Let the revelry begin: Rio mayor hands city's key to King Momo as Carnival kicks off

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — The mayor of Rio de Janeiro gave King Momo the key to the Brazilian city on Friday, ushering in the symbolic Carnival monarch’s five-day reign over the festivities.

Until Wednesday, Momo is charged with presiding over the revelry, participating in the parades and promoting the joy of partygoers. His ruling over the metropolis in the South American country symbolizes society being turned upside down during Carnival.

This year’s Momo is 30-year-old Danilo Vieira, a Rio native who will be taking charge of the celebrations.

“The rules still apply, of course,” Vieira told The Associated Press before his symbolic coronation. “We have to follow the rules of our city, our country, but Carnival is run by me.”

In 2024, Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes issued a decree making the key ceremony an annual official event, obliging his successors to participate.

Rio City Hall expects about 6 million revelers to participate in the raucous street parties, where groups made up of musicians, percussionists and stilt artists draw thousands of partygoers, many scantily dressed and covered in glitter.

One such partygoer roaming the streets of the historic Santa Teresa neighborhood in Rio on Friday was Braulio Ferreira, a 48-year-old entrepreneur. He participated in the traditional Carmelitas street party dressed as Jason Voorhees, a fictional character from the Friday the 13th horror movie franchise.

“It’s very nice and satisfying to see so many people happy from abroad, enjoying carnival with full-on happiness,” Ferreira said.

Many locals and foreigners will head to Rio’s famed Sambodrome during Carnival, where samba schools will showcase their parades — prepared diligently for months — complete with ginormous floats and elaborate costumes, to judges who will dish out points and eventually announce a winner.

This year's parades celebrate diverse themes including sex workers, late singer and songwriter Rita Lee and Black communities in the Amazon.

While Rio’s Carnival is the most well-known, the festivity is a nationwide phenomenon. Samba schools in the world’s largest tropical rainforest are also preparing parades, and festivities in the colorful, colonial city of Olinda began on Thursday.

In Rio, a recent wave of thefts by young people acting in groups have raised security concerns, with some calling on the mayor and Gov. Cláudio Castro to do more to guarantee revelers’ safety.

“Carnival is meant to be a time of joy, but what we’ve been seeing at the street parties in Rio, beyond the fun, is fear,” former councilwoman Luciana Boiteux said on Instagram earlier this month. She called for better lighting and preventive community policing.

Rio City Hall’s secretariat of public order and the municipal guard said that they have set up a special operation involving around 1,100 agents for patrols. The teams will monitor street parties from start to finish, when the risk of thefts tends to intensify.

Teams specializing in violence against women will also be present at key locations to offer support and guidance, City Hall said.

At Friday’s ceremony, Vieira said that Carnival is also about inclusivity.

“Carnival is love, carnival heals,” he said. “A kind of magic happens, bringing joy to every heart, to all races, to everyone.”

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Lucas Dumphreys contributed to this report.

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

Carnival King Momo, Danilo Vieira, dances with the key to the city at a ceremony officially kicking off Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

Carnival King Momo, Danilo Vieira, receives the key of the city from Mayor Eduardo Paes during a ceremony officially kicking off Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

Performers attend a ceremony officially kicking off Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

Performers attend a ceremony officially kicking off Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

Carnival King Momo, Danilo Vieira, dances after receiving the keys to the city at a ceremony officially kicking off Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo says he’s healthy and wants to play even as the Milwaukee Bucks continue to say the two-time MVP is too injured to take the floor.

Antetokounmpo missed a 10th straight game on Friday night against the Boston Celtics due to what the team has described as a left knee hyperextension and bone bruise. Antetokounmpo hasn’t played since landing awkwardly during a March 15 victory over the Indiana Pacers.

“I’m healthy,” Antetokounmpo told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and The Athletic before Friday’s game. “I hate it when people force me to do things against my nature. I’m a player. I get paid to play.”

For the last couple of weeks, Antetokounmpo has participated in pregame warmups without showing any apparent signs of injury.

Antetokounmpo also noted that the Bucks should have known this about him since the 31-year-old has spent his entire 13-year career in Milwaukee.

Throughout that time, Antetokounmpo has had a reputation for rapid returns from injury, most notably when he hyperextended his knee during Milwaukee’s 2021 playoff run but missed two games before returning to lead the Bucks to their first title in half a century.

“You know who you’re dealing with,” Antetokounmpo told reporters. “So, for somebody to come and tell me to not play or to not compete, it’s like a slap in my face.”

The Bucks still had a remote chance of earning a 10th straight playoff berth at the time of that Indiana game, but they were officially eliminated from contention last week. There’s also the possibility of Antetokounmpo getting hurt again if he returns to action — he has missed a career-high 41 games this season and had two extended absences due to calf strains.

“I understand the circumstances — yes, we’re not going to be in the playoffs,” Antetokounmpo said. “For some people’s eyes, it’s not worth it for me to be out there. But for me, it’s something that goes against my nature.”

Antetokounmpo also wanted the opportunity to play alongside his younger brother, Alex, who made his NBA debut Sunday. There was a possibility of three Antetokounmpo brothers playing alongside each other in the same game, since Giannis’ older brother, Thanasis, also is on the Bucks.

“When my dad passed away, I pretty much raised (Alex),” Antetokounmpo said. “He’s able to be on the team and suit up and chase an opportunity to be great. You really think I don’t want to suit up and play with my brother? Anybody who thinks that is an idiot.”

Antetokounmpo’s desire to play — and the Bucks’ wishes to rest him — drew the attention of the National Basketball Players Association last month.

“The Player Participation Policy was designed by the league to hold teams accountable and ensure that when an All-Star like Giannis Antetokounmpo is healthy and ready to play, he is on the court,” the union said in a statement. “Unfortunately, anti-tanking policies are only as effective as their enforcement; fans, broadcast partners, and the integrity of the game itself will continue to suffer as long as ownership goes unchecked. We look forward to collaborating with the NBA on meaningful new proposals that will directly address and discourage tanking.”

This dispute between Antetokounmpo and the Bucks comes at a time when his future in Milwaukee is uncertain. Antetokounmpo’s name dominated league-wide discussions leading up to the trade deadline, though the Bucks ultimately kept him.

Antetokounmpo becomes eligible to sign a four-year contract extension worth up to $275 million in October. If he doesn’t sign the extension, Antetokounmpo could become a free agent after the 2026-27 season, or the Bucks could decide to trade him beforehand.

Now they find themselves at odds over how to handle the rest of this season.

“I don’t know where the relationship goes from there,” Antetokounmpo said. “We’ve got to go to couples therapy.”

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Injured Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo, center right, talks with an official, center left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Boston Celtics, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)