CarnivalService.com | Píer Carioca
Choosing Your Rio Carnival Tickets
The main and most important venue of the Samba School parades is the Sambadrome, a wide parading avenue sided by several blocks of seats. (You'll know more about the Sambadrome soon)
The Sambadrome hosts 6 grand parades every year during the Carnival season: they are the competitions most awaited by the caRIOcas (Rio born people). Five of these parades involve the top Schools whereas one of them promotes the Junior Schools.
the Samba Schools of Rio
To understand the importance of the Sambadrome parades in the samba community, you have to keep in mind that there are nearly 100 Samba Schools in Rio and that the highlight of their very existence is the Carnival season with its parading competition.
Schools are ranked hierarchically into 5 groups: the SPECIAL group and groups Gold, B, C and D. Each of these Samba School groups contains between 8 to 14 Schools which compete among themselves during the Carnival season. The winner becomes the group-champion of the year. As for the Junior Schools group, it's currently composed by 18 Schools.
TIP: SAY IT IN PORTUGUESE
Want to know how to say it in Brazilian Portuguese? Have a go!
| samba school | escola de samba |
| parade | desfile |
| samba schools parade | desfile de escolas de samba |
| special group | grupo especial |
| gold group | série ouro |
| champion Schools parade | desfile das campeãs |
| Junior Schools | escolas mirins |
the competition
The competition makes every group-champion School of the year be promoted to the immediately superior group. Likewise, the Schools to score the least points in their groups are downgraded to the immediately inferior group.
Therefore all Schools strive to improve their positions within the general contest and to become group-champions. The champion of the Carnival is the champion of the SPECIAL GROUP.
The groups to parade through the Sambadrome during the Carnival season are the SPECIAL group and groups A and B. The Juniors parade the Friday just before the Carnival and the Champions - the 6 top Schools from the SPECIAL group - parade the Saturday afterwards.
Below, we present the schedule for RIO CARNIVAL 2024 grand parades at the Sambadrome. For more details about the best locations to watch the parades along the Sambadrome, check our next section, choosing the location.
(If you're happy with the information you've had so far and wish to buy your tickets now, please proceed to Carnival 2024 Price List and/or Rio Carnival Tickets in our shopping area.)
The schedule for RIO CARNIVAL 2024 grand parades at the Sambadrome goes as following:
| Groups of Schools | Date and Time for 2024 | Schools Names | Description | nossa classificação |
|
GOLD GROUP (1st parade) Schools: 9 of 18 |
Friday, Feb. 28th 9:00pm to 4:20am |
AVAILABLE IN DECEMBER | Schools aspiring to ascend to the SPECIAL GROUP; narrate plots through samba, costumes and allegoric cars | |
|
GOLD GROUP (2nd parade) Schools: 9 of 18 |
Saturday, Mar. 01st 9:00pm to 4:20am |
AVAILABLE IN DECEMBER | ||
|
SPECIAL GROUP (1st parade) Schools: 6 of 12 |
Sunday, Mar. 02nd 9:00pm to 3:50am |
AVAILABLE IN DECEMBER | high point of Carnival; magnificent and sumptuous parades; major Schools each with approximately. 5,000 members | |
|
SPECIAL GROUP (2nd parade) Schools: 6 of 12 |
Monday, Mar. 03rd 9:00pm to 3:50am |
AVAILABLE IN DECEMBER | ||
|
Junior Schools Schools: 16 |
Tuesday, Mar. 04th starting from 5:00pm |
AVAILABLE IN FEBRUARY | branches of major Schools, composed by children of their communities | |
|
Champion Schools Parade Schools: 6 |
Saturday, Mar. 08th (after Carnival) 9:00pm to 3:50am |
the six top Schools (from the Special Group) of Rio Carnival 2024
* This presentations are occasional. |
||
Now that you know the most important issues about the parades, you should check about THE LOCATION: THE VARIOUS SEATING AREAS.