months of the year, which shows the strength of Rio’s carnival.
Carioca DNA
The Municipal Secretary of Economic Development, Innovation and Simplification of Rio, Chicão Bulhões, spoke about the importance of Carnival for families in Rio.
“In addition to being important for Rio’s culture, [o carnaval] it is also an engine for economic development, as it is a source of income for thousands of families in Rio and generates jobs not only during the days of revelry, but also throughout the year”.
A single day of parade at the Sambódromo in Rio moves around 20,000 people. In total, 45,000 people officially worked during the period, reveals the study. This year, the city hall gave a record incentive to the samba schools of the Special Group, of R$ 2.15 million, the highest in the historical series.
The president of the João Goulart Foundation Institute, Rafaela Bastos, pointed out that Carnival is a matrix of knowledge about the city of Rio de Janeiro.
“If in cultural and symbolic terms its relevance is known [do carnaval], this study collaborates with analyzes on economic, environmental, infrastructure, employment and income aspects, which are also driven by this cultural manifestation, when events that bring a positive impact to the city throughout the year are held. Carnival is Rio de Janeiro because, above all, it develops the city,” he said.
Carnival of Democracy
The president of Riotur, Ronnie Costa, said that, this year, the company celebrates the carnival of democracy.
“With the resumption of street carnival, the modern structure of Nova Intendente, stages spread across the city and the traditional parade on Marquês de Sapucaí, expectations are the best. Generation of jobs, movement of the economy and attraction of tourists”.
In the 2022 samba school parades, at the Sambódromo, the Special Group Schools took 37,300 components. In the Ouro Series, the second group of the carioca carnival, there were 28.9 thousand. In total, there were 66,200 participants in all parades at the Sambódromo, including the 12 Special Group Schools and the 15 Gold Series associations. On average, in last year’s carnival, each school in the Special Group took 3,100 people to the Sambódromo and each school in the Ouro Series took 1,900 people.
