São Paulo’s Carnival Grew Into a Megacity Spectacle — Now It Cannot Control the Crowds It Created

2026-02-10 - 11:35

Key Points Two megablocos on the same narrow street triggered stampede-like conditions, toppled barriers, and forced emergency crowd-dispersal protocols State prosecutors opened a formal investigation; the mayor insists the weekend was a “success” With 627 blocos and 16.5 million expected revelers still ahead, the city is scrambling to patch safety measures before Carnival officially begins