As colorful, flamboyant and attention-grabbing as the city itself, Rio Carnival is a four-day celebration that demands that you throw caution and inhibition to the wind. While the British eat pancakes to mark the four days before lent, here the keys of the city are symbolically handed over to 'Rei Momo' (King Momo), the Lord of Misrule, and Rio explodes into a riot of colorful costumes, driving samba beats and free-flowing caipirinhas. The world famous samba schools compete at the city's vast, purpose-built Sambodromo, but the hundreds of street parties that take part across the city mean that those without tickets can still join in the fun and frolics.