Influencer Virginia Fonseca arrived at Marquês de Sapucaí on the night of February 17 to debut as battery queen for Acadêmicos da Grande Rio at Carnival. Surrounded by security, she prepared for the parade amid criticisms and support from boyfriend Vini Jr., watching from Madrid. The school presents the enredo 'A Nação do Mangue', focused on the origins of Manguebeat in Recife.
Virginia Fonseca, a digital influencer, debuted as battery queen for Acadêmicos da Grande Rio on the night of February 17, 2025, during the last night of Grupo Especial parades at the Marquês de Sapucaí samba school in Rio de Janeiro. The school was the third to parade that Tuesday, followed by Paraíso do Tuiuti, Unidos de Vila Isabel, and Acadêmicos do Salgueiro, with the parade taking place in the early hours of February 18.
Before the performance, Virginia opened a live stream on social media, where she complained of severe headaches and explained not bringing her children to the event. Her boyfriend, soccer player Vini Jr., joined the broadcast from Madrid, Spain, stating he would watch the parade despite the time difference. 'I'll watch Virginia's parade for Grande Rio even being in Madrid with the different time zone. I wish strength to my beloved,' he said in a video chat.
Upon arriving at the venue, Virginia was escorted by a group of security personnel to a box, where she greeted Jayder Soares, the school's honorary president. In a video posted beforehand, she recalled the invitation to the role and commented on the criticisms received since the announcement. 'The criticisms were already part of the package and this did not interfere with the decision to proceed,' she stated, assuring she was ready to show her 'best version' and giving a spoiler of the costume.
Vini Jr. reacted in the comments: 'Proud of you. Go for it!'. Grande Rio's enredo, 'A Nação do Mangue', addresses the origins of Manguebeat in Recife's peripheries as a cultural response to inequality and social stagnation.
Criticisms came from other battery queens. Lorena Raissa of Beija-Flor suggested Virginia use her visibility to promote community girls: 'She, as a big influencer, [could] bring a bit of the community girls'. Evelyn Bastos of Mangueira questioned the presence of celebrities from religions that preach intolerance: 'I don't think it's fair for people coming out of Aladdin's lamp to hold prominent positions in the land of Ciata's ginga heirs'.
