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Sambodrome Ticket Guide

This page provides information about Sambodrome tickets for the 2009 Rio Carnival Parade in the Sambodrome.
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The Rio Carnival Parade or Samba Parade is undoubtedly the highlight of the Rio Carnival, a totally unique event in the world. It is something everybody has to experience at least once in life.

The Samba Parade is however not a street style party, where people just move about as they like but rather a highly orchestrated show of vast proportions. Thus it is not free. However Sambodrome tickets are definitely worth the money. You will experience (and probably dance to) such a spectacular show that you certainly have never seen before. The Samba Parade is often referred to as 'The biggest Show on Earth'.

The venue of the Sambodrome, the Sambodrome, can seat around 70,000 people. It has become too small for such a big event. The demand for tickets is obviously significantly bigger than the capacity as the Sambodrome is one of the most interesting and well-known events in the world. Lots of visitors from all over the globe arrive every year, just to see and experience it at least once in life. At the same time, all Brazilians and Rio inhabitants also want to see it as often as possible. Thus you should buy your Sambodrome tickets well in advance not to get disappointed. Do not leave it to the last minute as tickets sell out and prices increase with time.

Sambodrome Tickets - Description

A ticket is valid for one night only and is for a specific sector. You should decide for the day, seat type and sector.

You can buy tickets for any of the Samba Parade nights separately. The most important nights are Carnival Sunday and Monday, which are similar in terms of set-up. 6 of the best 12 Samba Schools (the Special Group) march on both days. If you only opt for one day it should be Monday. The excitement of the people already reaches its ultimate limits by then and the winner usually comes from that day.

On Champion´s Saturday, the best samba schools parade once again. It is significantly quieter and tickets are much cheaper.

For deciding on the sector of your ticket, you can study the description of the Sambodrome with the sectors' map.

Sambodrome tickets consist of two parts which are only valid together. One part, with a magnetic stripe, will be retained at the first gate to the Sambodrome. The remaining part, which you can put around your neck with the supplied string, is for your sector entrance. After you have checked into the Sambodrome with your magnetic card, you can come and go out of your sector as many times as you like and walk around within the Sambodrome but you can enter only your own sector.

In emergency or with special needs, you can agree with the Coordinator of your sector to leave the Sambodrome and return later that night.

Although tickets are allocated very early by the authorities they only issue vouchers to all agencies and applicants. These vouchers can be exchanged by the agents for the actual magnetic tickets only one week before Carnival, for security reasons and to avoid fraud. Thus tickets cannot be sent out before, nevertheless they can be delivered within Rio after they come into existence.

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Seat types

There are two types of seats: grand stand seats and numbered seats.

Grand Stand seats (bleachers or "arquibancadas") offer free seating with no allocated seats. You can get as high and will sit wherever you want and can.

Allocated/numbered seats are either in boxes or there are numbered chairs. All seats in sector 9 (the tourist sector) are also numbered.

The numbered chairs are right on the samba run-way at Apotheosis Square, placed on steps for better viewing, in front of sectors 6 and 13. All of them are allocated and only the person with the right ticket can take them.

Boxes are covered (suites) or open in front of the sectors.

The front boxes (called "frisas") offer better value, are right on the samba run-way, in front of sector 3, 4, 5, 7, 9 and 11 and are open. Each front box seats 6 people and has a little coffee table and is as close to the run-way as it gets.

Suites offer the only covered seating and are the most comfortable and stylish boxes, offering special services such as food and drinks the whole night. The best ones are in Sector 2 , a building on with 3 floors (A, B and C-being the top floor). They hold 12 people. There are more covered boxes in between sectors 3, 5, 7 and 9 holding up to 20 spectators in A Boxes and 18 in B Boxes.

Recommendations The drummers of every school stop, perform and play in the drummers’ niche where the atmosphere is the most intense. The front boxes in front of Sector 4 are located just opposite, offering the best view of them. Sector 11 is being one of the best grand stands as it is next to it with excellent acoustics.
Sector 5 is right in the middle of the Avenue, offering ideal views from the front and back of the Parade.
Sector 7 has one of the best locations and is more up-scale with most judges and better-off people.

Ticket Prices

Children under 5 can go for free. Over 5 they pay full price. There is no student concession.

Tickets are priced differently by the individual agents after the central allocation, reflecting their pricing policy. Agencies who source tickets from the central allocation charge less. Agencies using other intermediaries will charge more.

Sector 9 is called the tourist sector to justify the considerably higher price than all neighboring sectors. You might feel there quite isolated from the Brazilians and the "party". You will be better off in the boxes in front of Sector 4 for the same price and VIP seating.

Price differences between the sectors reflect what the market thinks about the view of the Parade from that particular section of the Parading Avenue. The best locations are around half-way and just a bit towards the end of the Avenue, being sectors 5, 7 and 11.

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