Every traveler who is lucky enough to become a participant in the carnival will never be the same. Their hearts will forever remember the rhythms of music and will search for ever more vibrant festivals around the world. When the carnivals in Venice and Rio de Janeiro cease to amaze with their colorful parties, then it's time to erase the boundaries of the continents on the travel map and go to the small African state of Cape Verde. Its annual festivals have long been international and have received the status of one of the most original carnivals in the world.
Every spring, the streets of Mindelo on the beautiful island of São Vicente are filled with thousands of dressed-up locals and guests of the famous Creole Carnival. It starts 40 days before the celebration of Catholic Easter and combines traditions of Brazilian and Portuguese holidays. For four days, starting from the very morning of the first day of the festival, loud rousing music is heard everywhere: in every house, car, bar, restaurant, on the central square, and the narrowest street. All the sorrows and worries of everyday life leave the island, leaving the place only for joy and fun, songs, and dances. Day and night, the sounds of national musical instruments and songs of the famous native Cesária Évora create a unique atmosphere of the festival. All the year, its participants construct immense platforms, make fantastic costumes, and rehearse dance moves to spend these few days marching through the city streets and forgetting about everyday life. The culmination of the annual festive madness is the Best Carnival Costume Competition.
As soon as the festival ends, everyone in this city starts new preparations stormy discussing the topic of the next carnival, to which all guests of the island will certainly want to return.