Dazzling costumes and elaborate floats continued to mesmerise the onlookers as the dancers kept on performing on the second night of Rio's iconic Sambadrome on Monday.

Several Samba schools paraded their lavishly costumed dancers to get the top honour, the Carnival Champion title. Up to 13 Samba schools are competing for the title which is to be decided on Wednesday.

Major Samba schools such as Salgueiro, Mangueira and Unidos da Tijuca are among the contenders for the title at the Rio Carnival, termed as the "the greatest show on Earth".

The carnival is expected to create 250,000 jobs and revenues of $640 million for hotels, bars and restaurants, according to the government estimates.

Take a look at the latest pictures of the Rio Carnival: