Rio de Janeiro/When to go
Rio Carnival 2027: dates, tickets, and the nights at the Sambadrome
The parades run from February 5 to 13, 2027. Which night to choose, how tickets are sold, and what else the city does that week.
At a glance
- GRUPO ESPECIAL
- February 7 to 9, 2027
- CHAMPIONS
- Saturday, February 13
- TICKETS
- Ticketmaster, from August
In this article
Rio's carnival has two stages. The samba schools parade at the Sambadrome, an avenue of about 700 meters between the stands, designed by Oscar Niemeyer and opened in 1984. The rest of the city takes to the street with the blocos, the street parades. For 2026, Riotur put 460 of them on the program.
The 2027 dates
The Série Ouro, the second division, opens the Sambadrome on February 5 and 6. The twelve schools of the Grupo Especial follow on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, February 7, 8, and 9, four schools a night. The six best placed come back for the Champions' Parade on Saturday, February 13. Ash Wednesday falls on February 10.
The order is already set. Sunday brings União de Maricá, Beija-Flor, Paraíso do Tuiuti, and Vila Isabel. Monday brings Mocidade, Unidos da Tijuca, Salgueiro, and Imperatriz Leopoldinense. Tuesday brings Portela, Viradouro, Grande Rio, and Mangueira.
The last champion
Unidos do Viradouro won in 2026, its fourth title, with 270 points, a tenth of a point ahead of Beija-Flor. Its parade was a tribute to Mestre Ciça, the master of its drum section. In 2027 it parades on Tuesday, February 9.
Tickets
LIESA, the league of the top samba schools, opened ticket sales for the Grupo Especial nights on August 10, 2026, through Ticketmaster. Tickets for the Série Ouro went on sale on August 18. Buy only through the official sellers.
The free rehearsals
In the weeks before carnival, the schools rehearse on the avenue itself. For 2026, the technical rehearsals ran from January 30 to February 8, on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, and entry was free. We found no rehearsal calendar for 2027 as of October 2026.
What crosses the avenue in one night spends most of a year in a warehouse by the port.
Samba City
The top schools build their carnival in the warehouses of the Cidade do Samba, by the port. Floats take shape there for most of a year as wire and foam. On a backstage visit, the costumes can be tried on, and the sheds are fullest in the weeks before Lent.
The city that week
Riotur expected about 8 million people at the 2026 carnival, residents and visitors together, about 6 million of them in the streets. February is summer in Rio: hotter, more humid, and wetter, and the UK government warns of sudden floods and landslides from November to March. Leave room in the days around the nights you choose.
For more, read The best time to visit Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro at night, and How to get to Rio de Janeiro.
Worth knowing
- Oscar Niemeyer designed the Sambadrome, and it opened in 1984 after only four months of construction.
- Choose your night by the schools you want to see: the order is already set, and the 2026 champion parades on Tuesday.
- Cash is still king. Cards are widely accepted. Keep small cash for beach kiosks, markets, and tips.