More
Carnival in Rio
tips & insights

Samba
School defined

A samba school has nothing to do with education. It is typically a group from a poor neighborhood organized to produce a lavish Carnival of Rio procession - for the fun of it.

Selective

Only the best 14 samba schools parade through the big-time Sambodromo (the rest conduct street processions during Carnival of Rio).

Keen Carnival
in Rio competition

Every samba school strives to be judged the best overall.

Slow moving

It can take over an hour for a single samba school to pass a given point along the parade route.

Carnival in Rio floats

Each samba school has showy floats, which are often adorned with sensuous females vibrating to the hypnotic music.

Bands and
singer-dancers

The floats are accompanied by marching samba bands numbering up to 300 musicians - their drummers ceaselessly pound the contagious samba beat that helps define the Carnival in Rio. All are escorted by a sea of flamboyantly or scantily clad singer-dancers.

Concerted effort

These diverse parade elements must work as a single unit, dramatizing the same theme, which the samba school changes annually for the Carnival in Rio.

Learn More

for next Carnival in Rio page

Know my other
Brazil tips and insights

Amazon Rainforest
Brasilia
Carnival in Rio
Christ the Redeemer Statue
Copacabana Beach
Fernando de Noronha
Iguacu Falls
Ipanema Beach
Niteroi Contemporary Museum Art
Panoramic Views
Salvador de Bahia
Sugar Loaf Mountain
Teatro Amazonas

Brazil Wonders - Top 10 Rankings
Brazilian cuisine

 

Embratur

 

World's Top 100 Wonders
World's Top 1000 Wonders

Site map
My credentials
About my website and criteria
Reader testimonials