Carnival – Sambadrome

CARNIVAL PARADE

The ‘Sambadrome’, or samba parade avenue, is where the samba schools parade over Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. Built in  1983,  the Sambadrome was designed by the famous Brazilian architect  Oscar Niemeyer and is located at the down town city district of Rio, about 20/30 minutes drive from all major hotels. The avenue is 700 meters long and 13.5 meters wide. The total area of the complex is 85 thousand square meters, and has a capacity for over 60 thousand people in the stands, boxes, and floor level chairs. Right at the end of the avenue, is the ‘Praça da Apoteose’, where the samba schools end their parades. It is 10.4 thousand square meters and is also used for shows and performances featuring national and international acts.

The parades are actually held on two nights: six schools parade on carnival Sunday and six on carnival Monday, these two days the best samba schools of the city parade. These ‘special group’ of samba schools – which are the biggest and best schools – stand out for their magnificence and luxuriousness, with the participation of famous stars and well-known Brazilian personalities.

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