Rio crowns samba school Beija-Flor champion as Carnival ends
STORY: :: The Beija-Flor samba school is crowned champion of the iconic Rio de Janeiro Carnival for the 15th time
:: March 5, 2025
:: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
:: Joao Vitor Araujo, Beija-Flor carnival designer
:: 'It's a feeling of a cleansed soul, because I've been doing Carnival for many years, this is my second with Beija Flor, last year we didn't get the result we expected, but this year God honored us. God and the orishas."
:: March 3, 2025
Winning this year's championship marks another major moment for the school as its legendary singer, Neguinho da Beija-Flor, concluded his story with Beija-Flor after 50 years.
The annual Rio Carnival is internationally known for block parties and the big-budget spectacle of parades, featuring thousands of dancers in overboard costumes. The schools are judged on various criteria including choreography, atmosphere, organization, and singing. These top samba schools command a loyal following from their communities, comparable to the devotion shown to local soccer teams.
On Saturday (March 8), the six top-rated samba schools will hit the Sambadrome venue again for the all-night Champions' Parade.
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