When: The five days before Ash Wednesday (Friday to Fat Tuesday). The date moves with Easter, so it lands in February most years and early March some years. The headline Sambadrome parades are the Sunday and Monday nights.
Tickets: Free + ticketed extras — Sambadrome tickets are sold by LIESA (the official samba league) and authorised agencies. Grandstand seats (arquibancadas) are the affordable option; frisas and camarote boxes are premium. Buy official to avoid fakes; street blocos are free.
What it is
Two experiences in one: the ticketed samba-school parades in the Sambadrome, and the free, all-day street parties (blocos) across the city. Most first-timers do both.
How to get started
- Decide your mix: the Sambadrome parades (buy tickets) and/or the free street blocos (just show up).
- Book flights and a room in Copacabana, Ipanema or Botafogo three to six months ahead — the city sells out.
- Buy Sambadrome tickets from an official channel once dates are confirmed.
Tickets & where to buy
Sambadrome tickets are sold by LIESA (the official samba league) and authorised agencies. Grandstand seats (arquibancadas) are the affordable option; frisas and camarote boxes are premium. Buy official to avoid fakes; street blocos are free.
- Where to stay
- Book three to six months out — rooms near the action vanish and prices spike.
- First-timer tips
- Grandstand sectors 9 and 11 have the best views. Parades run past dawn, so pace yourself. Blocos are free, all-day and lively from morning.
- Watch out
- Pickpocketing is common in the crowds — carry minimal cash, leave the good jewellery and phone habits at home.
Several of these festivals are tied to Easter or a lunar calendar, so the exact dates shift each year. Confirm the current year's dates and ticket on-sale times from the official source before you book flights.