It’s not summer in Iowa, but it is in Brazil.

That’s one draw of the Brazilian and Portugal Carnaval celebration Saturday. The celebration will be “one of the funniest parties in Ames,” said Vicente Faria, graduate student in zoology and genetics.

The Carnaval celebration, which will feature Brazilian samba music and a summer atmosphere – as it is summer in Brazil – will start at 8 p.m. Saturday at The Zone, 125 Main St., and continue until the bar closes at 2 a.m.

About 250 people generally attend the event, and 95 percent of those are in costume, said Alex Rodrigues, senior in mechanical engineering.

“It is a celebration brought to Brazil from Portugal,” Faria said. “In Brazil this party is a four-day celebration that happens once in the year.”

Another feature of the celebration is the costume contest.

“It’s not Halloween and you get to wear a costume,” Rodrigues said.

“It’s a great way to find out how much fun it is in Brazil,” said Ana Freitas, graduate student in electrical and computer engineering.

“Only Brazilian samba music will be played and the place will be ornamented as if we were in a real Brazilian Carnaval,” Faria said.

The ISU carnaval took place on and off during the past few years before it became an annual event in 1998.

“It is something that will be a lot different than the comon things found on the weekend,” Rodrigues said.

Tickets, on sale for $5, can be obtained by e-mailing [email protected] or near the west entrance to the Memorial Union. Entrance is limited to those 21 and older.