There are many reasons to love Carnaval and each one of us have our own. Personally, my absolute favorite part about Carnaval is how the Carioca men react to it.
You see, costumes are very popular at all Carnaval street parties (blocos) and there are many blocos that are costume specific.
Now for my favorite part! These seemingly macho playboy Carioca men always seem to dress in drag! They pull out all kinds of stuff! My proof, the Ballerinos I met last night. Fyi, Ballerino was not a typo.
It gets even better at blocos like Boitata where all the best costumes happen and it's quite a tradition for men to dress as some sort of woman. You will even see them so dutifully re-applying their makeup. That is, if you get there early enough and everyone isn't already drunk.
Happy Carnaval and Happy Cross-Dressing Playboys!
