Everything you need to know about Carnival in Rio you find at wiki Rio website. Click on the following link then you will see a “Carnival 2016” on its page, click on “Agenda dos Blocos de Rua do Rio de Janeiro”. This is the “guide for the street miniparades that we call “blocos de rua!” You can follow all program from there:
Another option is to follow the Blocos guide on real time through wikirio facebook too.
How can we brazilians explain Carnaval? I was never able to find enough or right words for that because there just isn´t any kind of explanation that can transmit or describe its meaning or how it really is. You gotta be there and experience it to feel it! One thing we know for sure: it´s “an explosion of joy and happiness” how we say in Brazil, “uma explosão de alegria e felicidade”. Just come and “Caia na Folia”! Then let me know how it was.