Members of the "Estacio de Sa" samba school perform atop of a float that pays tribute to the statue of Liberty during the opening of the traditional Brazilian carnival parade in Rio de Janeiro, 18 February 2007. Some 150 thousand people attend the parade. (Xinhua/AFP Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    RIO DE JANEIRO, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Street party band "Cordao do Boitata" brought 10,000 fans onto the streets of Rio de Janeiro Sunday morning, as part of the traditional Carnival celebrations that kicked off across Brazil this weekend.

    The crowd of supporters danced and sang in the streets surrounding the Nov. 15 Plaza, in the center of the city.

    Blocos, as the neighborhood groups are known, have an 11-year tradition of holding a rally for fans in the early hours of the day, shortly after the parade of samba schools in the city's Sambadrome stadium. Many go directly from one to the other.

    Cordao, founded in 1918, is a family-oriented band with high-quality music.

    The Cordao rally was followed by a large number of straight male fans dressed as women in wigs, costumes and makeup. Gay transvestites preferred another dance band "Simpatia es casi Amor."

    The city's police said that 90,000 people paraded along the Ipanema Coast road Saturday night, much less than the 300,000 expected, partly due to fears for street violence.

    Many of the revelers have black ribbons sewn into their costumes, a sign of mourning for a child murdered by robbers just a week before the Carnival.

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