Carnaval.vc

Connecting millions to Brazil's biggest cultural celebration

The first digital platform that revolutionized how people experience Carnival. In 2014, we created an unprecedented integration between social media and Brazil's most iconic festival, allowing 27 million people to participate virtually in the Rio Carnival parades.

How do you make the world's largest cultural celebration accessible to millions who can't be there in person? In 2014, Carnival was still primarily a physical experience - you either attended or watched on TV. We saw an opportunity to transform spectators into active participants through social media innovation.

Carnaval.vc was born from a revolutionary idea: what if people could actually participate in Carnival parades from anywhere in the world? We created the first platform that integrated Facebook and Instagram directly with live Carnival parades, turning user-generated content into part of the actual show.

How It Worked:

1.Social Registration: Users connected their Facebook/Instagram accounts to the platform

2.Content Creation: Fans posted selfies and videos using the official hashtag #VaiGrandeRio

3.Real-Time Integration: The best posts were selected and displayed on parade car floats

4.Gamification: Users earned points and badges for participation, receiving personalized content from celebrities

5.Live Participation: People thousands of kilometers away "paraded" virtually at the Sambadrome

Digital Parade Floats: Grande Rio samba school dedicated two of their parade floats to display a giant mosaic of fan photos and videos from across Brazil. In Salvador, trio elétricos from artists like Ivete Sangalo and Claudia Leitte featured fan content on large screens during the street carnival.

Celebrity Integration: 92 celebrities engaged with the initiative, either parading with project shirts or interacting on social media. This amplified reach and attracted entertainment media attention.

Gamification Strategy: The platform incorporated game mechanics to encourage continuous participation. Users received points, badges, and exclusive personalized videos from celebrities and school members as rewards.

Beyond Traditional Broadcasting: The platform allowed people to experience Carnival "more immersively than just watching on TV," creating a participatory experience that went far beyond traditional media consumption

Unprecedented Numbers:

•27 million people actively participated via social media

•146 million impressions generated during Rio Carnival

•R$ 102 million in earned media value

•21 million individuals sent content using #VaiGrandeRio hashtag for Grande Rio parade alone

•1,500 selfies taken at Instagram's InstaStop booth in just a few days