Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro is truly one of the greatest spectacles in the world.   For many cariocas (locals from Rio ), this event is the most highly anticipated of the year.   In Rio , everything stops for most of a week and everyone lets their hair out and parties.   Carnaval typically lasts from sometime Thursday and continues on through Ash Wednesday of the following week.   This time is filled with various themed street parades which are so plentiful as to be able to pass almost the whole time in some parade or event.   Also during this time are the amazing samba school competitions which take place in the specially built sambadrome.

 

Street Parades (Blocos):

  Throughout Rio and practically at any time of the day, there is at least one street parade going on somewhere. These parades all have different themes. These themes range from cultural references, to traditional parades organized by the same management for many years to the more lively gay parades.   The parades are basically just a very large block of people meandering slowly through the street along a programmed path following a lead group.   The lead group ranges from a small group of drummers all the way to enormous specially made trucks with massive PA speakers on all sides and live singers on top.   Some of the parades have a selected or traditional music they will sing continuously and others have various songs they sing.   There is not anything more to them then just people out enjoying the scene and the music and, of course, a beer from one of the hundreds of vendors which accompany the block with their styrofoam ice chests on wheels. Obviously, some parades are more popular than others. Some of the most popular are the Monobloco and the Ipanema Gay Parade.   The schedule and locations of them are generally published in the newspapers the week before carnaval. It is also possible to find them on the internet.   Your hotel can also probably supply you with this information as well.   For these parades, there is no need to take anything, nor be there on time, just show up and have fun.

 

Samba School Competition:

 

For many, the biggest event of Carnaval is the competition of the samba schools in the sambadrome. This event is truly spectacular and one of a kind. The competition takes place over three nights (Saturday, Sunday and Monday). On Saturday, the second division schools perform and on Sunday and Monday night, the first division schools perform.   On each night starting from around 9:00 pm , about seven or eight samba schools perform.   Each of the schools take approximately one hour and fifteen minutes to pass from start to finish and are made up of more than a thousand people each.   Each day’s competition goes on all night and ends around 7 am the next morning.

 

The schools are divided into blocks (alas) which have different styles of costumes to match the theme of the school.   The costumes are all specially designed and hand made and are of a truly amazing variety, creativity and color.   Also part of the school’s show are beautifully crafted and decorated cars or floats which also follow the theme of the school.   Many of these cars are massive and absolutely incredible.   The third major piece to the school is the drum core (bateria) which includes the singers which lead the school on.

 

Every year, the schools select a new theme for their parade. Themes range from environmental, cultural and historical in nature to a tribute to the mothers of Brazil .   The schools also develop a special music (or enredo) that they sing continuously throughout the performance.   In Rio , the samba school competition has taken place for many decades.   It is the most traditional competition in all of Brazil .   The samba schools have been in existence since even before the formal competition was started.   They are generally managed by and composed of the common people of the city.   These are people that live and die by the school and work the entire year to put on the best performance possible come Carnaval.   For months before Carnaval, organizers meet every weekend for samba rehearsals to enjoy each other’s company and prepare for the big event.   These rehearsals either take place at the school headquarters or at the newly inaugurated Carnaval grounds (closer to the big event).   This is a specially built facility where all the schools have space to prepare their cars and decorations.   It was inaugurated in 2005 and now serves as a facility for all to enjoy.   To take part in a rehearsal, it is advisable to contact a local guide.   It is also possible to ask a taxi to take you to the grounds but this may be too daunting for some foreigners that do not speak the language.   Keep in mind there can be a security risk for someone that is not familiar with Rio and the area.

 

How To See the Big Show:

 

There are two ways to take in the samba school competition.   The first is to purchase tickets and go see the show.   The competition takes place in the specially built sambadrome.   Tickets go on sale in January for all three nights.   However, only a small portion of the tickets are sold to the public at the ticket outlets.   These typically sell out very quickly.   The larger portion of the tickets are sold directly to corporate sponsors and tourist agencies.

 

As a visitor, the best way to go about purchasing your tickets is through a local tourist agency or a local tour guide.   Typically, when purchasing through a local tourist agency, you are buying just the ticket.   However, some tourist agencies and local guides offer a package including transportation and guide.   This is the best option for foreign visitors who are not familiar with the city and where to go.   As tickets and options do run out, it is advisable to organize this well in advance.

 

The second way to take in the festivities is to take part in them yourself!   It is possible to purchase a costume and dance with one of the schools during their competition.   Although the schools are very serious about the competition, they all generally have one or two alas for tourists to take part.   In this way, they can make some extra money selling costumes to help offset the costs of the performance.   However, it's not necessary to take Samba lessons or learn the words to the music. Typically, the “visitors” that make up these alas are tourists that participate and don't really know how to samba and also don't know any of the words. Technically, the schools are judged on their performance and the judges want to see everyone singing the words of the music and smiling and dancing together.   However, the judges don’t count points off for the “visitor” alas.

 

The best suggestion to a visitor who is interested in dancing with one of the schools is to contact a local guide. They will probably have something organized to take a group including the fee for the costume and organization with the particular school. Doing it this way, they also take care of transportation and getting you to where you need to be. Keep in mind that, although the schools go through the sambadrome in a very organized manner, outside is chaos and difficult to find your school and place to be. If you don't speak Portuguese it will also be quite difficult.

 

A second way to organize this is to purchase a costume through a hotel (does not have to be the same as where the person is staying). A number of hotels sell costumes and have it organized with a particular school.   For anyone that takes this route, it is highly recommend to also ask about the transportation and planning aspect.   The hotel should also be able to help with this if it is not already part of the deal.

 

Either organizing through a guide or a hotel, it is recommended to call or email to organize well in advance. The spots/costumes do run out sometimes. Also, if your participation is organized in advance, it is possible to know with which school you will dance with and you can download the school's music and words and start to learn them!