The festival and parade draws more than 500,000 spectators every year. Japanese samba teams select their own themes and make their own costumes. In addition to the groups of dancers, there are also solo dancers called “passista,” who often wear vivid-coloured bikinis and feathers on their backs as they perform their dances.

In February, the city of Rio shuts down for the month with “blocos” (block parties), where locals and tourists drink beer, dance and sing along to famous carnival songs. The major event of Rio’s carnival is the parade at the world-renowned Sambadrome exhibition place, where samba schools compete for the title of best school. Barely-clad samba dancers adorn colourful floats and the parade lasts all night.

With its massive masquerade bands, spectacular costumes, music and unparalleled stamina for partying, Trinidad and Tobago Carnival is a huge draw for tourists. Every year, hungry for the sweet sounds of calypso and soca, thousands of people descend upon the islands for over-the-top parades, food, colourful costumes, stick-fighting and limbo competitions. This famous carnival is easily the most significant event on the islands’ cultural and tourism calendar, with numerous cultural events leading up to the street parades on Carnival Monday and Tuesday.

He explains how you’re likely to see groups from the Middle East, China and various islands taking part in the Caribbean Day parade and their festivities. “The whole idea is to show our culture. So what we did in the early days was have arts and crafts, show videos and try in the process to introduce other cultures,” says Marshall. “It’s grown to be one of the biggest multicultural festivals on the B.C. mainland at the moment, but it’s a lot of work. We have so many things to take care of: the finance committee, the venue and approvals, the street parade, the beer gardens, the volunteers and performances.”