The Samba Schools´ Parade in Rio

The Samba Schools´ Parade in Rio

The biggest spectacle on Earth

No, it isn´t an exaggeration: the samba schools´ parade in Rio is, in fact, the biggest spectacle on Earth. One samba school can have up to 6 thousand people parading, and 6 samba schools parades each night. 2016 schedule can be seen here:

http://www.rio-carnival.net/samba_parade/2016-samba-parade-order-schedule-time-table.php

It is also the biggest party in Carnival, normally held in February or March, starting on a saturday untill the "ash" wednesday, giving four days and half-a-day holliday for all brazillians. 

And, among all samba schools´parade in Brazil, the one in Rio is the biggest and most luxurious. 

Though for an unadvised tourist it can be all about fun and party, nowadays the samba schools´parade is a serious business: it is broadcasted nationally, tickets for the sambadrome are sold for gold price, lots of sponsors put their money on it and even city hall sponsors the party, as it attracts tourists from everywhere. 

Many other cities in the country have the samba parades too, but in many states the Carnival has other rythims than samba and other ways of celebration than a parade. Samba schools are more of Rio and São Paulo, ideed. 

Rio and São Paulo have the two biggest sambadromes in the country, which can be explained by a street with bleachers on everyside. Their main samba schools make their parade during carnival, divided by TV brodcasters this way: friday and saturday, São Paulo´s major samba schools, sunday and monday, Rio´s.

The broadcasted ones are called as the "Speacial" group. 

And don´t think the other days the sambadrome is empty: the "smaller" or "weaker" samba schools are parading those days, fighting to be, next year, among the best, to have the honour of being broadcasted nationwild.  

So, the parade is serious competition, and samba schools are evaluated by their rythim, their lyrics, their evolution in the street, their orchestra (the bateria, the guys who play the samba instruments), their costumes, the couple who carries their flag (the mestre sala e porta bandeira), among other points which are observed by a specialized jury. 

They have a total time of 80 minutes each to do their parade, and expiring this time, or going too fast means loosing points. So, time is taken seriously and, on the contrary of the old days, now the event´s schedule is strictly observed.

Getting to the sambadrome

If you´re just going to watch the parade, the metro is the best option. If you bought a costume, see tomorrow´s post. 

There are at least two metro stations close to the sambadrome, and you´d better get off the subway in the station closer to your ticket´s sector at the sambadrome. When you buy the ticket, this information will be acknowledged. 

Arriving there, just follow the people and the signs. The sambadrome will be easily found as it is very enlighted and distiguished from the rest of the city. 

In the sambadrome there´s a fair structure with bathrooms, snackbars and restaurants. But you can carry something to eat and to drink; rules are exposed by ticket sellers.