yet, in the era of social media, the messages carried by costumes at blocos live on, and travel faster and more broadly than ever before - making of these street parties the social billboards they always intended to be.

blocos were created as an alternative to carnival balls, and many consider them to be the true heart and soul of carnival in rio - yet, their true importance can only be appreciated when looked at in the context of other carnival dimensions.

for those who are interested in an historical contrast between carnival balls' costumes and blocos' costumes we examined the subject on this page.