While Rio's Carnival may garner most of the attention, Sao Paulo puts on quite a spectacle too and shouldn't be overlooked! To witness this bucket list festival, fly from Vancouver to Sao Paulo, Brazil for $662 roundtrip (855 CAD) on American Airlines.
In 2019, Carnival falls between March 1 and March 9, so I had a look on American's website and was able to find flights departing YVR on Saturday, March 2 and returning from GRU on Monday, March 11, 2019. Perfect timing for a week down during the festivities in vibrant Brazil.
If the crowds of Carnival seem a bit much for you, then you can also find time to make a trip down to Sao Paulo (GRU) departing daily as soon as today through the end of March at this price. United and Air Canada are also offering a similar fare on this route, but many of their dates are in the fall, while American provides tickets at this price into 2019. A Saturday night is required and travel during the Christmas and New Year period are blacked out.
Need a place in Sao Paulo? Here's a long list of accommodations for the dates below via Hotelwatchdog.