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Photograph by David Alan Harvey
To celebrate Carnival, the city’s elite socialize at a masquerade ball in a grand old hotel.
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Photograph by David Alan Harvey
On sunny days a million people with their sea of umbrellas may crowd Rio’s beaches.
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Photograph by David Alan Harvey
A drug dealer holding bags of cocaine worth a few dollars apiece is one of a disappearing breed in Vidigal. Police officers who now occupy the favela are working to eradicate all such activity.
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Photograph by David Alan Harvey
Yachts bob in Botafogo Bay, cradled between the beach and the tall rock known as Sugar Loaf.
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Photograph by David Alan Harvey
A rock band plays oldies at a Copacabana bar.
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Photograph by David Alan Harvey
The landmark 125-foot-tall statue of Christ the Redeemer rises over bays and beaches from the peak of Corcovado, in a panorama made from two images stitched together.
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Photograph by David Alan Harvey
Ballet students strike a pose outside their school in the Cantagalo favela.
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Photograph by David Alan Harvey
A Carnival dancer’s white shirt and blue hatband represent the colors of his samba school.
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Photograph by David Alan Harvey
A trolley now idled for repairs normally services the historic area of Santa Teresa.
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Photograph by David Alan Harvey
Finishing her errands, a favela resident passes military police taking part in a training exercise.
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Photograph by David Alan Harvey
Tickets to the Carnival parades are expensive, so neighbors often gather curbside to watch for free on TV.
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Photograph by David Alan Harvey
A candlelit procession along Copacabana beach on the evening of December 31 honors Yemanjá, the goddess of the sea. Followers launch flowers and other offerings into the waves to gain blessings for the year ahead.
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Photograph by David Alan Harvey
At Carnival, ticket holders fill the Sambadrome to watch a parade that lasts until dawn.
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Photograph by David Alan Harvey
Roving vendors in Copacabana sell everything under the sun, including whimsical trinkets.
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Photograph by David Alan Harvey
This black-tie ball at the Copacabana Palace hotel, held during Carnival, is a tradition dating back to the 1920s. Past patrons of the landmark building, which rises above one of Rio’s most famous beaches, include Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.
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Photograph by David Alan Harvey
Romance sizzles during Carnival season, when revelers fill the city.
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Photograph by David Alan Harvey
Local TV actors kick back at an Ipanema hotel also favored by international celebrities like Beyoncé and Madonna.
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Photograph by David Alan Harvey
Despite Rio’s deep social divisions, the beach is democratic. Rich and poor share the sand all day and into the evening.
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Photograph by David Alan Harvey
A wall of video screens in Rio’s operations center displays real-time images captured by cameras on the streets. Inaugurated in 2010, the center allows the city to plan large events like Carnival and coordinate responses to emergencies like floods, fires, and landslides.
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Photograph by David Alan Harvey
With millions of Brazilians crazy for soccer, potential stars like this goalkeeper practice at all hours along Rio’s more than 50 miles of beaches.
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Photograph by David Alan Harvey
In the late afternoon on Ipanema, beachgoers play the popular game of altinho, or keep it up, using soccer moves to pass the ball in the air from person to person. Many people come here straight from work at the end of their shift.
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