The Carnatal () is the largest ''micareta'', or off-season

Carnival Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that occurs at the close of the Christian pre-Lenten period, consisting of Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday, and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. Carnival typi ...

, in

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. It is held annually in December in the city of

Natal NATAL or Natal may refer to: Places * Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, a city in Brazil * Natal, South Africa (disambiguation), a region in South Africa ** Natalia Republic, a former country (1839–1843) ** Colony of Natal, a former British colony ( ...

in the state of

Rio Grande do Norte Rio Grande do Norte (, , ) is one of the states of Brazil. It is located in the northeastern region of the country, forming the northeasternmost tip of the South American continent. The name literally translates as "Great Northern River", refe ...

. Like other micaretas, Carnatal is different from the

samba dance Samba is a lively dance of Afro-Brazilian origin in 2/4 (2 by 4) time danced to samba music. The term "samba" originally referred to any of several Latin duet dances with origins from the Congo and Angola. Today samba is the most prevalent danc ...

school parades popular in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

. The central feature of a ''micareta'' is a large truck or lorry called a "

trio elétrico Trio elétrico (, ''electric trio'') is a kind of truck or float equipped with a high-power sound system and a stage for music performance on the top, playing for the crowd as it drives through the cities. It was created in Bahia specifically fo ...

". The trio elétrico is wired with loudspeakers and has a band performing on the trailer. The truck drives slowly along the streets. The crowd follows the trio elétrico singing, dancing, and jumping to the sound of the music. To be allowed to follow the truck, one must buy admittance to one of the several ''blocos'' (block). A ''bloco'' is an enterprise which obtains permission to participate in Carnatal, hires the band, sells admittance and controls access to a cordoned area around the trio elétrico. In 2013, Carnatal had a provisional route and location due to urban mobility works; thus, the route of the electric trios invaded the Aristófanes Fernandes Park, already in Parnamirim, metropolitan region of Natal. 2The Carnatal was held in Parnamirim.

References

External links

* Entertainment events in Brazil Brazilian Carnival Music festivals in Rio Grande do Norte Carnivals in Brazil {{Brazil-culture-stub