Rio Carnival

The three nights

The competition is run by LIESA, the league of Rio's samba schools, and its Special Group parades at the Marquês de Sapucaí Sambadrome on three nights in 2027, four schools each.

On Sunday 7 February: União de Maricá, Beija-Flor, Paraíso do Tuiuti and Vila Isabel. União de Maricá won the Série Ouro in 2026 and earned its place in the Special Group, and Beija-Flor was the 2026 runner-up. On Monday 8 February: Mocidade, Unidos da Tijuca, Salgueiro and Imperatriz Leopoldinense. On Tuesday 9 February: Portela, Viradouro (the 2026 champion), Grande Rio and Mangueira, which parades last.

Each school gets 70 to 80 minutes on the avenue. In 2026 the first school entered at 10pm, and the four schools of a night entered at roughly 90-minute intervals, so the last of the night finished in the small hours. LIESA publishes the 2027 start times on its parade schedule page. The vote count that names the champion follows on the Wednesday, and press reports put the Série Ouro parades on 5 and 6 February and the champions' parade on Saturday 13 February.

Each school parades once, so the night you buy decides which schools you see.

Tickets and what they cost

Tickets are sold by Ticketmaster in stages. The August sale covered stands in sectors 2 to 11, except sector 9, and numbered individual chairs in sector 12, at a fixed R$250 a night with a half-price ticket at R$125. Only one half-price ticket per CPF per parade day is allowed. A second stage on 10 September sold the stands again plus frisas, the boxes close to the track, which are sold to groups of up to six people for R$1,835 to R$10,200 a night. The Passaporte Rio Carnaval and Ingresso Sambista packages sold out. The Série Ouro nights are cheaper, with some sectors at R$22.50 half price and R$45 full price.

At the gate

LIESA's rules apply at the gates. Children and teenagers up to 16 must be accompanied by a responsible adult. Coolers, glass bottles, bags, weapons, sharp objects, flares and fireworks are banned. You may carry up to two 500 ml plastic containers of drink (water, juice, soft drink or beer) and up to two food items: a piece of fruit, a savory snack or a sandwich.

Getting there

Two metro stations serve the Sambadrome. Praça Onze serves the even-numbered sectors and Central do Brasil the odd-numbered ones. Night buses were reinforced in 2026, along with the BRT lines 60 and 80, which run 24 hours, and the Central do Brasil rail station stayed open all day and night through Carnival.

In 2026 the metro lines 1, 2 and 4 ran without stopping from 5am on the Friday to midnight on the Tuesday, and again without interruption from 5am on the Saturday to 11pm on the Sunday for the champions' parade. The city's operations center runs a WhatsApp channel for updates.

The street blocos

The free side of Carnival is the blocos, neighborhood bands and parades that march through the streets with the city's authorization. Riotur opened registration for the 2027 blocos on 24 August, and the programme is expected to begin on 16 January 2027. More than 400 parades were authorized in 2026. The blocos run before and during the Sambadrome nights, so you can combine the two.

Where to sleep

Central do Brasil and Praça Onze are the two stations for the Sambadrome, so Centro is the closest base. Botafogo and Flamengo are on metro line 1, and Copacabana and Ipanema are on lines 1 and 4, all of which ran 24 hours through Carnival in 2026.

Before you go, check whether you need a visa. US, Canadian and Australian citizens do, and the official e-visa costs $80.90. See the Brazil e-visa guide for who is exempt, and the Rio de Janeiro travel guide for the rest of the trip.