In Pictures: Rio Carnival returns after two-year hiatus

A performer from the Mangueira samba school parades during Carnival celebrations at the Sambadrome (AP)

Rio de Janeiro’s samba schools have put on a dazzling display at this year’s delayed Carnival parades, the first after a two-year hiatus caused by the Covid-19-pandemic.

The schools’ colourful floats and flamboyant dancers entered the Sambadrome grounds to parade before tens of thousands of fans on the first evening of the two-night spectacle.