Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo streets come alive for Brazilian carnivals

A carnival atmosphere overtook the Brazilian cities of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo.

In Rio, the five-day Carmelites festival was founded in 1990 with revellers coming out dressed as nuns and priests of the region's Carmelites Convent.

It starts with the mayor of Rio de Janeiro giving the key to the city to King Momo, the symbolic monarch of the festival.

This year's Momo is 30-year-old Danilo Vieira, a Rio native who will be taking charge of the five-day celebrations.

Rio City Hall expects about 6 million revellers to participate in the raucous street parties, where groups made up of musicians, percussionists and stilt artists draw thousands of partygoers, many scantily dressed and covered in glitter.

In Sao Paulo, 14 samba schools competed with each other in floats and dances.

Dark-toned floats and theatrical performances turned the Sambadrome into a spectacle of fantasy, while also framing witches as symbols of women's resistance throughout history.

Brazilian actress Fabi Bang, known for playing Glinda in the local production of Wicked, joined the parade.