Rio Carnival 2027: Dates, Tickets and Where to Stay

Rio Carnival 2027 runs from Friday 5 February to Ash Wednesday, 10 February, with the Champions' Parade on Saturday 13 February. The running order for the Sambadrome is already drawn, tickets are on sale, and the free rehearsals are scheduled for late January. This guide puts the confirmed dates, the ticket options and the practical side of the week in one place, written from our apartment on the hill above Leblon.

Carnival in Rio is really two events that share a week. One is the parade of the samba schools inside the Sambadrome, the purpose-built avenue in Centro where the schools compete in front of seated, ticketed crowds. The other is the street carnival: hundreds of free parties called blocos, each one a band or a drum section followed through a neighbourhood by everyone who wants to join in. Most visitors do both, and the week goes better when you plan which nights belong to which.

Everything below comes from official announcements. The parade dates and ticket details are from Liesa, the league that runs the Special Group parades. The Série Ouro dates are from Riotur, the city's tourism company, and the street carnival figures are from Agência Brasil, the federal news agency. We link each source where we use it, and we will update this page as the city publishes the rest.

Carnival is tied to Easter, so it moves every year. In 2027 Easter falls on 28 March, which puts Carnival Tuesday on 9 February and the whole week in the first half of the month. The official Carnival days run from Friday to Ash Wednesday, but the Sambadrome season starts two weekends earlier with the rehearsals and ends three days later with the Champions' Parade.

Here is the whole Sambadrome calendar in order. The rehearsal line-ups and the running order come from Liesa's announcements of the technical rehearsals and the parade order. The Série Ouro dates come from Riotur.

Sat 23 Jan

Free rehearsals. Children's schools from 17:30, then União de Maricá, Beija-Flor and Paraíso do Tuiuti from 20:00.

Sun 24 Jan

Free rehearsals. Children's schools from 17:00, then Vila Isabel, Mocidade and Unidos da Tijuca from 19:00.

Sat 30 Jan

Free rehearsals. Children's schools from 17:30, then Salgueiro, Imperatriz and Portela from 20:00.

Sun 31 Jan

The Lavagem da Sapucaí, the ritual washing of the avenue, at 17:00. Then Viradouro, Grande Rio and Mangueira from 19:00.

Fri 5 Feb

Série Ouro, first night: eight schools, opened by São Clemente.

Sat 6 Feb

Série Ouro, second night: nine schools, opened by Acadêmicos de Santa Cruz.

Sun 7 Feb

Special Group, first night: four schools.

Mon 8 Feb

Special Group, second night: four schools.

Tue 9 Feb

Special Group, third night: four schools.

Wed 10 Feb

Ash Wednesday. The judges' scores are read out and the champion is named.

Fri 12 Feb

The children's samba schools of Liesa Mirim parade, twelve of them.

Sat 13 Feb

The Champions' Parade, when the best-placed schools parade once more.

The Série Ouro is the access division. Its 17 schools compete for promotion to the Special Group, and its two nights are cheaper and less crowded than the main event, which makes them a good first look at the avenue. The Special Group is the one on television, with the famous schools, the largest floats and the most expensive seats.

The street carnival runs on a longer clock. In 2026 the city's official calendar for the blocos ran from 17 January to 22 February, which means parties on most weekends from mid-January. The 2027 bloco calendar is still being put together, and we explain the timeline further down.

Liesa drew the order of the twelve Special Group schools on 16 April 2026. Each night has four schools, and the parades run through the night into the early hours. If you want to see a particular school, this is the list to plan around.

Sunday 7 February

1. União de Maricá, 2. Beija-Flor de Nilópolis, 3. Paraíso do Tuiuti, 4. Unidos de Vila Isabel

Monday 8 February

1. Mocidade Independente de Padre Miguel, 2. Unidos da Tijuca, 3. Acadêmicos do Salgueiro, 4. Imperatriz Leopoldinense

Tuesday 9 February

1. Portela, 2. Unidos do Viradouro, 3. Acadêmicos do Grande Rio, 4. Estação Primeira de Mangueira

A few things help when you read that list. The first school of the night parades earliest and the last one in the small hours, so the early slots suit anyone who wants to sleep before dawn. Tuesday has two of the oldest and best-known schools, Portela and Mangueira. Sunday opens with União de Maricá, and Beija-Flor follows it.

The schools' themes, their sambas-enredo and their costumes are released over the months before Carnival, and the rehearsals in January are the first chance to hear the songs on the avenue. Most samba schools also hold rehearsals and parties at their own headquarters in the run-up to Carnival. Each school sets its own dates and prices, so check the school's official channels for those.

A samba school parade is a competition with a rulebook, and the night is easier to follow when you know what the judges are marking. In 2026 the Special Group was judged in nine categories, according to Exame's guide to the results. Each category had six judges, each score ran from 9 to 10 with decimals, and the results named one champion and sent one school down to the Série Ouro. Liesa publishes the rules for each Carnival before the parades.

Comissão de frente

The opening group, a choreographed piece that introduces the school's theme. It is often the most talked-about minute of the night.

Mestre-sala and porta-bandeira

The couple who carry and present the school's flag, judged on their dance.

Bateria

The drum section, hundreds of players who keep the whole parade on the beat.

Samba-enredo

The school's song for the year, sung by its lead singer and by everyone behind them.

Enredo

The theme, and how clearly the parade tells it.

Alegorias e adereços

The floats and props.

Fantasias

The costumes of the wings, the groups that make up most of the parade.

Harmonia and evolução

Two separate marks: how well the school sings together, and how smoothly it moves down the avenue.

A few things are worth looking out for from the stands. The first float, the abre-alas, carries the school's name and symbol. The baianas, the wing of women in wide, turning skirts, are a tradition every school keeps. And when a samba catches on, the grandstands sing it back to the avenue, which is the moment most people remember.

The results are read out on Ash Wednesday. In 2026 the reading took place at the Cidade do Samba, the schools' workshop complex in the port district, and was shown live on TV Globo, according to the same Exame guide. It is a long afternoon of scores read one by one, and for the fans of each school it is the most nerve-racking part of the year.

Sambadrome tickets are sold through one official channel. Liesa's ticket announcement names Ticketmaster as the seller, at ticketmaster.com.br/event/riocarnaval. General sales opened on 10 August 2026, after two earlier phases: the three-night Passaporte and a phase Liesa calls Ingresso Sambista.

The prices below are the ones Liesa published for the general sale. Check the Ticketmaster page for what is still available when you book.

Two practical points save a lot of trouble. First, buy only through the official channel. Liesa's announcements warn against sellers who offer tickets through WhatsApp or unofficial links, and a fake ticket at the Sambadrome gate means a night lost as well as the money.

Second, pick your sector with the metro in mind, because the Sambadrome is long and the two sides are reached from different stations. In 2026, Diário do Rio gave this advice:

• Even-numbered sectors (2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12): get off at Praça Onze and leave by Access B, marked Marquês de Sapucaí.
• Odd-numbered sectors (3, 5, 7, 9 and 11): get off at Central and walk about 700 metres along the route where the floats wait.

The camarotes, the private boxes with food and drink included, are sold separately by the companies that run them, at higher prices than the grandstands. If you buy one, get the operator's own instructions for access, because each one has its own entrance and times.

Buy only from the official seller, and choose your sector by metro station as well as by view. The Sambadrome is long, and its two sides are reached from different stops.

The best-kept secret of Rio Carnival is not much of a secret among locals. On four evenings in late January, the Special Group schools take over the avenue for their technical rehearsals, known as ensaios técnicos, and entry is free. Liesa says the rehearsals also serve as the tests of the Sambadrome's lights and sound, so you see the real avenue, lit and amplified, with the drum sections and the singers in full voice.

The costumes and the big floats are saved for the parade itself, so this is the music and the energy rather than the spectacle. It is also a relaxed way to see the place before you pay for a seat, and a good plan if your trip falls just before Carnival rather than during it. The four dates, with the schools, are in the calendar above.

The last evening, Sunday 31 January, starts at 17:00 with the Lavagem da Sapucaí, the ceremonial washing of the avenue that opens the season. Then Viradouro, Grande Rio and Mangueira close the rehearsals from 19:00. Arrive early on the busy nights, because the free seats fill up.

Blocos are the part of Carnival that belongs to everyone. There are no tickets and no fences. A band or a drum section sets off at an announced time and place, and anyone who wants to dance behind it follows. Some blocos are a few hundred people on a neighbourhood street, and the biggest draw crowds that fill the centre of the city.

The scale is set by the city. For 2026, Agência Brasil reported a record 803 blocos registered with Riotur, about 465 of them cleared to parade, and an official calendar from 17 January to 22 February. The city counted about 100 of those parades in the Zona Sul, the beach neighbourhoods that include Leblon and Ipanema below Vidigal.

The 2027 list is on its way. Riotur took registrations from 24 August to 24 September 2026, with final approvals due by 15 January 2027 and the parade season starting on 16 January 2027. When the official schedule is published, the biggest dates will appear on our Rio events page, which updates itself from the city's calendar twice a day.

A few habits make the blocos easy:

• Carry less. A cheap phone, a little cash in a front pocket and a card you can cancel. Crowds are where pickpockets work, and our guide to Rio scams and street smarts covers the habits that help.
• Start early. Many blocos set off in the morning or early afternoon, and the crowds and the heat grow as the day goes on.
• Drink water. February is hot, and a morning bloco is hours in the sun.
• Dress for it. Costumes, the fantasias, are part of the fun and nobody needs an excuse to wear one.
• Agree a meeting point. Phone signal often struggles in the densest crowds, so fix a place and a time before you set off.

From Vidigal, the Zona Sul blocos in Leblon and Ipanema are the natural first stop, because they start a short ride from the bottom of the hill. For the big parties in Centro, the metro is the way in and out. Our guide to Carnival in Vidigal covers what happens on the hill itself.

The metro is the backbone of Carnival transport. In 2026, MetrôRio ran 24 hours a day from 5:00 on the Friday of Carnival until midnight on Ash Wednesday, 139 hours without a break. Central and Praça Onze, the two Sambadrome stations, stayed open all night, and there was a second non-stop run for the Champions' Parade weekend. MetrôRio announces its plan for each Carnival shortly before it starts, so check its channels in early February 2027.

From Vidigal, the route to the Sambadrome is simple. The nearest metro stations are São Conrado and Antero de Quental in Leblon, both on Line 4, and since 2017 Line 4 trains have run straight on into Line 1. That means a train from Leblon takes you through Ipanema and Botafogo to Praça Onze or Central without changing, and brings you back the same way after the parade.

The streets are a different story. Roads close for blocos, traffic around the big parties crawls, and cars and ride apps struggle to reach you in the busiest areas. Plan the week around the metro and your own feet, and keep cars for short hops away from the crowds. Our guide to getting around Rio from Vidigal has the stations, fares and the Jaé card.

Carnival is the busiest week of Rio's year, and the best places to stay go early. The neighbourhood matters more than usual, because you want to reach the parties and get home again when the streets are full. Our full guide to where to stay in Rio for Carnival compares the neighbourhoods in detail. Here is the short version from the hillside.

The beach neighbourhoods of the Zona Sul, Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon, put you close to the big beach blocos and to the metro. Centro and Lapa put you inside the largest street parties and near the Sambadrome, which suits some visitors and keeps others awake. Barra da Tijuca is far from most of the action, and getting back from Centro during Carnival is a long trip.

Vidigal sits on the hill directly above the western end of Leblon. The Zona Sul blocos start a short ride away, the metro at São Conrado and Antero de Quental goes straight through to the Sambadrome, and the community is above the noise of the beachfront parties, which helps when you want to sleep between long days. The trade is the climb: the lanes are steep, and moto-taxis and vans take residents up and down the hill.

Our apartment is a two-story flat in Vidigal for up to two guests, with a terrace, a soaking tub and air conditioning in the bedroom, which matters in February. If you are coming for Carnival, the button below opens it on Airbnb for Friday 5 to Wednesday 10 February, so you can see straight away whether those nights are free. Change the dates there if you are staying longer, and note that hosts often set minimum stays for Carnival week. Airbnb shows the rule when you choose your dates.

February is Rio's hottest month, with average highs around 31°C, and summer afternoons often bring a heavy storm. Our month-by-month guide has the climate figures. For Carnival that means light clothes, a hat, sun cream and plenty of water, and it means planning the hottest hours of the day for shade, the beach or a rest.

Costumes are everywhere during Carnival, from full outfits to a single hat or a bit of glitter. Shops in Centro, especially around the Saara market streets, sell costume pieces in the weeks before Carnival, and plenty of visitors put something together after they arrive.

For a day at the blocos, less is more:

• A phone you can afford to lose, in a front pocket or a pouch under your clothes.
• Cash in small notes, and one card that you can cancel from the apartment.
• A copy of your passport on your phone, with the original left in the apartment.
• Water, sun cream and shoes you do not mind ruining.

Our guides to what to pack for Rio and to whether Rio is safe for tourists go into more detail.

There is no single right way to do Carnival, but a plan helps you pace yourself. This is one way to use the confirmed dates if you arrive before the long weekend and stay until the Champions' Parade.

Thu 4 Feb

Arrive, settle in and have a quiet evening. The week is long.

Fri 5 Feb

A morning bloco in Leblon or Ipanema, then the first Série Ouro night if you want a first look at the Sambadrome.

Sat 6 Feb

Blocos in the Zona Sul by day, and an early night before the Special Group.

Sun 7 Feb

The first Special Group night. Take the metro from Leblon to Praça Onze or Central.

Mon 8 Feb

Sleep in, spend the afternoon at the beach, then choose between the second Special Group night and a night off.

Tue 9 Feb

The last Special Group night, with Portela and Mangueira, or a last full day of blocos.

Wed 10 Feb

Ash Wednesday. Follow the results, then rest, walk the Dois Irmãos trail early in the day, or head to the beach.

Sat 13 Feb

The Champions' Parade, if you are staying on.

Whatever you choose, leave room for rest. Carnival rewards the people who pace it, and the ones who try to do everything usually spend Tuesday asleep.

Carnival is a week you remember for years, and most of what makes it go well is decided before you land: the nights you want at the Sambadrome, a base you can get home to, and a pace that leaves room for the beach. The dates for 2027 are set. The rest is choosing your week.