Backstage
Samba City tour
Workshops and costumes
- Length1.5 hours
- IncludesSamba workshop
- RefundNon-refundable
Price it for your group
Rio Carnival tours: the parades, the rehearsals and the street parties
Rio: Carnival Backstage Tour at Samba City with Cocktail
★ 4.7 · From 620 reviews
Side-by-side: 4 options
Carnival tour cost for your group
Choose a carnival outing, add your party size and see what it costs to start.
- Samba City tour1.5 hours, non-refundable · starts at, per person $31
≈
View - Salgueiro rehearsal5 hours, transfer · starts at, per person $70
≈
View - Sambadrome rehearsal5 hours, transfer · starts at, per person $89
≈
View - Parade night8 hours, transfer · starts at, per person $550
≈
View
Starting prices as on the booking platform, converted at the ECB reference rate. You see the exact price at booking.
Rio Carnival tours range from a backstage visit at the samba schools' workshops to a night in the Sambadrome. Here are the dates, the tickets, the free events and how to dress for each.
Editorial team, lapapubcrawl.click · Updated November 11, 2026 · 7 mins to read
Basics
- Parade nightsRio Carnival 2027 parades are set for 7, 8 and 9 February.1
- Street seasonThe 2027 street carnival is planned to begin on 16 January.2
- Grandstand seatSpecial grandstands sell at BRL 250 a night, half price BRL 125.3,4
- Free rehearsalsLIESA's technical rehearsals at the Sambadrome are always free.5
- Backstage tourThe Samba City tour lasts 1.5 hours, from $31, non-refundable.
Rio Carnival tours: the choices at a glance
Rio Carnival tours fall into three groups: seeing the parades in the Sambadrome, watching rehearsals in the months before, and visiting the workshops where floats and costumes are built. The one with the most guest reviews among these is a backstage tour at the Cidade do Samba, the City of Samba, which lasts 1.5 hours from $31 and has 620 reviews averaging 4.7. It is not tied to the parade dates, so it is one way to see carnival being made when there is no parade to watch; check the listing's calendar for your days.
That tour includes costumes to try on, a samba workshop with a professional dancer and a caipirinha at the end, with guides speaking French, Portuguese, English and Spanish. It meets at the Cidade do Samba in the port district, 200 meters from AquaRio. One condition matters before you book: the listing says the activity is non-refundable, unlike the crawls sold on this site.
For the parades themselves, a Sambadrome ticket with transfer for Carnival 2027 starts from $550 and covers 8 hours, with hotel pick-up and about 6 hours at the Marquês de Sapucaí. A premium seating package with food, drinks and transfers runs to 12 hours from $1,856. Rehearsal tours sit in between, from $70 for the Salgueiro samba school with transfer.
Ways to watch
Sambadrome seats and their prices
| Seat | Who it suits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Special grandstand | Most visitors | BRL 250 a night |
| Half-price grandstand | Students, over-60s | BRL 125 a night |
| Frisa box | Groups near the runway | BRL 1,835 to BRL 10,200 |
| Parade ticket with transfer | First-timers | From $550 |
| Premium seating package | Full service | From $1,856 |
LIESA 2027 prices in reais as published; tour figures are starting prices on GetYourGuide, never quotes.3,4,12
How long does Rio Carnival last?
How long does Rio Carnival last? Longer than the parades suggest. In 2026 the city counted its carnival period from the pre-carnival start on 17 January to the official close on 22 February, the Sunday after the Champions' Saturday.9 For 2027, Riotur plans for the street carnival to begin on 16 January.2 The weeks before carnival weekend are full of blocos, rehearsals and parties.
The Sambadrome season itself spans 7 nights: 3 of Grupo Especial parades, 2 of the Série Ouro, the Champions' Saturday and the children's schools, run together with the technical rehearsals, as the city's carnival site describes it.7 LIESA, the league of the top samba schools, has scheduled the 2027 Grupo Especial parades for 7, 8 and 9 February.1
The Champions' Saturday closes the show, bringing back the six best-ranked schools to parade again.8 If you cannot get to Rio for the main nights, that Saturday is a second chance to see the winners. If you are flexible, aim to arrive for the week before the parades, when the streets are busiest with blocos and the rehearsals peak.
The Sambadrome and how it came to be
The Sambadrome on Avenida Marquês de Sapucaí was designed by Oscar Niemeyer at the request of Darcy Ribeiro, then vice-governor of the state.15 Its official name is the Passarela Professor Darcy Ribeiro, honouring the anthropologist who moved the parades there.16 It opened in 1984, built in just 110 days by some 2,500 workers and inaugurated that March.17,14
The parade route runs 700 metres, ending at the Praça da Apoteose.18 Today the venue has 13 sectors, food courts and a press room, with grandstands and boxes on both sides of the runway.19 In December 2025, a state law made the Sapucaí samba school parade part of the intangible heritage of Rio de Janeiro State, published on 19 December that year.20
The parades are organised by LIESA, founded on 24 July 1984 to defend the interests of the Grupo Especial schools.21 Each school prepares its theme, its samba and its floats for months, then has one night to win. Watching even one school pass, with its drums, its flag-bearer couple and a sea of dancers in costume, explains the fuss.
Your carnival
Which carnival experience suits you
Match your dates and style with the right way into the carnival.
If I am in Rio outside carnival
The Samba City tour
A 1.5-hour backstage visit, from $31, non-refundable.
If I want the full parade night
A Sambadrome ticket
With transfer, from $550, about 6 hours at the venue.
If I am on a tight budget
Free rehearsals
LIESA's technical rehearsals cost nothing to attend.5
If I love street parties
The blocos
More than 450 blocos were planned for 2026.11
If I travel with a small child
Blocos by day
Children under 5 cannot enter the Sambadrome at all.13
Ways in
Ways to feel the carnival
Carnival nights
Sambadrome night
The parades
- Length8 hours
- PickupIncluded
- At venueAbout 6 hours
January onward
Street blocos
Free, in costume
- CostFree
- Plan withBlocos do Rio app
- Best forDaytime fun
Sambadrome tickets, sectors and rules
LIESA sells tickets through Ticketmaster, and the 2027 sale of special grandstand and frisa seats opened on 10 September at 18h.23 Grandstand tickets for Sectors 2 to 11, except Sector 9, cost BRL 250 a night.3 Half price, BRL 125, applies to students, people with disabilities, people aged 60 or over and low-income young people.4
Frisas are open boxes at the front, taking six people a night, and cost from BRL 1,835 to BRL 10,200 depending on how close they are to the runway.12 Children must be at least 5 to enter the Sambadrome, a rule in place since the 2015 parades.13 Spectators may bring up to 2 plastic containers of 500 ml with a drink and up to 2 food items.22
Some things stay outside: cool boxes, glass bottles, aluminium cans, bags, weapons, sharp objects, plastic bags, fireworks and flares.24 For getting there, the city's carnival site recommends the metro: Praça Onze station for even-numbered sectors, and Central do Brasil for odd-numbered ones, about 700 metres on foot past the floats.25,26
The carnival year
How the carnival season unfolds
Late spring
Mini-parades in Gamboa
The 12 top schools preview their parades at the Cidade do Samba.6
Summer weekends
Free rehearsals
Technical rehearsals at the Sambadrome, always free.5
From January
Street blocos begin
The 2027 street carnival is planned to start on 16 January.2
Carnival nights
Grupo Especial parades
The Grupo Especial nights at the Sambadrome.7
The Saturday after
Champions parade
The six best-ranked schools parade again.8
Rehearsals and the City of Samba all year
You do not need a parade ticket to see the schools perform. LIESA's technical rehearsals at the Sambadrome are always free, with light and sound tests on the Marquês de Sapucaí.5 The 2026 rehearsal programme drew about 360,000 people.27 Check LIESA's published calendar and go on a weekend evening for the full atmosphere.
The Cidade do Samba in Gamboa is where the floats are made. LIESA created it with the city in 2003, with 14 carnival factories producing the floats and costumes of the Grupo Especial.28 In November, the 12 schools of the Grupo Especial hold mini-parades there on 27, 28 and 29 November, free for a donation of 1 kg of non-perishable food.6
During carnival itself, concerts fill the Terreirão do Samba, a samba ground next to the parade route, where 2026 tickets cost BRL 15 to BRL 30.29 Samba school rehearsals at the schools' own halls are another option: a Salgueiro rehearsal tour lasts 5 hours with pick-up in the Centro and 4 hours at the school, a good fit for a free evening in the weeks before carnival.
Video
A first-timer's guide to Rio Carnival
Larissa on YouTube · The video stays unloaded until you press play.
In just 110 days, some 2,500 workers laboured hard to deliver the building, which was inaugurated in March 1984.
Sambadrome checklist
Packing for a parade night
Allowed3
Left outside3
- Glass bottles and aluminium cans
- Cool boxes, bags and plastic bags
- Fireworks and flares
Getting there3
- Metro to Praça Onze for even sectors
- Central do Brasil for odd sectors
- Arrive early: the night is long
The blocos: carnival in the streets
For many people the real carnival is in the street. In 2026 the city expected more than 450 blocos, about 1,786 hours of parades and almost 7 million revellers.11 The 11 megablocos alone drew about 53 percent of that crowd, with an average of 180,000 people per parade, all in the Centro.30 Megablocos usually start between 8h and 9h, which makes for early mornings.31
Smaller blocos are spread across the whole city. The city's 2026 figures show 17.2 percent of blocos parading in the morning, 44.3 percent in the afternoon and 38.4 percent at night.10,11 The oldest and biggest is the Cordão da Bola Preta, founded in 1919; the Banda de Ipanema dates from 1965.32 Carnival Saturday and Tuesday draw the biggest crowds, close to 1 million people a day.33
The city publishes the bloco programme in its Blocos do Rio app, where you can build your own route.34 Join a small neighbourhood bloco for your first day before trying a megabloco. The city estimated that the 2026 carnival would move about BRL 5.9 billion through Rio's economy, with around 8 million revellers in all.35
What to wear to Rio Carnival, and staying safe
What to wear to Rio Carnival depends on where you are. In the blocos, costumes are the norm: glitter, colour, hats, anything light that you do not mind getting wet or dirty. Wear old trainers, not sandals, since crowds are dense and streets are messy. In the Sambadrome, dress for a long, warm night on a concrete step, with a light layer for the small hours.
Pack for the Sambadrome rules: no glass, no cans and no bags of the banned kinds, so a small pouch worn on the body works best.24 For blocos, keep the phone zipped into a belt pouch, a little cash and a copy of your ID. Sunscreen and water matter more than anything for the morning megablocos in the Centro.31
Official advice asks for extra care at carnival. The UK government says criminals target large celebrations such as Carnival, and Smartraveller says crime rises before and during festivals, with tourists targeted.36,37 Smartraveller also notes that spiking and methanol cases are more common during festivals such as Carnival.38 Stay with friends, keep valuables minimal, and on Lapa nights a guided crawl keeps the group together.
FAQ
Quick questions get quick answers.
When are the Sambadrome parades in 2027?
7, 8 and 9 February.
LIESA has set the Grupo Especial parades of Rio Carnival 2027 for 7, 8 and 9 February.1
How much is a Sambadrome ticket?
Can I see the samba schools for free?
Yes, at the rehearsals.
LIESA's technical rehearsals at the Sambadrome are always free.5
Can children go to the Sambadrome?
From age 5.
Children must be at least 5 to enter, a rule since the 2015 parades.13
What can I bring into the Sambadrome?
Small plastic bottles and snacks.
Up to 2 plastic containers of 500 ml with a drink and up to 2 food items.22
Can I cancel the Samba City tour?
No, it is non-refundable.
The backstage tour at the Cidade do Samba is listed as non-refundable.
When do the street blocos start?
In January.
For 2027 the street carnival is planned to start on 16 January.2
Sources
- LIESA, the league of Rio samba schools (liesa.org.br) · Rio Carnaval vai definir a ordem dos desfiles de 2027 ↩
- Riotur official carnival site (carnaval.rio) · Carnaval de Rua 2027: Riotur abre inscricoes para blocos ↩
- LIESA, the league of Rio samba schools (liesa.org.br) · Rio Carnaval 2027: arquibancadas especiais e frisas entram a venda ↩
- LIESA, the league of Rio samba schools (liesa.org.br) · Rio Carnaval 2027: arquibancadas especiais e frisas entram a venda ↩
- LIESA, the league of Rio samba schools (liesa.org.br) · Liesa define calendario dos ensaios tecnicos para o Rio Carnaval 2027 ↩
- Riotur official carnival site (carnaval.rio) · Cidade do Samba recebe minidesfiles das 12 escolas do Grupo Especial ↩
- Riotur official carnival site (carnaval.rio) · O Sambodromo ↩
- Riotur official carnival site (carnaval.rio) · Marques de Sapucai: historia, curiosidades e os bastidores ↩
- Riotur official carnival site (carnaval.rio) · Carnaval de Dados 2026 ↩
- Riotur official carnival site (carnaval.rio) · Carnaval de Dados 2026 ↩
- Riotur official carnival site (carnaval.rio) · Carnaval de Dados 2026 ↩
- LIESA, the league of Rio samba schools (liesa.org.br) · Rio Carnaval 2027: arquibancadas especiais e frisas entram a venda ↩
- LIESA, the league of Rio samba schools (liesa.org.br) · Perguntas frequentes ↩
- Riotur official carnival site (carnaval.rio) · Marques de Sapucai: historia, curiosidades e os bastidores ↩
- Riotur official carnival site (carnaval.rio) · O Sambodromo ↩
- Riotur official carnival site (carnaval.rio) · Marques de Sapucai: historia, curiosidades e os bastidores ↩
- Riotur official carnival site (carnaval.rio) · O Sambodromo ↩
- Riotur official carnival site (carnaval.rio) · O Sambodromo ↩
- Riotur official carnival site (carnaval.rio) · Marques de Sapucai: historia, curiosidades e os bastidores ↩
- Riotur official carnival site (carnaval.rio) · Desfile da Sapucai e reconhecido como patrimonio imaterial ↩
- LIESA, the league of Rio samba schools (liesa.org.br) · A LIESA ↩
- LIESA, the league of Rio samba schools (liesa.org.br) · Perguntas frequentes ↩
- LIESA, the league of Rio samba schools (liesa.org.br) · Rio Carnaval 2027: arquibancadas especiais e frisas entram a venda ↩
- LIESA, the league of Rio samba schools (liesa.org.br) · Perguntas frequentes ↩
- Riotur official carnival site (carnaval.rio) · O Sambodromo ↩
- Riotur official carnival site (carnaval.rio) · O Sambodromo ↩
- LIESA, the league of Rio samba schools (liesa.org.br) · Liesa define calendario dos ensaios tecnicos para o Rio Carnaval 2027 ↩
- LIESA, the league of Rio samba schools (liesa.org.br) · A LIESA ↩
- Riotur official carnival site (carnaval.rio) · Terreirao do Samba ↩
- Riotur official carnival site (carnaval.rio) · Carnaval de Dados 2026 ↩
- Riotur official carnival site (carnaval.rio) · Carnaval de Dados 2026 ↩
- Riotur official carnival site (carnaval.rio) · Carnaval de Dados 2026 ↩
- Riotur official carnival site (carnaval.rio) · Carnaval de Dados 2026 ↩
- Riotur official carnival site (carnaval.rio) · Blocos de rua ↩
- Riotur official carnival site (carnaval.rio) · Carnaval de Dados 2026 ↩
- UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (gov.uk) · Brazil travel advice: safety and security ↩
- Australian Government, Smartraveller (smartraveller.gov.au) · Brazil travel advice ↩
- Australian Government, Smartraveller (smartraveller.gov.au) · Brazil travel advice ↩