party at the palace (well castle at least)

Thursday evening, Rafael, the hostel owner is chatting to me.
-Rachel, we´re having a party tomorrow. It´s for the samba band I play in.
-Ok, sounds good, I say.

Friday morning, more details emerge.
- There´ll be lots of people, and the music and dancing will go on all night.
- Ok!, I say

Friday evening, I get back from class late. There´s a suited and booted bouncer on the gate. I go up the stairs. José and Tomás are sitting outside looking exhausted. When I get inside I see why - all the furniture downstairs has disappeared, a temporary bar area has been set up with bowls of chopped pineapple, passionfruit and limes ready for making caipirinhas, and Carlos the DJ is setting up a massive sound system.
- Just how many people are coming? I ask
- Oh, about 200, they tell me.

The party was to launch this years T-shirt of the bloco Rafael plays for, called A Rocha de Gavea This was them last year at the bloco:



People began arriving, students from PUC-Rio, friends of the band, people from the neighbourhood. The music began, the dancing began, the singing began. And didn´t stop all night. Carnaval´s here!