Rio Carnival to be postponed in 2021 for the first time in more than a century

It comes as Brazil continues its battle to get the coronavirus outbreak under control in the country

Members of the Mangueira samba school perform during the first night of Rio's carnival parade on February 23, 2020. AFP

A reveller of Paraiso do Tuiuti samba school performs at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro. Reuters

Revellers of Grande Rio samba school perform during the first night of the parade. Reuters

Dance is a huge aspect of the annual festival. Getty Images

Carnival is the biggest and most popular celebration in Brazil. Getty Images

The carnival is held every year in the lead-up to Lent. Getty Images

Members of Estacio de Sa samba school parade in the Sambadrome. EPA

The year's event will finish on Wednesday, February 26. EPA

Members of Mangueira samba school parade during Carnival 2020. EPA

Members of Paraiso do Tuiuti samba school put on a show with golden floats. EPA

The elaborate costumes are a highlight of the street parades. EPA

A reveller of Grande Rio samba school performs. Reuters

A performer from the Grande Rio samba school parades on a float. AP

A reveller of Grande Rio samba school performs near an illustration of Britain's Queen Elizabeth. Reuters

A member of the Grande Rio samba school performs during the first night of Rio's carnival. AFP

A member of the Grande Rio samba school performs with great emotion. AFP

Members of Mangueira samba school parade through the streets. EPA

Members of Estacio de Sa samba school performed high-octane feats. EPA

Members of the Grande Rio samba school perform. AFP

Members of Estacio de Sa samba school parade in the Sambadrome. EPA

Performances lit up the night's sky. AFP

Members of the Grande Rio samba school perform. AFP

Myriad samba schools compete during the event. AFP

Members of the Grande Rio samba school perform during the first night of Rio's carnival parade. AFP

The carnival is typically awash with colours, sights and sounds. AFP

The Grande Rio samba school took costume inspiration from the jungle. AFP

A member of the Grande Rio samba school dressed up in opulent green feathers. AFP

Members of the Grande Rio samba school perform on February 23. AFP

Members of the Grande Rio samba school parade with floats during the first night of Rio's carnival parade. AFP

Members of the Grande Rio samba school perform during the first night of Rio's carnival parade. AFP

A reveller of Uniao da Ilha samba school gestures while riding a float during the first night of the Carnival parade at the Sambadrome. Reuters

For the first time more than a century, Rio de Janeiro's famous carnival has been postponed.

Organisers announced on Thursday that the event, due to take place in February 2021, would be postponed as Brazil battles to bring the coronavirus outbreak in the country under control.

"It's not a cancellation, it's a postponement," said Jorge Castanheira, president of the group that organises the parades. "We are looking for an alternative solution, something we can do when it's safe to contribute to the city."

The announcement follows a warning in July that the February’s festivities may not be able to go ahead without the certainty of a vaccine in place.

The carnival is famous around the world for its colours, drummers, and Samba, and can attract up to two million people each day, making it all but impossible to hold in the midst of a pandemic. The celebration dates back to the 1600s, and was originally devised as a food festival, held in the lead-up to Lent.

From the 1920s onward, the event became more widely associated with samba, thanks to the growing popularity of the music in the country. Nowadays, a typical Rio carnival parade is filled with revellers, floats, and adornments from samba schools from across the city Rio, with more than 200 taking part each year, divided into five leagues and divisions. Each samba school is made up of a collaboration of local neighbours who want to attend the carnival together, sharing some kind of regional, geographical or common background.

The decision to postpone the carnival marks the first time it has not taken place in the run up to Lent since 1912.

Rio Carnival joins a growing list of major entertainment and sporting events disrupted by the pandemic, which shows no signs of slowing its track across the globe. London’s Notting Hill Carnival was cancelled in August, as were most of the summer's music festivals around the world.

After the United States, Brazil now has the world’s second highest Covid-19 death toll, with nearly 140,000 thousand fatalities recorded.

Worldwide deaths are nearing one million and more than 31 million cases have been detected since the coronavirus first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan late last year.

With scientists still racing to develop a vaccine, governments are being forced to reimpose crippling lockdown measures that slowed the virus spread earlier this year but sent much of the world economy into a tailspin.