Rio Carnival Dates for 2013
February 8th to February 12th
Avenues and streets fill with lights and colours, children dress in bright costumes and the throngs of locals dance to the rhythms of Samba. This is how you experience Rio Carnival, with Brazilians and people from all over the world in search of fun and a release from daily routines.
Book everything early as places for accommodation, samba parade tickets and Rio tours sell out!
Information about Rio Carnival
Click tabs below for Rio Carnival information & packages
Rio Carnival Copacabana Party Apartments
Most fun Carnival Accommodation you are going to find in Rio de Janiero! In 2013 the package starts on the 7th of February and lasts 9 days!
We have apartments in the Copacabana area, close to the beach for the Carnaval season. These apartments have 4 bedrooms which will accommodate around 10 people. There will be three to four people sleeping in each room, and although not modern luxury apartments, they offer everything a hostel offers (except breaksfast). You will have access to communal areas, an equipt kitchen to cook in with fridge, plus bathrooms.
Also Included:
- Share Room Accommodation (Maximum 4 People)
- Use of apartment facilities (Common Room, Kitchen, Bathrooms)
- Samba Parade Ticket
Copacabana Carnival Share Apartments (9 nights). This is the cheapest Rio Carnival package around, and only offered by the Green Toad Bus. It is desi...
R$1,149.00
Most other hostel carnival packages offers less and you have to share a room with heaps more people. This is a real bargain!!!
Whats Included:
Share Room Accommodation (Maximum 4 People)
Use of apartment facilities (Common Room, Kitchen, Bathrooms)
Samba Parade Ticket
Whats not included:
Transfers from airport or bus terminal
Travel insurance
Any meals
Rio Downtown Carnival Package
4 nights downtown Rio in the heart of Carnaval where the action doesn't stop during the biggest Party on Earth!
For More Information
Whats Included?
Airport or bus terminal pick-up, then return drop-off after package
4 nights in a Downtown 2 star hotel
Carnaval Parade Ticket (Section 4)
City Tour
Favela Tour
Printed Useful Guide & Map. With useful information and tips
The heart of Rio de Janeiro's Carnaval is found downtown. This is where the district of Lapa is found!Unlike the southern beach zone, Lapa is a 24 hour party where Carnaval never stops, as street party after street party flares up all over the place. You can be in the middle of it with our Rio Downtown Carnaval Package!
Take this opportunity to stay where the late night party is, and the beaches are only a bus, metro or taxi away for relaxing during the day!
Buy your Sambadrome ticket right here!
There are two seat types at the Sambodromo in Rio de Janeiro: Numbered Seats and Grand Stand.
Grand Stand seats are big, open air (bleachers or "arquibancadas") that offer seating with no allocated seat numbers. You can choose the area within your section, as high as you want, sit wherever you can.
Allocated/numbered seats are either in boxes or in numbered chairs. All the tickets in sector 9 (the "tourist" sector) are also allocated with a numbered seat.
Numbered chairs are right in front of the samba run-way, placed on escalated steps for better viewing. They are much more expensive and we only sell them on special requests, they are located in front of sectors 12 and 13. All of them are allocated and only the person with the right ticket can take them.
2013 Samba Tickets on Sale Now
For Sunday 10th or Monday 11th February only!
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Sambadrome Photos
Rio Carnival Samba Parade
The most famous Samba Parade takes place in Rio's Sambadrome. Samba schools represent various communities or social groups, and compete with one another in categories of music, costumes, themes, dancers, and performances. This simply translates into an overwhelming attack of sound and colour. Samba schools practice year round and receive huge financial support from its members, local government, or sponsoring companies. Each school's budget range from an estimate of $3-$5 million, all for one or two nights.
There are several major Samba schools in Rio, organized in 5 divisions. The first three divisions perform their parades in the Sambódromo (a Samba stadium). The best school from the inferior division performs on Thursday. Group 1, formed by 16 schools, parades on Friday and Saturday and then the 16 schools from the Special Group perform on Sunday and Monday, 8 of them during the evening. The order of appearance is determined by a draw, so both days are equally good to watch the parades.
Every school features from 3000-5000 participants, divided into 40 sections and more than 30 floats. The parades are limited to 90 minutes and points are lost if it takes any longer. The 10 selected winners, 5 from the Special Group and Group 1, do a celebration parade the following Saturday evening in the Sambódromo.
Every school chooses a theme, composes a Samba song, and designs costumes and floats related to the theme. The judges have critiria to assess each school and the best get promoted to a higher division and the poorest are relegated to a lower position, just like in a football league. The competition is rather intense and fierce. There is a money prize for the winners, financed by entry funds. It is possible to join a Samba school if you get to Río before the Carnival.
The Carnival´s Parade is the result of the community´s year-long efforts, largely from the city´s poorest districts. In order to understand the traditions of every school, the significance of the different performances during the parade and the carnival as a whole, it is recommended to visit the Carnival Museum in the Sambódromo, though small it features a great deal of photographs and the English-speaking personnel there are highly informative. Access is on Frei Caneca Street, Tel.: 293-9996; Tuesday to Sunday from 11am-5pm; free of charge.
The Sambódromo is located on Marqués de Sapucaí Street, Cidade Nova, not far from downtown. It is 600 m long and has a seating capacity to accommodate 60.000 people. Designed by Oscar Niemeyer, it is not only a venue for sports events, conferences and concerts during the rest of the year, but it also hosts a public education center for nearly 5000 children.
The parades in the Sambódromo begin at 7pm and last around 12 hours. The doors, not clearly marked, open at 6pm. There are different types of seats: "cadeiras", at floor level, terraces or "arquibancadas" and boxes ("camarotes").
The best boxes, reserved for tourists and celebrities, costs around US $1000. The other seats are closer to the action but you may have to fight to get to the front. Seats and boxes for tourists offer a better view, sectors 4, 7 and 11 are among the favorite, not being the case of 6 and 13, though with more room they are located at the end. The terraces, although a bit more uncomfortable, can hold the most fans crawling over one another, but this is the real spot to experience the local enthusiasm.
Taxis to the Sambódromo are negotiable (around US 10) and are easily available to return at the main entrances; the closest subway is "Praça 11", normally used by Samba school members already clad in their colorful costumes. The main bus and sub routes work for the entire carnival night but on an irregular schedule.
The majority of the Samba schools admit a certain number of foreigners, who usually pay double price for their costumes (starting at US 100); this money contributes to fund the school´s poorest members. It is necessary to be in Río at least 2 weeks before the Carnival for the purpose of joining a Samba school. If you speak Portuguese, you may phone the schools directly or you may be introduced by someone from the hotel or a tour guide.
It is important to be on time for the rehearsals, show respect for the section leader and get soaked in the event´s competitive spirit. For those with the energy and dedication, it will surely be an unforgettable experience. The "Concentration Area", where the schools line up before the parade, is an excellent spot to watch the chaotic preparations for the night ahead; people who can´t afford paying a ticket, come here to see the costumes on President Vargas Avenue.
All the schools show a preview of their performance in their own neighborhoods, usually a week before the carnival. It is worth seeing this, and photos are allowed. Carrying valuables is not recommended
Samba Parade Photos
The Worlds Biggest Party!!!!
The official start to Carnaval is on a Friday. The official opening happens at around 1 P.M when the Mayor crowns the King Momo (The Carnival King) and this takes place near Av Rio Branco. Banks (and pretty much everything else) close on Friday and do not re-open until Wednesday, but there are still plenty of ATM's that are open throughout the city.
On Saturday things get into full swing, and there is always a street parade on from 8:00pm on Av. Rio Branco, this is for the lesser samba schools that did not make the sambadome cut. It is a very informal affair, one school may pass then nothing for one hour, then 3 will pass, it is free and a good night out. There is plenty of people selling beers and good street food. It lasts most of the night.
There is a football game on at the Maracana stadium, on Carnaval Saturday. The safest option to see this is to organize transportation/tour through agencies. Generally it kicks off about 4:00 P.M, but this has been known to very, the game is usually a final between two of the big Rio clubs (Flamenco, Fluminense, Botafago or Vasco de Gama).
Every night there are bands playing by the Aquaduct in Lapa. There are also street parties around the Lapa area, with bars set-up on the streets. The city never stops. You will not believe it if you have not been before. If in doubt where the party is, head to Lapa!
Sunday and Monday are the main Sambadome nights, and everyone should go at least one night, some people go both nights, but if you go don't want to go both nights then a good thing to do is to go along to the sambadrome again anyway and make your way to the Av Presidente Vargas end, this is where all the samba schools prepare and wait to go in, this is free and it gives the opportunity to get a close look at the floats and outfits, a great atmosphere, with plenty of street food and drinks.
Blocos are the heart of Rio Carnaval with hundreds of neighborhoods getting together to hold their own. They parade around their local areas, with scores of people following in a joyous procession. Blocos are great to get involved with, but they do make it hard for public transport and taxis to get to where they need to go, so expect delays during Carnaval.
Rio Carnival Photos
Brazil Carnival History
Brazilians love Carnaval with a religious devotion, which makes sense, given its history.
Most accounts date the roots of Carnaval to a pagan celebration co-opted by the Catholic Church prior to Lent. Carnaval literally means a 'farewell to meat', the last chance to revel before a 40 day period of introspection and abstinence of worldly pleasures. For the religious, Carnaval represents a massive bender before things get solemn. For everyone else, no excuses are necessary. Americans celebrate Mardi Gras, there are variations in Europe, and huge parties are held throughout Latin America.
But it is the Brazilians who have embraced the holiday most, infusing it with samba music, jaw-dropping costumes, street parties and monstrous parades. Brazil's Carnaval origins date back to entrudo, an event for townsfolk to throw water, perfume, or sometimes rotten vegetables at each other, a way to let off a little steam.
After slavery was abolished in 1888, thousands of former slaves descended upon the illustrious cities of Sao Paulo and Rio, while many more stayed in Bahia, home of the sugar and cocoa plantations. Masquerade balls had already been popular amongst the elite for decades, but it was the introduction and development of these former slaves and their samba music - a blend of Angolan beat, European polka, and Latin musical and dance styles - that expanded the celebration of Carnaval to the masses, and into the streets.
Carnival Photos
Rio Carnival Blocos
Blocos are Rio's local street parades, A Bloco Carnavalesco is generally a much more casual affair than a Samba School parade. Most Blocos are happy for anyone to join in, though there are also a few competitive divisions of Blocos too - the winner of the top group each year gets promoted to the bottom division of the Samba Schools competitions.
Most Blocos have a samba enredo (song) and a bateria playing Rio Samba, but there are some variations. Most Blocos parade in the Zona Sul, near Copacabana or Ipanema. The big ones give you as vibrant a carnival experience as you will experience anywhere in the world, whilst others are very local affairs, but each has its own charms. The biggest, like MonoBloco or Simpatia é quase Amor, can have up to 10,000 participants.
Bloco Photo
Rio Carnival Balls
One ball is generally enough for people. There are balls on most nights, except Sunday and Monday, these are held at various venues around the city, Scala holding the Red & Black Ball (Baile Vermelho y Preto) on Friday as well as the Gay ball on the Tuesday. The ball which most people go to is the 'Red and Black ball'. This is affiliated with the Flamenco football club and everyone wears red and black clothing. It is held on the Friday night, and starts at 11:00pm with tickets bought at the door. It gets extremely hot inside, and extra crowded, there are 2 bands that play throughout the night, (samba music).
Tuesday night is the famous gay ball also at the Scala complex in the suburb of leblon, very easy to get to on the public bus. Entry is around R$80-100 but many people just go to people-watch around the entry, there is a little runway which those attending walk along before entering, this provides some great photo opportunities, as they always like to show off. Hard to work out what is what if you know what I mean, not the place to pull. But a good night, free to watch with plenty of street food.
Costumes are not necessary for any of the balls, but many people like to dress up. More exclusive balls are held at the Copacabana Palace Hotel, but the tickets sell for about US$300 and costumes are necessary.
Ball Photos
