The Professor Darcy Ribeiro Samba Parade Ground, known as the Sambadrome, is the stage for Rio’s samba school parades. It stands on Rua Marquês de Sapucaí, in the Santo Cristo district, close to Downtown.
It was designed by Oscar Niemeyer and opened in 1984, on the initiative of Governor Leonel Brizola and his deputy Darcy Ribeiro. Until then, bleachers were put up and taken down every year on Downtown avenues.
The runway is about 700 meters long, lined with bleachers, boxes and suites for tens of thousands of people. At the end is the Praça da Apoteose, with the concrete arch that became a Carnival symbol and also hosts big concerts.
The high point, of course, is the parade: each school crosses the avenue in just over an hour, with thousands of performers, floats, drum section and theme samba. The top-league (Grupo Especial) schools parade on Carnival Sunday and Monday nights.
Outside Carnival, the schools hold technical rehearsals at the Sambadrome in the weeks before the festival, usually free — a great way to see the Sapucaí in action without buying a ticket.
Tips: buy Carnival tickets well in advance through official channels. Wear light clothes, bring water and patience — the parades run until dawn. On parade days, the metro is usually the most practical way to get there and back.
Official website: LIESA ↗