Officially Carnival holidays are on Tuesday and Ash Wednesday, 47 days before Easter. In 2020 this is on February 25 and 26. However in Rio, and whole Brazil, pre-Carnival starts weeks earlier with samba schools public rehearsal for the parades and street celebrations known as “blocos”. Then the official dates are from Friday evening to Ash Wednesday. So in 2020, Brazil stops to enjoy Carnival from February 21 to February 26.