From pain to urban catharsis: pandemics, carnival, and contemporary public health challenges in Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

This article analyzes Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival as an urban, cultural, and public health phenomenon, using the 1919 Carnival, held after the Spanish Flu crisis, as a historical-comparative framework to understand contemporary challenges in managing mega-events in post-COVID-19 Rio de Janeiro. The qualitative, documentary, and historical-comparative research combines narrative literature review, historical sources, institutional documents, and public data. The study argues that Carnival operates simultaneously as collective catharsis, reoccupation of public space, and symbolic recomposition of urban life, while also intensifying health vulnerabilities. Drawing on Henri Lefebvre, Michel Foucault, and Milton Santos, the article demonstrates that health risks are shaped by inequality, precarious mobility, housing conditions, and governance, proposing urban-health guidelines for mega-events.