Carnival always breathes life into the economy of Vila Vintem, on Rio de Janeiro’s west side, but this year there’s even more, with its Unidos de Padre Miguel samba school back in the top parade league for the first time in 57 years.

This year, the “special group” parades over three days instead of the usual two, with four samba schools taking the stage each night. The Sambadrome, a symbol of Brazil's Carn

Four of Rio's top samba schools took center stage on the opening night of Carnival parades on Sunday. (AP video shot by Mario Lobão and Lucas Dumphreys)