See these carnival destinations using a map.

There are a lot of different people on this planet: different cultures, different religions, and different styles of life. But one of the things they have in common is that everyone likes a good Carnival celebration.

Perhaps the most famous celebration is the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, but it’s not the only one out there. In fact, there are carnivals in almost every place on earth, like the most famous carnivals in Salvador de Bahía and Olinda, in Brazil, Venice in Italy, New Orleans in the US, and Oruro in Bolivia.

Carnival in Rio de Janeiro is the celebration that attracts most tourists in the whole Brazil. It is said that people take carnival so seriously that they begin planning next year’s parades just a couple of weeks after this year’s celebration ends.

The Carnival in Salvador de Bahía (also in Brazil), is mentioned in the Guinness book of World Records for being the largest carnival in the world, with 2.7 million people involved in the planning of the parades, music composition, costumes creation, and all the related activities.

Olinda’s Carnival, although much smaller than those carnivals mentioned above, is one of the most famous ones, because it is celebrated to highlight and respect the ancient African and Portuguese traditions. For this, the city of Olinda was declared “Historical and Cultural Patrimony of Mankind” by the UNESCO.

The carnival of Venice, in Italy, is considered one of the most beautiful celebrations. The quality of the costumes and the spectacular Venice channels create the perfect European carnival feeling.

In New Orleans, the celebration of the Mardi Gras attracts lots of young and not-so-young people every year, as it’s an excellent place to party all day and night long.

The Carnival of Oruro, in Bolivia, has much deeper religious connotations. This celebration is linked with the image of Virgin Mary, and there are several typical dances and costumes that celebrate “victory over the devil”. The most characteristic of these dances is the “diablada”. The Oruro’s Carnival was declared “Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Tradition of Mankind” in 2001, by the UNESCO.

These are just a few hot carnivals. Although there are many more, we just mentioned a few of the most important ones, so you have an idea. Keep on coming back, as we’ll list more cool places soon!