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 Sambodrome by hekate
When I saw it I though the place is nothing special without the people and Carnaval fuss. Leave a Comment Address: Avenida Marques de Sapucai
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 by galy
I ENJOYED every minute of that long night. TNX GUYS!!!
It made our trip longer and more expensive then we planned in the beginning, but it was worth every penny.
If you can afford it, DO IT Leave a Comment
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 Carnaval in Rio by tere1
The Carnaval partying begins on Friday and lasts until tuesday.
There is a big parade in the Sambodromo, where all the samba schools compete for the best of the year. Each district chooses a theme and the parade is about that theme. All clothes , alegoric cars and everything begins to be prepared for the next year as soon as that year's Carnaval is over.
It's an amazing show, full of colour, music, rhythm and lights and no one who goes to Rio at that time of year should miss it. To have a place at the Sambodromo you have to buy a ticket. They usually cost $200-300 but it's well worth the money. It's a life time experience! Leave a Comment
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 this is the view to the
arquibancada if you parade by mangueirense
and under thousands of people who will parade this can be a little difficult.
Think it would be best if you could phone one or two days in advance to the samba school and ask about the hour your school will meet up: "Que horas tenho que estar na concentracao?"
5. Be forewarned that you will have to wait at the concentration point for around 1-2 hours in your costume before the parade for your school starts. The school before your's have 80 mintes to dance through the Sambodrome and if one car breaks or other things happen and cause a delay then the scheduled time for your school can be later.
Then it is good to have some money with you to buy something to drink!
6. Don't forget that your school you are parading with wants to win a competition!
That means that you have to avoid all the things which can make them loosing points:
try to laugh and smile during all the parade, do what the directors of your group say, try not to fall down or to loose one part of your costume.
During the parade it is not so important that you know very well how to "sambar", you can jump or run at least to the music, but try to be always at your group, smiling and moving! Leave a Comment
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 me and my friend Sergio, going
to the Sambodrome by mangueirense
Professor Darcy Ribeiro parade grounds (Sambodrome) is situated in Rua Marquês de Sapucaí, Cidade Nova. That is, the begin at Avenida Presidente Vargas, near Praça Quinze, and ends in Rua Frei Caneca.
HOW TO GET THERE
In order to get to the Sambódromo and watch the carnival parade, it is best to find out the exact location of the relevant sector you have tickets for.
EVEN NUMBERED SECTORS
If the relevant sector is 2, 4 or 6, there are the following options:
Taxi – pre-determined taxi companies serve the sectors and there is plenty of information about them during carnival. There is a tariff to leave the Sambódromo and the taximeter or an agreement with the passenger settles the journey to the Sambódromo. I would recommend you better taking the subway, because the traffic in Rio gets crazy during the Parades and it is much more fun going by metro.
Subway – it goes uninterruptedly everyday to 11 pm of Tuesday, the last day of carnival, at 10 minute intervals during the night. The getting off stop is always Praça Onze station, no matter where from. Once outside the station, turn twice to your right and then walk straight ahead to Sector 2. For
Sectors 4 and 6, turn on Rua Carmo Neto and walk on to Av. Salvador de Sá. The Sambódromo can soon be seen and several signs show the entrance to the sectors.
ODD NUMBERED SECTORS
As for sectors 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 and 13, the options are:
Subway – either from zona norte or zona sul, the getting off stop is Central. From there, walk to the Sambódromo, a long stretch of approximately 700 meters, going past the schools’ allegorical cars and the Terreirão do Samba. Leave a Comment
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Mangueira samba school by mangueirense
1. At most two 500ml plastic containers with ice / beverages and two items of food, such as fruit and/or sandwich. You will get very thursty and also hungry after watching school by school and the vendors which are offering beverages and food do only come into the breaks between the schools. Depending on the seat you will not be able to go away there, because then you will loose it!
Anyway : at the Sambódromo there are shops and fast food kiosks in all sectors.
2. Objects made of polystyrene, bottles, glasses, firecrackers and fireworks are strictly forbidden!
3. A discardable raincoat should be considered for the eventuality of a summer shower. Umbrellas are not a good idea, as they can easily get in the way of other people’s view of the parade.
4.
Safety inside the Sambodrome is good, however you should avoid bringing too much money or valuables to the Parades.
The danger is more outside on the streets, so keep two eyes on your things when you go and come to the Sambodrome.
I guess a copy of your passport, adress of your hotel in case you need a taxi home and about 50 Reais is important to bring.
5. Do not forget to bring your photo or video camera to the Parades, you will later regret it if you don't do!
You should have at least films with 400 asas (light factor) or better because if not all your photos will come out dark.
And bring plenty of films (I brought about 8 films just to the Sambodrome), batteries for the flash and equipment you probably could need... Leave a Comment
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 Samba School Parader's by mangueirense
1. Please wear simply your costume when you go out to get to the concentration point and not your normal clothes!There is no other way to change clothes than on the street itself and then you would have to throw away your clothes, because into the Parade you can not take them!
There's no problem going out with just a costume, everybody does the same thing in Carnival!
Ah, and make sure you do not forget a part or two of the costume, then the school won't let you parade with them!
2. The metro (underground) is the best way to arrive safe and fast to the concentration point your school will meet up.
It is airconditioned, which will for at least some minutes give you a good feeling in your costume. And besides of you will sure meet some nice fantasied groups inside the metro which all will be parading in different schools, so that may help you better to find your way!
If your school is first, third, five or seventh scheduled to parade for this evening you have to get out of the metro at:
Estação Praça Onze (Correios)
If your school is scheduled second, fourth or sixth you have to get out the metro at:
Estação Central (Balança mais não cai)
3. Please do not take valuable things (like camera's, big amount of money, etc.)with you that evening, most of this you won't need or it is just too dangerous to take them with you!
Simply take a copy of your passport or identity card and some one Reais bills (around 20 -25 Reais is enough!) into the most little bag you have. Best would be if you could hide the bag under your costume, because in the parade it is not allowed to wear other things than the costume and it is more secure not to show! Leave a Comment
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The two nights of 'parades' in the Sambadromo may be 'less spontaneous' or 'less genuine' -- or whatever their detractors say about them -- than carnaval in Salvador or mardi gras in New Orleans.
But Rio's extravaganza is still the greatest show on earth.
Seven 'blocos,' each with about 4,000 participants and six huge floats, spend an hour or so dancing, prancing, singing, and strumming* their way through Oscar Niemayer's purpose-built structure. The first group enters about 9:00 in the evening. The last exits at 7:00 or later the next morning. Another group of seven floats and prances through the Sambadromo the next night. And the winners come through again a couple of nights later.
I had a first-row seat in Sector 9, one of the two reserved for tourists. It was ideal -- except for the boorish Americans who thought it perfectly all right to block my view, and the view of others, by standing right in front of us to camcord the event for the people back in Akron.
I finally took to demanding that each of them move, after 30 seconds or so standing directly in front of me -- 'I paid for this seat!,' I said -- but the poor Japanese fellow next to me, in a typically deferential way, had his view blocked most of the night.
Though they may be hard to obtain, I recommend getting a seat in one of the boxes on the opposite side of the Sambadromo. For one thing, they're covered -- a real advantage when it rains, as it did on the night I attended and as it often does during the carnaval season.
* 'It's Brazilian if you can shake it or beat it,' said a Brazilian wag. Leave a Comment Address: Sambadromo, north of CentroDirections: You can take the safe and clean Metro to the Sambadromo, but I recommend against it. Finding your entrance is difficult even when you're deposited near it by a taxi driver -- and the area around the Sambadromo is dark and not a little scary.
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 me in sector
5-arquibancadas-Sambodrome by mangueirense
Camarotes (mezzanine boxes) are the most coveted positions.
Cadeiras de pista are sets of tables with four numbered chairs.Tables are located on street level, offering a very close view of the parade.
Frisas - Between the tables and the runway, there is a row of frisas, open boxes with numbered chairs that sit from 6 to 8 people. They are as close to the runway as it gets, too close according to some. Frisas have chairs, and a small table.
Arquibancadas (bleachers) are the most reasonably priced seats. The elevated position gives you a better idea of schools as a group. Standard bleachers do not have numbered seats EXCEPT for the VIP bleachers of Sectors 9 and 11 are the most expensive, and have numbered seats. There aren't actual chairs to sit on - the bleachers are not much more than big concrete steps.
I personally would not choose the touristic sectors 9 and 11 because I guess they are a little too expensive.
You can have much more fun if you do not go to the touristic sectors because you will be under natives probably and there are cheaper sectors to go and see the parades as well or even better ...as for example sector 3+5+7.
If you for example stay in sector 3 or 5 you will have a great overview from the parades, in sector 4 you will have the pleasure to hear the samba beat closer to you, because the hundreds of samba players will have their break in front of this sector. Sector 4 is recessed, and the view to the parade is partially blocked by sector 2.
Would also not choose the "frisas" or ""cadeiras individuais", mostly because they are very near to the Samba alley and you have a better overview to the groups and cars if you choose the Arquibancadas. Leave a Comment
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 group with costumes in the
parade by mangueirense
Blumar Turismo
(tel. 021/2511-3636) can organize the whole event for you for about R$600 (US$300). For other organizations, contact Alô Rio at (tel. 021/2542-8080).
In 2004, Gringo (Tourist called in Portuguese)Sambistas from all around the world will be going to Rio for the first ever baptism of a gringo samba school and intensive workshops! Join them at:Unidos do Mundo Samba School
As a participant in the parade you do not automatically get a ticket to watch the rest of the event. If you want to see the other schools parqading you need to purchase a separate ticket. Then you will get a bracelet (pulseira) and can return to your seat after you paraded.
I would not recommend you to get a ticket to see the parade the same day you participate though, because you have to be at the concentration point at least 1-2 hours before the parade starts, you have always to wait there a little time more and then you dance the night away for about 45 minutes to one hour! Hey Man, that's making tired, especially if you are not accostumed to it...so stay away this day from seeing the parade and better go another day to see it!
If your school finishes in the top five there will be a repeat performance in the Parade of Champions, held on the Saturday after Carnaval. If you are not able to parade again, consider donating your costume to a fellow traveler or keen Brazilian, or try to get your fantasy home with you ;-)
But remember that at some airports you may get problems with your costume brought from Brazil...they often wants to charge you costums for it! That happpened at least to me at the airport of Düsseldorf when I came from Carnival 1999: but when I told them I didn't have any clou how much the costume price was they did let me go! :-))) Leave a Comment
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