Colour fills Bolivian streets as Carnival returns

Pepino the Clown returned to life from his bright red and gold coffin to officially mark the start of the city's Paceno Carnival.

The last Carnival in 2021 was cancelled to stop the spread of coronavirus in the South American country.

Music and dance have since returned to La Paz' streets, but Carnival participants are being urged to keep their proof of vaccination on them and to practise social distancing and mask wearing to keep the virus at bay.

While much smaller than Rio's famed, flamboyant carnival, the festivities in Bolivia are replete with colour, dance and music and attract thousands of tourists to witness the unique fusion of indigenous traditions, whimsy and colonial Catholicism.