Under heavy clouds, the parade of the Sargento Pimenta block, on Avenida Brigadeiro Faria Lima, west of São Paulo, began shortly after 12:00. A crowd, mostly made up of millennials who abused color, brightness and animalistic prints while sketching choreographies to the sound of the British Beatles repertoire, accompanied him.
“Is there a dance to ward off rain?” asked businessman Pedro Prado, 41.
There was no way. A few minutes later, a storm forced revelers to take shelter wherever they could. Under trees, food trucks or umbrellas that accompanied carts selling drinks.
About ten minutes later, it was all over.
Drenched, people went back to singing, dancing and, whenever an opportunity arose, kissing.
Around 1:20 pm, the singer Ana Cañas took the stage, who continued singing Beatles.
Despite the resounding adherence to the soundtrack, cell phone thefts were the block’s biggest hit.
Most reports are of cell phones disappearing from the pockets of pants and shorts, but there are also complaints of open fanny packs. A Sheet questioned the Military Police about the thefts this Saturday afternoon and is awaiting clarification from the corporation.
This was the case with civil servant Carla Gomes, 36. She says that, during the turmoil to protect herself from the rain, she was held by two men who would have taken her cell phone and credit card.
She tried to ask for help from the police present, but they replied that it was difficult to locate those responsible among the thousands of carnival workers. Carla bought two cans of beer and claimed that she would forget about drinking it.
At least ten complaints were made to the report, such as that of Laura Dantas, 23, who was waiting in the kilometer long queue for the chemical toilet.
“They took it out of my pocket. And with so many police here, it’s even more revolting,” said Laura.
Three police vehicles and more than 20 agents guarded the site.