When most people think of Mardi Gras, a.k.a. “Fat Tuesday,” they inevitably think of booze and beads on the streets of New Orleans.  But there’s a south-of-the-Equator party city whose pre-Lent debauchery easily puts the Big Easy to shame: Rio de Janeiro.

From breathtaking beaches to the skimpiest swimwear on the planet, Rio is known for being excessive in everything it does, and why should Fat Tuesday be any different?  The city’s four-day festival preceding Lent, called Carnaval, is Brazil’s most anticipated holiday.  Revelers hit the streets in elaborate costumes to dance, drink and– well, sin– in a raging 24-hour party that many say is incomparable to anything in the US.

That said, Americans don’t have to be excluded from the festivities entirely, as major cities offer their own renditions of the Brazilian holiday next week.

In Houston, Kahlua Disco is hosting an all-night Carnaval celebration, which will feature the infectious sounds and revelous atmosphere of Rio.  The Samba Samba Dancers will don glittery costumes and dance to authentic Samba, axé and marchinha music, performed live by Katia Moreas and Pure Samba.  Renown Texas capoeira master Mestre Cafu will perform the traditional Brazilian art, which combines dance, singing and martial arts.

Meanwhile, the left coast will kick off its own celebration with Downtown LA’s 10th Annual Brazilian Carnaval at Nokia Live.  For the past decade, the event has been one of the area’s most anticipated Carnaval celebrations, usually selling out and drawing crowds of 3,000+.  The party includes authentic Brazilian food, drinks, music, and dance, and one lucky reveler will win a free trip to Brazil.  Headlining the show is legendary Brazilian trio elétrico Armandinho (often called the Brazilian Jimi Hendrix), Dodo & Osmar, along with renown percussionist Chalo Eduardo, who has performed with the likes of Santana, Sergio Mendes and Ricky Martin in the span of his 20-year career.

Mardi Gras may always be synonymous with New Orleans in the U.S., but its cool to know that there’s an even more raucous and sinful alternative, and it doesn’t require a trip to Rio.