In photos: Seven of the wildest costumes from Rio's Carnival finale
The annual spectacle pits the city’s 12 best samba schools against one another in ornate parades that include over 2,500 participants each and cost more than $3 million to produce. The efforts are judged in 10 categories, with a winner announced later in the week, laying claim to nothing more than a year’s worth of bragging rights
A performer from the Unidos da Tijuca samba school parades during carnival celebrations at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Tuesday, March 4, 2014.Silvia Izquierdo/The Associated Press
Performers from the Uniao da Ilha do Governador samba school parade during carnival celebrations at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, early Tuesday, March 4, 2014.Silvia Izquierdo/The Associated Press
Performers from the Uniao da Ilha do Governador samba school parade during carnival celebrations at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Tuesday, March 4, 2014.Silvia Izquierdo/The Associated Press
Performers from the Unidos da Tijuca samba school parade during carnival celebrations at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Tuesday, March 4, 2014.Silvia Izquierdo/The Associated Press
Revellers from the Unidos da Tijuca samba school participate in the annual Carnival parade in Rio de Janeiro's Sambadrome, March 4, 2014.SERGIO MORAES/Reuters
Performers from the Unidos da Tijuca samba school parade during carnival celebrations at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Tuesday, March 4, 2014.Nelson Antoine/The Associated Press
A performer from the Imperatriz Leopoldinense samba school parades during carnival celebrations at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Tuesday, March 4, 2014.Felipe Dana