The colourful and noisy mayhem that is carnival season in Brazil got underway this weekend, as dancing filled the Sambodrome. <br /><br />With the World Cup just over three months away, the tourist spotlight is already on Brazil.<br /><br />Five million people are expected to join the annual shindig and party to the rhythm of the samba. A fifth of them will be visitors.<br /><br />One partygoer described the atmosphere: “The feeling in the parade is like a football player who scores a goal in a stadium full of people, like in Maracanà stadium.”<br /><br />The carnival is supposed to run for three weeks but it often runs into overtime as the party goes on and on.
