Brazil gears up for Carnival celebrations in wake of nightclub tragedy
While Brazil’s carnival’s are scheduled for next week, some Latin American countries have alreay hosted carnivals this season. Here, a reveler dances during the Carnaval de Cali Viejo parade, held on Dec. 28, 2012, in Cali, Colombia. This parade makes a tour of the popular people and most important historical events of this region of the country.
Brazil's Carnival celebrations are going into full swing this weekend, even as the country reels from a tragic nightclub fire a couple weeks ago that left almost 240 dead.
Civil Defense inspectors have been doing extensive checks in bars and clubs throughout the city, Euronews reported.
Carnival is the biggest of Brazil's many festivals, and is expected to draw around 500,000 tourists to Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo through Wednesday, the Associated Press reported.
Meanwhile, the country's samba dancers — one of the star attractions of Carnival — are working overtime gearing up for the festival, according to the AP.
But Carnival isn't all dancing and partying: the local art scene kicks into overdrive as well, showcasing both emerging and established artists at the city's galleries and museums, Artlyst reported.
More from GlobalPost: Rio Carnival to have pee patrols
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