The story
Luanda Carnival Rehearsals in Luanda neighborhoods
The weeks-long neighborhood rehearsal period, known as ensaios, that precedes Carnaval de Luanda's main parade, beginning in late January and running through the buildup to February, with informal street practices, drumming, and open community participation. The rehearsal period gives visitors a far more intimate, participatory alternative to the crowded, ticketed viewing of the main Nova Marginal parade days.
Weeks before Carnaval de Luanda's competitive parade takes over the Nova Marginal, the city's neighborhoods come alive with rehearsals, known locally as ensaios, that offer a very different, far more communal window into the carnival tradition.