Brazil's carnival in high gear as 2nd-division samba groups seek to impress judges

Swarms of carnival partiers dressed as drag queen cavemen and mini-skirted police danced through Rio's streets Saturday, hours before plumed dancers fill the city's famed Sambadrome for an event that will last until dawn.

When Rio's second-division samba groups pour into the 85,000-seat venue late Saturday, they'll try to wow judges with stories-high gilded parade floats, hoping for promotion to Samba's first division _ an honor that brings lucrative sponsorship deals.

"We work all year for this one day," said Fabio Ricardo, carnival designer for the second-division samba group Academicos da Rocinha. "It's not a game, it's a competition, like …