Rio.com / Rio Carnival / Preparing to Parade

All you need is your stamina, joy and willingness to follow the Carnival Parade

Preparations for the Rio Carnival carry on for months. However, as a visitor it is suggested to have one rehearsal with the samba school of your choice, and purchase your costume in advance of arriving in Rio de Janeiro. All you need is the stamina to parade the whole length of the samba runway, the drive, and the will to win. Your role in the parade will be explained in detail by the president of your wing. This will include learning the words of the samba song. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know Portuguese; you can try your best to sing out whatever you can. The song and powerful beats of the samba drums is what makes the crowd go wild. Keep in mind each school spends the whole year preparing for this one performance. Therefore do your best to perform to standards. Keep smiling, singing and dancing through the whole parade as what you do can add or loose points for your school.

The Wing President’s checklist

Your wing president will get you to learn a few samba steps from the professionals. This is something that goes well with your costume if you do manage to master a few steps. However, this is not necessary, as you may end up holding the parade if you can’t get the steps right. Most importantly, your wing president will ensure that your costume is in order before the parade. One of his main tasks is to ensure that all is in order as far as the costumes are concerned. Make sure you don’t lose any part of the costume or you will have to sit on the sidelines. Let your Wing President know if part of your costume is broken or torn. He will try and make sure your costume gets fixed before you enter the Sambadrome.

Getting there on time

Getting to the Sambadrome with your costume on time for rehearsal is equally important. Finding your wing is easy because everyone else in your group will be wearing the same costume. The samba schools gather on Avenida President Vargas near Sector 1. Take note if you are to gather at the even or odd numbered sector. The even numbered sector meets near Sector 2 at the Correios building. Odd numbered sectors meet next to Sector 1 near the “Balança mais não cai” building.