PARADE DAY OPTIONS

- Mirim Group (kids only) - (Friday during Carnival)

- Access Group A (Saturday during carnival)

- Special Group - Main Parade (Sunday and Monday carnival)

- Group B ( Tuesday during carnival.

- Champion Parade (Saturday after carnival)

Ticket Options:

A) Camarotes (mezzanine boxes) are covered suites positions. . Each private Camarote fits 12 people, and it includes drinks and food all night long.

B) Frisas, located on street level, offering a very close view of the parade (available on rows A, B, C and D). All Frisas are numbered, on all sectors and each frisa sits 6 people. It is not possible to guarantee at time of purchase, any specific row (A, B, C or D).

C) Grandstands (bleachers) . 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 have numbered seats. There aren't actual chairs to sit on - the bleachers are not much more than big concrete steps.

Depending on your budget, this would be our recommendation :

1 Frisas sector 9, 11 or 7

2 Grandstands Sector 9 (numbered seats)

3 Grandstands Sector 7 (seats are NOT numbered)

The entrance gate to sector 7, 9 and 11 is the same, which is the most secured one. Our staff will be present throughout the parade on these sectors, to help clients to their seats and with whatever they need during the parade

PARADE DAY OPTIONS

The gates of the Sambodromo open at 6 in the evening. The parades begin around 7 and last through the night past dawn till about 7 in the morning. The members of the schools meet on Avenida Presidente Vargas before entering the parade route and that`s the best place and time for you to take pictures since people are usually already trashed, besides, during the parade and soon after the parade there is so much chaos and such big crowds that it'll be more difficult.

Each school, composed of up to 6000 costumed people, has between 65 and 80 minutes to get the whole school through the 700-meter long parade route, which has a capacity for 60,000 onlookers. The school includes 5 to 9 allegorical floats which tell the story of that year`s theme, ranging from political or historical themes to light hearted ones. A school's drum section can have as many as 400 percussionists. You'll know which school it is by paying attention to the first float, abre alas, with the their theme and the school's name on it.

The school is judged on energy, enthusiasm, and organization such as, not having any gaps between the floats throughout the parade route. The quality of the floats and costumes, the theme, the samba song, and how it all comes together is also judged. Various details involving the performances of special groups of the school are very important too, such as the Front Commission, right after the first float, responsible for presenting the school usually with a clever choreographed routine. Bahianas are twirling older ladies in the school wearing large African style dresses. The Flag Bearer and Mestre Sala, the two principle representatives of the school, and the Old Guard, the oldest members of the school are also main attractions to pay attention to.

Be prepared for a lot of eye candy! It`ll probably be the most colorful experience you`ve ever had and I`m quite sure you`ve never seen so many feathers before. The most beautiful and famous women in Rio are big attractions at the parade, each one trying to out do the others, as well as up and coming stars of the future trying to appear on TV and get noticed. There are also professional Sambistas, called Passistas, that really put on a show dancing their way through the parade. Be there to cheer them on or buy a costume and PARTICIPATE!