Rio de Janeiro Carnival
Rio de Janeiro Carnival
Rio de Janeiro Carnival
4.5
About
Perhaps the most spectacular party on the planet, the Rio Carnival rightly deserves prime position on your travel bucket list. From street bands and beach parties, to magical masquerade balls and professional parades in the purpose-built ‘Sambodromo’, the carnival promises five days of non-stop fun for visitors who have the energy to keep up! Make the most of your time (and budget) by booking everything from accommodation to events well in advance. Plus, if you happen to arrive in Rio early, head to one of the samba-school dance halls, where you can learn all the moves and musical lyrics before the carnival kicks-off – a real local experience!
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The area
Address
Neighbourhood: Copacabana
The rowdy Copacabana is one of the most traditional and old areas from Rio de Janeiro. This neighbourhood is a blend of Brazilian soul - crowded, rowdy and traditional. This neighbourhood has a bit of everything: bars with music, pubs, street fairs, chaotic streets, and many shops. All these things and more live side-by-side. There are options for all price points and tastes. However, the most powerful draw in Copacabana is still the fantastic view of the coast and the incredible beaches.
How to get there
- Siqueira Campos • 4 min walk
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4.5
220 reviews
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163
Very good
33
Average
7
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6
Terrible
11
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SydneyPaul
Sydney, Australia219 contributions
Feb 2020
Sydney may well have the edge on fireworks for New Year's Eve, but without a doubt, Rio has the final say on Carnaval! My partner and i booked our tickets in Australia not having any real idea of what we were doing. We were taken to the sambadrome with Blumar guides - these people really know their stuff - and told that we would see seven samba schools parage throughout the night beginning at 2130 and continuing on until about 0630. That was the first surprise. The second one was that every performer was an amateur and everyone had made their own costumes as their way of securing their place in the performance. The floats, music, creativity, inclusivity, the sheer joy of everyone dancing in the sambadrome and in the stands ws intoxicating. We lasted until the end and then went back to our hotel, had breakfast and went to bed. Many people way Carnaval is a "once in a life time experience" but I sincerely hope that i will get to do this again one day.
Written 24 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Peter M
1 contribution
Feb 2020
Our cruise ship Celebrity Eclipse stayed overnight in Rio during the carnival from February 23rd to 25th. Based on several positive reviews I contacted Do Brazil Right to book a 3 day Rio Tour and a night at the Sambadrome for the Carnival Parade.
It was easy to contact this company - the owner (Marcelo Zahar) answered every email immediately with perfect information and advise. He speaks perfectly English and can also be reached over an US-Number.The Website of Do Brazil Right is also very informative.
Our tour guide Isabella was very professional, provided valuable information and always made sure that after each stop everybody was ready on time to continue the tour. Her knowledge combined with her friendly and funny personality, as well as her positive attitude made our days in Rio unforgettable and the highlight of our South America vacation. Thank you Marcelo and Isabella for the perfect organization and outstanding jobs.
It was easy to contact this company - the owner (Marcelo Zahar) answered every email immediately with perfect information and advise. He speaks perfectly English and can also be reached over an US-Number.The Website of Do Brazil Right is also very informative.
Our tour guide Isabella was very professional, provided valuable information and always made sure that after each stop everybody was ready on time to continue the tour. Her knowledge combined with her friendly and funny personality, as well as her positive attitude made our days in Rio unforgettable and the highlight of our South America vacation. Thank you Marcelo and Isabella for the perfect organization and outstanding jobs.
Written 12 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Paula Rodrigues
Cyprus3 contributions
Feb 2023
To begin with, there was a 2-hour line for registration.
At the event, complete mess: an absurdly crowded environment, very little space to eat and sit. Absurd queues even to access the parade area, difficulty to get drinks and the ground floor's awning turned into a sauna.
To leave, there was a kilometric line to access the transfer. We gave up and had to walk alone outside until we found an UBER.
In short: not worth at least 1 cent of the amount paid, people who were in the grandstands certainly had a better experience.
At the event, complete mess: an absurdly crowded environment, very little space to eat and sit. Absurd queues even to access the parade area, difficulty to get drinks and the ground floor's awning turned into a sauna.
To leave, there was a kilometric line to access the transfer. We gave up and had to walk alone outside until we found an UBER.
In short: not worth at least 1 cent of the amount paid, people who were in the grandstands certainly had a better experience.
Written 6 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sabrina
2 contributions
Feb 2020
There is only one Rio, and carnival is nothing short of a phenomenon. I had the privilege of attending 4 times, and will always go back. Amazing creativity, musicality, percussion, community spirit and celebration with no bounds. A trip to the Sambodrome the competition is a must for at least once in a lifetime. Words cannot describe.
Written 5 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lesley P
Ilkley, UK220 contributions
Feb 2023 • Couples
Would give this 10 stars if I could, what an experience! We managed 5 schools and they just got better as the night went on. Felt safe in sector 9. We paid for transfers which was pricey (£160) for the 2 of us but I felt safe especially getting back to hotel at 4.30am.
Bars and food outlets busy so could do with more options.
A night I will never forget!
Bars and food outlets busy so could do with more options.
A night I will never forget!
Written 20 February 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AlexSwallow
Sheffield, UK1,656 contributions
Feb 2024 • Couples
We went to the Sambadrome on the Friday night and enjoyed it massively.
We went by metro, although it was a bit of a walk from the metro station, the journey was pretty simple and it was great that the metro runs 24 hours during Carneval.
The Sambradrome itselt is amazing, the parade area was so large and it looked like all of the seats got a good view. I was initially unimpressed that we didn't have somewhere to sit- maybe they had oversold tickets in our area, but we and others sat on some steps out of the way and got an excellent view.
It seems like the better performers come later in the night so the show got better and better. For reference we arrived after 11pm and left a bit after 3am I think.
Definitely something to try once in your life!
We went by metro, although it was a bit of a walk from the metro station, the journey was pretty simple and it was great that the metro runs 24 hours during Carneval.
The Sambradrome itselt is amazing, the parade area was so large and it looked like all of the seats got a good view. I was initially unimpressed that we didn't have somewhere to sit- maybe they had oversold tickets in our area, but we and others sat on some steps out of the way and got an excellent view.
It seems like the better performers come later in the night so the show got better and better. For reference we arrived after 11pm and left a bit after 3am I think.
Definitely something to try once in your life!
Written 14 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
アンジェロ
富良野67 contributions
Feb 2024 • Solo
Do not book tickets through Rio-Carnival.net. They are a resale company and not an official ticket reservation center. Don't be fooled.
I was cancelled at the last minute.
I made a reservation in November 2023 to see the Carnival in February 2024. The front row of Sector 9 was on sale so I bought it in a hurry. I was looking forward to a good seat, but it was a disappointing result.
On February 6th, I received a cancellation email just before the Carnival started. Please see the photo.
Other people have written similar reviews. You can cancel your application until December 31st. Let's apply again officially. I hope that no one will have to suffer the same sadness again.
I was cancelled at the last minute.
I made a reservation in November 2023 to see the Carnival in February 2024. The front row of Sector 9 was on sale so I bought it in a hurry. I was looking forward to a good seat, but it was a disappointing result.
On February 6th, I received a cancellation email just before the Carnival started. Please see the photo.
Other people have written similar reviews. You can cancel your application until December 31st. Let's apply again officially. I hope that no one will have to suffer the same sadness again.
Written 15 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
timaaeee
UK13 contributions
based on our experience of the 2007 Rio carnival
- If you have a group of you, consider renting an apartment for carnival week. We got an really nice apartment for 5 in leblon for around $60US each per night which I think was about the same price that the hostels were charging!
- Try and make all your bookings (flights, accomodation etc) at least a couple of months in advance. Prices tend to be set in advance but most accomodation will be fully booked after this time.
- Be aware that the main Rio Carnival samba parade is a very commercial event and is geared towards the tourists, in fact many locals prefer to leave Rio altogether and go to other areas of the country such as Salvador where it all takes place in the streets. That said the street parties (bandas) are really good in Rio and pretty much what you would expect for a carnival - a few thousand people drinking and partying in the streets, and they are completely free whereas apparently to get the best out of the street parties in Salvador you need to pay around $100US a time to get into the central (and safer) section of the bloco. We went to the bandas round Ipanema and Leblon of which there seemed to be one every night, moving slowly through the steets while blocking all the traffic, and ending up on the beach where the party went on till dawn. Everywhere you go there are street vendors selling beers or caiparinhas for about $3US which was great although toilet facilities were a bit "sneak into the nearest bar".
- The samba parade is definitely worth a visit - we went on the Sunday because some of us had paid to join the parade. There are a few websites that can arrange this for you and you get to keep the outfit afterwards although we had to ditch most of it after the parade because they were too big (the head-dress especially) to fit in our luggage. It cost us $300US each and this doesn't get you entry to the grandstands afterwards, you just turn up about an hour before when they are arranging everyone, then you parade slowly down the Sambadrome concourse for about an hour and end up on the street at the other end. It's great to say you've been in the parade but you don't really get to see much of it, for that you need to get grandstand tickets - we bought ours off some guy on the beach although I noticed all the hostels were selling them for around the same price. We paid $120US for sector 11 which I would certainly recommend as the view is just as good as some of the other sectors which are much more expensive for some reason? Most of the sectors seemed to have similar quality of view apart from sector 4 which is slightly restricted and sectors 13 and 6 which are really restricted (but cost almost nothing). We had to go on the sunday because we were parading but I would actually recommend going on the saturday as the tickets were around 1/3 the price for some reason, I guess because the more famous samba schools parade on the sunday and monday, but I watched some of it on the tv and it looked just as good as the sunday. You are allowed to bring in drinks in plastic water bottles although it isn't expensive to buy alcohol in the stadium. The parade goes on from 9pm till 6am each night but it does get a bit samey after you've seen a hundred floats and heard the same samba school song played on repeat for an hour each time. We left around 1am and went back to the beach party. Oh, one more thing - don't expect to see hundreds of hot females wearing next to nothing, almost everyone is dressed up in huge costumes. There were one or two though... :)
- there is a pretty good map of the sambadrome and its sectors at [--]
- Safety: we found carnival around Ipanema and Leblon to be perfectly safe and I certainly didn't feel uncomfortable walking around on my own at night. I think there are quite a few pick pockets around (mostly kids) - a girl I was with had her phone lifted out of her handbag at one of the beach parties, but we didn't see any violence of any kind. People told us that Copocabana was a bit seedy (there is a favella at one end) and there were plenty of poorer locals in the area around the Sambadrome downtown, but there was also a large police presence here and again we felt perfectly safe.
- other stuff: there's basically loads of events going on around carnival so you shouldn't short of stuff to do. We found Deep Dish playing at a club one night and there are lots of carnival balls which sounded good although we never made it to any. Be aware that carnival is towards the end of the summer season and everyone goes back to work on the Wed so if you are planning a 2 week trip you'll probably find a lot more going on in the week before carnival than the week afterwards.
- If you have a group of you, consider renting an apartment for carnival week. We got an really nice apartment for 5 in leblon for around $60US each per night which I think was about the same price that the hostels were charging!
- Try and make all your bookings (flights, accomodation etc) at least a couple of months in advance. Prices tend to be set in advance but most accomodation will be fully booked after this time.
- Be aware that the main Rio Carnival samba parade is a very commercial event and is geared towards the tourists, in fact many locals prefer to leave Rio altogether and go to other areas of the country such as Salvador where it all takes place in the streets. That said the street parties (bandas) are really good in Rio and pretty much what you would expect for a carnival - a few thousand people drinking and partying in the streets, and they are completely free whereas apparently to get the best out of the street parties in Salvador you need to pay around $100US a time to get into the central (and safer) section of the bloco. We went to the bandas round Ipanema and Leblon of which there seemed to be one every night, moving slowly through the steets while blocking all the traffic, and ending up on the beach where the party went on till dawn. Everywhere you go there are street vendors selling beers or caiparinhas for about $3US which was great although toilet facilities were a bit "sneak into the nearest bar".
- The samba parade is definitely worth a visit - we went on the Sunday because some of us had paid to join the parade. There are a few websites that can arrange this for you and you get to keep the outfit afterwards although we had to ditch most of it after the parade because they were too big (the head-dress especially) to fit in our luggage. It cost us $300US each and this doesn't get you entry to the grandstands afterwards, you just turn up about an hour before when they are arranging everyone, then you parade slowly down the Sambadrome concourse for about an hour and end up on the street at the other end. It's great to say you've been in the parade but you don't really get to see much of it, for that you need to get grandstand tickets - we bought ours off some guy on the beach although I noticed all the hostels were selling them for around the same price. We paid $120US for sector 11 which I would certainly recommend as the view is just as good as some of the other sectors which are much more expensive for some reason? Most of the sectors seemed to have similar quality of view apart from sector 4 which is slightly restricted and sectors 13 and 6 which are really restricted (but cost almost nothing). We had to go on the sunday because we were parading but I would actually recommend going on the saturday as the tickets were around 1/3 the price for some reason, I guess because the more famous samba schools parade on the sunday and monday, but I watched some of it on the tv and it looked just as good as the sunday. You are allowed to bring in drinks in plastic water bottles although it isn't expensive to buy alcohol in the stadium. The parade goes on from 9pm till 6am each night but it does get a bit samey after you've seen a hundred floats and heard the same samba school song played on repeat for an hour each time. We left around 1am and went back to the beach party. Oh, one more thing - don't expect to see hundreds of hot females wearing next to nothing, almost everyone is dressed up in huge costumes. There were one or two though... :)
- there is a pretty good map of the sambadrome and its sectors at [--]
- Safety: we found carnival around Ipanema and Leblon to be perfectly safe and I certainly didn't feel uncomfortable walking around on my own at night. I think there are quite a few pick pockets around (mostly kids) - a girl I was with had her phone lifted out of her handbag at one of the beach parties, but we didn't see any violence of any kind. People told us that Copocabana was a bit seedy (there is a favella at one end) and there were plenty of poorer locals in the area around the Sambadrome downtown, but there was also a large police presence here and again we felt perfectly safe.
- other stuff: there's basically loads of events going on around carnival so you shouldn't short of stuff to do. We found Deep Dish playing at a club one night and there are lots of carnival balls which sounded good although we never made it to any. Be aware that carnival is towards the end of the summer season and everyone goes back to work on the Wed so if you are planning a 2 week trip you'll probably find a lot more going on in the week before carnival than the week afterwards.
Written 18 March 2007
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
nozzie
Adelaide, Australia18,116 contributions
In early 2005 my partner and I spent three months travelling in South America. We saw some fantastic sights and met some wonderful people and just had a fantastic time but our absolute highlight was Carnaval in Rio.
Attending Carnaval is cited by many travellers as one of their most fantastic experiences ever.
To participate in it can only be described as mind-blowing.
We arrived in Rio only one day before Carnaval commenced. On checking into O’Veleiro our B&B, beautifully situated high on the hills at Botafogo and just minutes from Copacabana Beach, our hosts pointed out the big black plastic bags in the corner of our room. These contained our Carnaval costumes- amazingly detailed and finished right down to our gold sandals, which fitted perfectly. Incredible since all our communications with our host (Rob) had been by email.
We cant recommend O’Veleiro B&B too highly. Rob and Richard the proprietors speak English (Rob is Canadian) and they looked after our every need with great attention to detail.
The breakfasts were great with lots of fresh fruit and freshly made fruit juice.
The rooms are of a good 3 star standard and the views from the front of the house to Botafogo and Corcovado are to die for. The garden and swimming pool provide a quiet haven from the madness of the city and the beaches. Security and safety of their guests are a high priority and we were provided with explicit written instructions on how to use public transport and how to instruct taxi drivers.
Rob had organised everything for us including very good tickets for the Carnaval performance on the Sunday night and he had arranged for us to join a samba school performance the next night.
The Carnaval competition runs over two nights and then the top six samba schools are asked to perform again on the following Saturday night. Up to five thousand people perform in each samba school. The floats and costumes are linked by a theme and each samba school dances to a unique song written especially for them.
Each school takes approximately ninety minutes to dance down the one kilometre long sambadrome and the band pumps out their song and provides cues for the dancers who must also sing their song as they go.
Judges are placed at several spots along the route and each school is judged on a range of aspects including singing, dancing, costumes, theme song and floats.
The performances start at 9pm in the evening and go through til daylight. The sambadrome is flanked by thousands of screaming, gyrating and waving fans.
Rob had emailed us an MP3 of our school’s song and we had practiced– in Portuguese- and tried to learn some samba steps. We were quite nervous, as Rob was anxious that we didn’t let him down by not performing well for our samba school.
Even though we were only two of 3,500 people performing in the Porto da Pedra samba school, the competition is so tight that the performance of every individual is scrutinised by the judges.
On performance night we arrived at the marshalling point at 6.30pm for our 9pm start. Rob went with us, as did about six other guests from the B&B all dressed in our gorgeous lace ruffled costumes and wearing our enormous tall hats decorated with feathers and plastic fruit. Oh how my head ached by the end of the performance!
The poor marshals had many problems getting us all to stand in the right spots and in the right formations. The Brazilians love their beer and there were plenty of performers who had already over indulged and were just a little bit recalcitrant. Lucky we were first school on. No doubt it would become more difficult for the marshals as the night progressed.
However at 9pm when we heard our song the adrenaline flowed and our performance was deemed to be fabulous and WOW to be in the midst of 70,000 screaming fans, to know that your performance is being beamed to millions of TV viewers round the world brings an indescribable feeling. The colour, the noise, the sheer exuberance of the whole event is incredible and for us to be right in the very middle of it all just seemed like a magical dream.
But we know it wasn’t a dream because we have brought those fantastic costumes home with us and from time to time we put them on, put the CD on the stereo and samba round the house for the enjoyment and amazement of our friends and family. They are especially amazed when they see my lovely macho Aussie male wearing his gold sandals.
Attending Carnaval is cited by many travellers as one of their most fantastic experiences ever.
To participate in it can only be described as mind-blowing.
We arrived in Rio only one day before Carnaval commenced. On checking into O’Veleiro our B&B, beautifully situated high on the hills at Botafogo and just minutes from Copacabana Beach, our hosts pointed out the big black plastic bags in the corner of our room. These contained our Carnaval costumes- amazingly detailed and finished right down to our gold sandals, which fitted perfectly. Incredible since all our communications with our host (Rob) had been by email.
We cant recommend O’Veleiro B&B too highly. Rob and Richard the proprietors speak English (Rob is Canadian) and they looked after our every need with great attention to detail.
The breakfasts were great with lots of fresh fruit and freshly made fruit juice.
The rooms are of a good 3 star standard and the views from the front of the house to Botafogo and Corcovado are to die for. The garden and swimming pool provide a quiet haven from the madness of the city and the beaches. Security and safety of their guests are a high priority and we were provided with explicit written instructions on how to use public transport and how to instruct taxi drivers.
Rob had organised everything for us including very good tickets for the Carnaval performance on the Sunday night and he had arranged for us to join a samba school performance the next night.
The Carnaval competition runs over two nights and then the top six samba schools are asked to perform again on the following Saturday night. Up to five thousand people perform in each samba school. The floats and costumes are linked by a theme and each samba school dances to a unique song written especially for them.
Each school takes approximately ninety minutes to dance down the one kilometre long sambadrome and the band pumps out their song and provides cues for the dancers who must also sing their song as they go.
Judges are placed at several spots along the route and each school is judged on a range of aspects including singing, dancing, costumes, theme song and floats.
The performances start at 9pm in the evening and go through til daylight. The sambadrome is flanked by thousands of screaming, gyrating and waving fans.
Rob had emailed us an MP3 of our school’s song and we had practiced– in Portuguese- and tried to learn some samba steps. We were quite nervous, as Rob was anxious that we didn’t let him down by not performing well for our samba school.
Even though we were only two of 3,500 people performing in the Porto da Pedra samba school, the competition is so tight that the performance of every individual is scrutinised by the judges.
On performance night we arrived at the marshalling point at 6.30pm for our 9pm start. Rob went with us, as did about six other guests from the B&B all dressed in our gorgeous lace ruffled costumes and wearing our enormous tall hats decorated with feathers and plastic fruit. Oh how my head ached by the end of the performance!
The poor marshals had many problems getting us all to stand in the right spots and in the right formations. The Brazilians love their beer and there were plenty of performers who had already over indulged and were just a little bit recalcitrant. Lucky we were first school on. No doubt it would become more difficult for the marshals as the night progressed.
However at 9pm when we heard our song the adrenaline flowed and our performance was deemed to be fabulous and WOW to be in the midst of 70,000 screaming fans, to know that your performance is being beamed to millions of TV viewers round the world brings an indescribable feeling. The colour, the noise, the sheer exuberance of the whole event is incredible and for us to be right in the very middle of it all just seemed like a magical dream.
But we know it wasn’t a dream because we have brought those fantastic costumes home with us and from time to time we put them on, put the CD on the stereo and samba round the house for the enjoyment and amazement of our friends and family. They are especially amazed when they see my lovely macho Aussie male wearing his gold sandals.
Written 26 July 2005
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
William F
Sydney, Australia144 contributions
Feb 2017 • Couples
This is just a quick list of things that I wish I had known before planning my trip to Rio to see the Carnival. Some of it is opinion and my experiences are limited to attending the Monday night parade in Sector 8 Grandstand. It is written the next day while its fresh in my mind
Buying tickets:
Shop around the prices because they vary a lot between vendor to vendor. I bought a single ticket from each of agencies. 1. Carnival Bookers.com (Bookers International). (Cost $USD198) and 2. Rio-Carnival.net (which is run by a Brazilian company) (cost $USD157). Both were reliable, quick and no problems with my card. But this is an indication of the price difference ($USD41) for exactly the same tickets.
Picking up tickets
I opted to pick up the tickets personally. This took me about 2 ½ hours overall because I had to go to two locations in different parts of Rio but both were easy experiences. I strongly suggest picking up the tickets the day before. I had booked a pick up time with Bookers International but changed plans and did not use it. I would guess that allowing an hour max would have been suitable for just one location. In hindsight probably the deliver y option was worth it.
Which sector?
I chose Sector 8 Grandstand because it was a good location and cheaper than the reserved seats in Sector 9 (the so called tourist sector). The atmosphere in Sector 8 was great – everyone singing and dancing and sharing good times. My subjective observation is that Sector 9 was much more staid with much less dancing. We arrived at Sector 8 at 7:30 pm and we able to sit in the second row. We could have arrived as late as 8:15 and got similar seats. I was very happy with the view.
Using the Metro during Carnival week
We travelled by Metro to the Sambardrome. Note that all the ticket machines are closed during carnival and many of the entrances to the Metro are also restricted. You will not be allowed into the Metro at some station entrances at peak times without a ticket during carnival week and the queues for tickets can be long where ticket purchases are allowed. I strongly advise that if you are planning to travel by Metro to or from the Sambadrome or to use the Metro pick up tickets or attend Blocos that you buy a pre paid card – 5 Rs and put 15-20 Rs credit on it or buy a few single trip cards (Unitario) when you can at quieter times. The Metro is great to get around but this limitation certainly delayed and inconvenienced me during Carnival week and I wish I had known about it.
Cushions and Food drink in the Sambadome
You will be happy to have a cushion to sit on in the grandstands while waiting and in between Samba Schools. Everybody told me to bring one and so I lugged a pillow with me for my girlfriend but as soon as I got off the Metro at Praca Onze (stop for even numbered Sectors) there were dozens of cushion vendors and the price was low (5 Rs each), - these are quite thin foam so maybe two each? I wish I knew this.
The official advice is that you can bring two 500 ml drinks and 2 bits of food into the Sambdrome. There is a bag check but it’s not too strict. The main thing they are looking for is glass bottles. But bringing a reasonable amount of food and drink is fine though not a big cooler as far as I could tell.
Having said that the prices in the Sambdrome were reasonable (certainly in comparison to Australia where there is license to charge the sky) and there are vendors in all the areas. (Water 5 Rs, Coke 6 Rs, Red Bull 12 Rs). The prices are fixed and shown on the vendor’s shirts. Other food (burgers pizza etc.) are available under the stands and sometimes via vendors and were fairly priced.
How to make your self unpopular!
In the grandstands there is s strong feeling among Brazilians that if you bother to get there early and are in the front row, you have the right to the space along the rail. If you arrive after the parade has started and then decide that you would like to have that space on the rail, you will encounter a lot of angry reactions. I watched several foreigners’ just march to the front row and stand in front of the people who had been there all day.
I watched one young American guy violently shove an elderly Brazilian woman aside when she protested. As you can imagine this did not end up well for him and I observed several other scuffles in which these interlopers were ejected. You can get good seats even if you arrive after the parade starts but do not expect to occupy the rail in between the different schools without expecting some pushback!! The arrogance and ugly behaviour of some of these latecomers (almost always young foreigners) was truly extraordinary. Basically behave properly, interact with your neighbours and you will have a much more enjoyable experience.
The parade finished at about 6 am. Dawn had broken, the sky was pink and the music was still going!! The Tourist Sector 9 was about half full and looked pretty sad but the other sectors were still full and still dancing. Getting out and home is of course a bit of a struggle but no worse than any big sporting stadium in the world. Taxis were operating on the meter!!
Overall
It was fantastic experience and I would highly recommend it. To be honest I was a little worried about the crowds and finding a good seat and the day before was half wishing I had bought in the tourist Sector 9. However, after being there, I am relived that I ended up in Sector 8 surrounded mostly by local people. The warmth and friendliness of the Brazilian people is such a huge enjoyment and a part of the whole experience so go with an open heart and dance and sing and enjoy their Carnival with them.
Buying tickets:
Shop around the prices because they vary a lot between vendor to vendor. I bought a single ticket from each of agencies. 1. Carnival Bookers.com (Bookers International). (Cost $USD198) and 2. Rio-Carnival.net (which is run by a Brazilian company) (cost $USD157). Both were reliable, quick and no problems with my card. But this is an indication of the price difference ($USD41) for exactly the same tickets.
Picking up tickets
I opted to pick up the tickets personally. This took me about 2 ½ hours overall because I had to go to two locations in different parts of Rio but both were easy experiences. I strongly suggest picking up the tickets the day before. I had booked a pick up time with Bookers International but changed plans and did not use it. I would guess that allowing an hour max would have been suitable for just one location. In hindsight probably the deliver y option was worth it.
Which sector?
I chose Sector 8 Grandstand because it was a good location and cheaper than the reserved seats in Sector 9 (the so called tourist sector). The atmosphere in Sector 8 was great – everyone singing and dancing and sharing good times. My subjective observation is that Sector 9 was much more staid with much less dancing. We arrived at Sector 8 at 7:30 pm and we able to sit in the second row. We could have arrived as late as 8:15 and got similar seats. I was very happy with the view.
Using the Metro during Carnival week
We travelled by Metro to the Sambardrome. Note that all the ticket machines are closed during carnival and many of the entrances to the Metro are also restricted. You will not be allowed into the Metro at some station entrances at peak times without a ticket during carnival week and the queues for tickets can be long where ticket purchases are allowed. I strongly advise that if you are planning to travel by Metro to or from the Sambadrome or to use the Metro pick up tickets or attend Blocos that you buy a pre paid card – 5 Rs and put 15-20 Rs credit on it or buy a few single trip cards (Unitario) when you can at quieter times. The Metro is great to get around but this limitation certainly delayed and inconvenienced me during Carnival week and I wish I had known about it.
Cushions and Food drink in the Sambadome
You will be happy to have a cushion to sit on in the grandstands while waiting and in between Samba Schools. Everybody told me to bring one and so I lugged a pillow with me for my girlfriend but as soon as I got off the Metro at Praca Onze (stop for even numbered Sectors) there were dozens of cushion vendors and the price was low (5 Rs each), - these are quite thin foam so maybe two each? I wish I knew this.
The official advice is that you can bring two 500 ml drinks and 2 bits of food into the Sambdrome. There is a bag check but it’s not too strict. The main thing they are looking for is glass bottles. But bringing a reasonable amount of food and drink is fine though not a big cooler as far as I could tell.
Having said that the prices in the Sambdrome were reasonable (certainly in comparison to Australia where there is license to charge the sky) and there are vendors in all the areas. (Water 5 Rs, Coke 6 Rs, Red Bull 12 Rs). The prices are fixed and shown on the vendor’s shirts. Other food (burgers pizza etc.) are available under the stands and sometimes via vendors and were fairly priced.
How to make your self unpopular!
In the grandstands there is s strong feeling among Brazilians that if you bother to get there early and are in the front row, you have the right to the space along the rail. If you arrive after the parade has started and then decide that you would like to have that space on the rail, you will encounter a lot of angry reactions. I watched several foreigners’ just march to the front row and stand in front of the people who had been there all day.
I watched one young American guy violently shove an elderly Brazilian woman aside when she protested. As you can imagine this did not end up well for him and I observed several other scuffles in which these interlopers were ejected. You can get good seats even if you arrive after the parade starts but do not expect to occupy the rail in between the different schools without expecting some pushback!! The arrogance and ugly behaviour of some of these latecomers (almost always young foreigners) was truly extraordinary. Basically behave properly, interact with your neighbours and you will have a much more enjoyable experience.
The parade finished at about 6 am. Dawn had broken, the sky was pink and the music was still going!! The Tourist Sector 9 was about half full and looked pretty sad but the other sectors were still full and still dancing. Getting out and home is of course a bit of a struggle but no worse than any big sporting stadium in the world. Taxis were operating on the meter!!
Overall
It was fantastic experience and I would highly recommend it. To be honest I was a little worried about the crowds and finding a good seat and the day before was half wishing I had bought in the tourist Sector 9. However, after being there, I am relived that I ended up in Sector 8 surrounded mostly by local people. The warmth and friendliness of the Brazilian people is such a huge enjoyment and a part of the whole experience so go with an open heart and dance and sing and enjoy their Carnival with them.
Written 28 February 2017
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Hola, acabo de reservar entradas para el carnaval de rio 2023, para el 1 dia. Voy con mi esposa e hijos pequeños. Compre las entradas por viagogo. Alguna recomendacion? Me preocupa la seguridad
Written 7 November 2022
I'm going to Rio carnival - flights and accommodation booked, how much should I budget per day for food and drink?
Written 4 February 2020
Hello! I am trying to visit Carnaval next month, but I'm trying to minimize time spent in Rio in order to visit other sites in Brazil. Does anyone know which dates and events I should save for Carnaval?
Written 8 January 2020
I am going to Rio in February on a cruise. We shall be in Rio harbour for 2 nights. Carnival tickets from the cruise ship are very expensive. Can anyone recommend a tour company in Rio that would collect and return us to our cruise ship. Many thanks, Gill
Written 19 December 2019
Gill:It is hard if not impossible to find a reliable tour company during Carnival . The cruise ship fees might look expensive but all those transportation companies are thoroughly interviewed and inspected by the cruise industry. I would recommend to use those because during Carnival things are crazy in Rio. Most time the cheap becomes expensive especially when it concerns safety. The taxi cabs are widely available ( small VW cars missing the front passenger seat..) but they drive like crazy and you'll never know how much they'll be charging you at the end of the trip.They tend to overcharge and if you call the police they always side with the taxis. I lived there for 3 years and I heard horror stories about the local taxis so beware!! I hope you enjoy Rio especially the entrance to the bay at arrival. One of the most beautiful bays in the world.
Written 21 December 2019
Hello, I am hoping you can help. I am from the UK and would love to go to Rio Carnival and definitely would like to see the Best Sambadrome Carnival Floats. Can you offer any information on the best place to get tickets on line? What is the best day to book? Should I do so before I travel or will I be able to get tickets at a better price whilst I'm in Brazil?
the ticket prices are so conflicting when I compare to Brazilian sites. any other information you can offer would be helpful too Your help would be really appreciated.
Written 19 November 2019
I booked a specific hotel and flights months in advance so didn't want to take any risks and booked my tickets well in advance. I don't know if you'll get cheaper tickets there, I didn't see any evidence of this, most people I spoke to had booked in advance, especially if you want a good view. Ticket prices vary massively from night to night and based on where you are in the sambadrome, at the start of the runway cheaper, getting more expensive as you go down and most expensive where the judges are at the end, as, apparently this is where dancers show off the most, this is based on the main weekend when judging takes place with the Carnival / competition over 4-5 nights. However, I went to the Champions Parade the following weekend when all the best floats and winners parade, and you see every winning float. whereas the weekend before you may chose a night without the best floats. The atmosphere is incredible, the floats beyond anything I could have imagined, a real once in a lifetime experience that I'll never forget.The tickets were cheaper that weekend but the experience, in my opinion, the same as Carnival weekend but with better floats. I used Bookers International, got ground level tickets halfway down the runway.....amazing! I had no concerns about safety, got a taxi down there for peanuts and nothing inside is expensive. The only expensive part is the ticket. You have to do it. If you need to know anything else, shout.
Written 19 November 2019
Hello! Me and my friend want to go to the carnival, but only two days (arrive on sunday and leave on tuesday). Is it possible to travel around the city: from the airport to the hostel and from the hostel to Paraty/Ilha Grande? And what is the best way to do this? We hope you can help us. Thanks!
Written 12 September 2019
Hola!! Vamos con mi pareja a los Carnavales de febrero del 2020 pero aún no conseguimos dónde comprar las entradas desde España.
Estamos mirando en varias webs pero todas son o falsas i te cobran el doble de lo que en realidad vale la entradas o tiene valoraciones malas.
Alguien saber de alguna web real con precios reales? Que te envíen las entradas con confirmación y todo verificado?
Gracias
Un saludo
Written 1 September 2019
Hola! Iremos también en 2020 y sacamos los tickets mediante la web Bookers International, ya que está mejor calificada.
Para disipar dudas (no nos quedaba claro si era sitio oficial o no) llamamos por teléfono y nos aclararon bien todo. Básicamente la organización de carnavales deriva la venta de los tickets a varias agencias, asignando determinada cantidad de cupos a cada una. Es por ello que al comprar, hablan de 'reserva' y no de determinada butaca, ya que el número de la ubicación será determinado una vez que las agencias cuenten concretamente con las ubicaciones. Esto no quiere decir que la venta sea tentativa, sino que simplemente no saben cuál será la numeración precisa de la ubicación: sólo se asegura el friso, grada, palco o sector en general.
El precio dependerá mucho de sí se reserva con traslados o no, y además, de las fechas en las que se reserven los tickets. Nosotras reservamos en Junio, pero cuanto más se acercan las fechas, más valor tienen las entradas.
Las entradas se retiran en un punto específico . Hay opciones de envío pero en nuestro caso no daban los tiempos, ya que llegamos desde Argentina el 21/2. En nuestro mail de confirmación nos dejaron una serie de teléfonos y el correspondiente a España es +34 9114 36841. Cualquier cosa en la que pueda serte de ayuda desde mi experiencia, no dudes en escribirme.
Saludos!
Written 2 September 2019
Does anyone know how much a package from South Africa to the festival generally costs? I’d like a rough idea of what I could be expecting to spend - flights, accom +- parade tickets
Written 28 August 2019
hello
which websites i should aviod for booking tickets to the carnival
if any body had a bad experience please inform me
thanks
Written 25 August 2019
Can you suggest a tour company for packages or did you arrange everything yourself? What hotel did you stay in and how was it?
Written 28 May 2019
I did everything on my own. Stayed at Vilamar a 3 star hotel that was comfortable, good breakfast and friendly staff. It is close to subway to get to Sambadrome. Use Uber cheap and good service.
Written 29 May 2019
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