Parade of samba schools Rio Carnival

Early History
Parade of the samba schools of Rio de Janeiro is considered the most popular show in the world.

The parades were held on Sunday of Carnival in Plaza Eleven. In 1942, due to construction on President Vargas Avenue, the parade changed location. In 1945 it was held in the Januario stadium.  From 1947, the parades were again on President Vargas Avenue. In 1952 bleachers are installed for the public to attend the parades.

In 1961 the fashionable event began charging the public an entry fee. In 1974, due to works in the subway, the event was held at President Avenue Antonio Carlos. In 1978 the parades began being held on the streets of Marques Sapucai. In 1983, the governor ordered Brizola Oscar Niemeyer to design a site for the definitive fashion, because until then the bleachers were installed at the time of carnival and then disassembled.

The venue itself was the Marquis de Sapucai, now being used exclusively for the show, but closed to traffic. It was inaugurated on March 2, 1984 and is now popularly known as ‘Sambadrome’, although its official name is Passarela Samba. In the first year of the new catwalk parade, there was a change in fashion; going to the end of the catwalk, which is in the form of square and should contain an ‘apotheosis’. The site, in fact, was known as the Square Of Apotheosis. This practice was abandoned in subsequent years, and this square is today used for music events.

On February 18, 1997 the name of the venue was changed to Passarela Professor Darcy Ribeiro, in tribute to the creator of the project. The popular name ‘Sambadrome’ prevailed, however.

As the number of schools and the number of participants in each school increased the show became long and tiring for the public. Thus, since 1984 the parade is held in two days: Sunday and Monday. Initially a winner was declared for each parade and then a super-champion, a general result of the champions parade held on Saturday following the parades. But this practice has not succeeded.

The parades of the Special Group, and the Access Groups Rio de Janeiro Group A and Rio de Janeiro Group B occur in the Sambadrome. But the parades of Rio de Janeiro Access Groups C, D and E occur in Estrada Intendente Magalhaes bleachers where they are presented to the public. The parades of the championships take place on September 28 in blocks of the Boulevard, Avenida Rio Branco, in the Intendente Bonsucesso.