Experience the Carnival Season in this February

Carnival is a festive season celebrated in most of the countries with large Catholic communities. Mostly carnivals fall in the month of February before the beginning of lent, which is the fasting periods of Catholics. A typical carnival involves public participation in the parades wearing dazzling dresses, masks, etc. and dancing to the rhythms of music. Carnival parades are inspired from circus to a great extent with floats, revelers and masquerades. One of the common elements of all the carnivals is splendid costumes. These costumes take months of times in getting ready. Feathers for carnival costumes are sourced from different parts of the world.

February is the month of carnivals. You can have a chance to see some of the best carnivals of the World during this period. You can plan your holidays in such a way that you get to be a part of one of the biggest parades of the world. Here is a list of the world’s biggest street parties.

Rio Carnival Friday, Feb 13 - Wednesday, Feb 18, 2015

Rio Carnival should definitely be visited once in the life time. It is the biggest extravaganza organized on the earth. It is a rumbustious show with vibrant colors, samba, heat, flesh and incredible fun. You can get to see the best display of costumes and dance at the giant parade at the Sambadrome. You can see the best samba schools of the city performing to compete and win the show.

Venice Carnival Saturday, January 31 �" Tuesday, February 17, 2015

The annual festival of Venice is famous for its masks. The festival, which began in the 11th century to honor and celebrate the victory in an internal war. Masks are the main attraction of the Venice Carnival. There are a different types of masks that are worn by Venetians.

Mardi Gras, New Orleans Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Mardi Gras, which means “Fat Tuesday” in French is an annual Carnival celebration in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Although, the Mardi Gras celebration starts 2 weeks before the Fat Tuesday, the day just before the Ash Wednesday, main celebration is on the Mardi Gras only. In between, you can see many parades. The popular parades are Endymion, Bacchus, Zulu, Rex, etc. You can plan an extended weekend trip to New Orleans starting from Saturday till Tuesday and roam around the city and see the ongoing celebrations.

Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands Wednesday, January 21 �" Sunday, February 22, 2015

The Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife is one of the most popular carnivals of the world that is held annually in the capital city of the Canary Islands. The festivities of the carnival start on the Saturday before the carnival and ends on the Ash Wednesday. The main attraction of the carnival is the queen selection. Costumes of the participating contestants are elaborate and worth having a look.

Barranquilla Carnival, Columbia �" Saturday, February 14 �" Tuesday, February 17

It is the biggest celebration of Columbia. It is a four days of musical and dance parade with residents and tourist participating. The main La Gran Parada parade will start on Saturday with a spectacular show of masquerades, costumes and dances on the beats of drums.