Marquês de Sapucaí Sambadrome

The Marquês de Sapucaí Sambadrome (Sambódromo) is the parade avenue where Rio’s samba schools parade at Carnival. It is on Avenida Marquês de Sapucaí, between downtown and Cidade Nova. Its official name is Passarela Professor Darcy Ribeiro and, since 2021, it has been heritage-listed by Iphan, according to Wikipedia.

Niemeyer’s work

The design is by architect Oscar Niemeyer. Construction, in precast concrete pieces, took about 120 days and it opened in 1984, during Leonel Brizola’s first term as state governor. The structure is about 700 meters long, and the parade runway measures about 560 meters long by 13 meters wide, according to Wikipedia.

The word “sambódromo” was coined by the anthropologist Darcy Ribeiro, the project’s mentor, combining “samba” with the Greek suffix “-drome”, a place for racing. With the new runway, the top league parades were spread over two nights instead of one.

The parades

At Carnival, the Grupo Especial (top league) schools parade at the Sambadrome with thousands of members, floats and drum sections. According to Riotur, the official 2027 parades are scheduled for February 7, 8 and 9, 2027. Tickets, sections and rules are in the Rio Carnival guide.

The technical rehearsals

Before Carnival, the schools hold technical rehearsals on the parade runway itself. In 2027 they are scheduled for January 23, 24, 30 and 31, with free entry, according to Riotur. It is the best way to feel the energy of the avenue without paying for a ticket.

Outside Carnival

To see a samba school up close away from the avenue, the schools’ halls (quadras) host rehearsals in the months before Carnival: see samba and nightlife in Lapa.

Getting there

The Sambadrome is near Praça Onze metro station and Central do Brasil, according to the MetrôRio network. See the lines in getting around Rio and other seasonal ideas in when to go to Rio.