in 2010, the federal government decided to register blocos, something that seemingly went against the populist philosophy and spontaneous nature of this kind of grouping, and was met with distrust.

currently there are over 400 blocos registered with the prefecture of rio de janeiro, making of these carnival groups a fundamental part of the carnival carioca.

each of them evolved and refined according to themes, music, and even religion - some, like the incredibly popular afroreggae, strive to promote social justice by means of art, music, afro-brazilian culture, and education and are not only active during carnival, having become veritable social projects.