The 37th Asakusa Samba Carnival Parade Contest took place last Saturday, August 25. It was a very hot day in Tokyo, but that did not stop participants or spectators from enjoying this special summer event.

Already early in the morning you could see the different teams preparing for the parade all through Asakusa. Final assembly of the teams’ parade floats was taking place behind the Main Hall of Senso-ji Temple and dancers and drummers could be seen carrying their instruments and costumes. The best spots for watching the parade and taking pictures also filled up early.

After lunch the first teams in the S2 league started the parade through the streets of Asakusa. Later in the afternoon the bigger teams in the main S1 league competed, with 150- 300 people per team.

Last year’s winners G.R.E.S. Nakamise Barbaros won again this year. In addition to winning the S1 league, they also took home the prize for best parade float. Their parade was dedicated to Brazilian singer, songwriter, and cavaquinho player Paulinho da Viola and their last float was a giant cavaquinho. Congratulations to the winners of the 2018 Asakusa Samba Carnival!

G.R.E.S. Nakamise Barbaros is a local team from Asakusa, Tokyo. They have taken part in every samba carnival here since the event first took place in 1980. Watch the old and new champions’ parade on their Facebook page @GRES.Barbaros. More pictures and videos from the parade are up on Facebook @AsakusaTourismFederation or our page @taito.spiritoftokyo.en.

G.R.E.S. Saúde from Yokohama came second in the S1 league and and G.R.E.S. Liberdade from Tokyo took third place. Three teams from Tokyo took the top spots in the S2 league. Amigos Calientes from Chiyoda-ku won, followed by Bloco Arrastao from Minato-ku and G.R.E.S. Imperio do Samba. We are looking forward to next year’s competition.