Rio Carnival Samba parade

Schools of the Special Group are affiliated with the Independent League of Samba Schools of Rio de Janeiro, and they parade during two days of Carnival (Sunday and Monday). The parade of The Access Group, a new institution at Carnival, is organized by the League of Samba Schools of Access Group’s and takes place on Saturday. The other groups are organized by the Association of Schools of Samba City in Rio de Janeiro, and which are now called Group of Rio de Janeiro. On Friday the parade of little samba schools, organized by EMSA-RIO, takes place; and there are also blocks of the parade for the plot, organized by the Federation of blocks.

The results are announced on Ash Wednesday, and one school from the Special Group is then lowered to the Access Group. The six best placed schools return to the Marquis of Sapucai on Saturday following the Parade of Champions. Similarly in Group A access, the champion moves to the Special Group, and one will be lowered to the Group of Rio de Janeiro.  This happens in all the groups, the first place school rising to the first group immediately above, and one school descending.

Each school has a parade time limit of 80 minutes and can have as many as 5000 participants; 30 minutes is the case for smaller schools in groups D and E, which do not even have 300 participants.

The school has its components divided into groups or wings, each wing being brought into the plot.  There is a battery that plays the percussion instruments and a wing of Bahia, the traditional carnival carioca.  A wing of children, consisting of 15 persons on average that is in front of the school, usually gives a theatrical or choreographic presentation.  The allegories, which are the floats, are where the highlights and central figures of the plot are located.

The dancers are the components that parade “Samba in the foot” because the wings do not revolve and samba.  The principals of harmony are responsible for organizing the elements of the parade; and the pair of master room door and flag, responsible for driving the flag of the school.  They are richly costumed and dance, all components singing samba plot in unison, led by the school’s official singer, the “puller”.

The parade of samba schools of Rio de Janeiro is organized as a division championship. There is a Special Group, sort of the first division, and the Access Group, which consists of sub-groups: Group 1 Rio de Janeiro, Group 2 Rio de Janeiro, Group 3 Rio de Janeiro and Group 4 Rio de Janeiro. Over the years the names of the groups, the number of participating schools and the rules of competition have changed.