Brazil's Carnival lovers face sobering moment as country braces for recession

Austerity does not come naturally to Brazilians, but attitudes are changing as economy suffers what is forecast to be the deepest crisis in more than a century

When it comes to mood making in Brazil, there are few institutions that can match the samba schools of Rio de Janeiro.

For a week each year at Carnival, they embody exuberance with a pulsating parade of spectacular floats, gyrating dancers and bateria throbbing with the rhythms of tamborims, chocalhos, surdos and drums.

But even these professionally upbeat performers are wondering how long the party can last as the country’s economy suffers what is forecast to be the deepest recession in more than a century.

Just like businesses and consumers across South America’s most populous nation, some schools are having to trim their costs ahead of next month’s show at the Sambódromo.

Compared to last year, the Mangueira school, for example, will have six instead of seven floats and 4,000 instead of 5,000 dancers and musicians. Velvet has been replaced by cheaper fabrics. Another school, Beija Flor, is renegotiating contracts.

“The general consensus is that in the coming five to 10 years, we’ll have to rethink Carnival in Rio, because of the financial strangulation. It’s hard now, but it might become unviable in the near future,” he warned in a break from a rehearsal at the Cidade do Samba.

Austerity does not come naturally to carnival lovers, but attitudes are having to change now that Brazil’s economic fortunes have turned upside down.

Until recently, it seemed the country could do no wrong. Thanks to a global commodity boom, strong demand from China and the discovery of huge offshore oil reserves, the economy surged forward at an annual average of 4.5% between 2002 and 2011.

Today, however, it seems nothing can go right. Prices of oil, iron ore and soya have plunged, China is slowing down and Brazil’s policymakers are too absorbed in political battles and bribery investigations to focus effectively on the countermeasures.