The official program for Rio de Janeiro’s street Carnival begins this weekend on January 17 and runs until February 22.

Rio’s tourism company Riotur reports that 462 parades are scheduled throughout the period, expected to attract around 6 million revelers, including locals and tourists, who will fill the streets, squares, and avenues across the city. A record 803 street parties are registered.

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“The start of the street Carnival marks a symbolic and very important moment for the city, when Rio reaffirms the value of this cultural expression that originates in the neighborhoods, occupies public spaces, and expresses the diversity, creativity, and identity of Rio’s residents. It is a pluralistic Carnival that brings together traditional celebrations and large street parties engaging with different audiences, ages, and parts of the city,” said Riotur President Bernardo Fellows in a statement.

The company also reports that this year’s street Carnival will have an extensive and decentralized schedule.

“The idea is to offer options for audiences of all ages and profiles – including street parties for children and families, in addition to those aimed at revelers seeking large gatherings, prominent musical attractions, and experiences with a strong cultural impact,” the statement reads.

Rio’s downtown area has the largest number of parades – a total of 135 scheduled performances – followed by the South Zone, with 99 parades, mainly on the Copacabana beachfront.

“The bombings on Venezuelan territory and the kidnapping of its president cross an unacceptable line. These acts represent a very serious affront to Venezuela’s sovereignty and threaten the international community with an extremely dangerous precedent,” said Brazil’s representative to the OAS on Tuesday (Jan. 6).

During the extraordinary meeting of the OAS Permanent Council to discuss the United States’ military action in Venezuela and the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro last Saturday (3), Benoni Belli stated that the current moment is serious and recalls periods thought to be outdated, but which are once again affecting Latin America and the Caribbean.

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According to the diplomat, military aggression leads to a world in which the law of the strongest prevails over multilateralism. “We cannot accept the argument that the ends justify the means. This line of reasoning lacks legitimacy and opens the door to granting the strongest the right to define what is just or unjust, what is right or wrong, and to disregard national sovereignties by dictating the decisions the weakest must make. International sovereignty, upheld by international law and multilateral institutions, is essential for peoples to exercise their self-determination,” Belli stated.

In an emergency meeting of the United Nations (UN) Security Council on Monday (5), Brazilian Ambassador Sérgio Danese also said that it is not acceptable to argue that the ends justify the means in the United States’ armed intervention in Venezuela.