Image: Carnival parade at the Sambadrome, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Highlights
– Our experience in going to the Rio de Janeiro 2026 Carnaval in Brazil.
Time of Visit: February 2026
Duration of Visit: Nine nights
Description
The Rio de Janeiro Carnival in Brazil is considered one of the largest carnival celebrations. Of all the cultural celebrations we have witnessed, there is nothing quite like the carnival in Rio de Janeiro. It is extravagant, full of energy and quite frankly, shocking to have witnessed for the first time. Rio’s Carnaval motto is that “It cannot be explained. It has to be lived.”
The carnival is a multi-day celebration leading up to Ash Wednesday and even beyond. There are two types of celebrations which are the block parties (commonly referred to as blocos) and the pageantry held at the Sambadrome.
The blocos are spread throughout the city and occur at different days and times. We only witnessed a couple of those. Blocos are more immersive as anyone can join in. Basically, there is a band (or drum corp) that plays and walks around the neighborhood. The revelers follow the band while they chug their favorite drink, dance to the beat and have a good time.
The carnival pageantry is a competition among Samba schools and is held at the Sambadrome. These schools build huge floats, most about three stories high and the participants wear elaborate and colorful costumes. While parading, they put on a choreographed show for the judges and audience. It is truly an event like no other. Like the block parties, the atmosphere here is festive and full of energy despite continuing in the early morning hours.
There are multiple events held in the Sambadrome during the carnival. We only went to one which was held during Fat Tuesday that spilled into Ash Wednesday. In our research, the events held on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday are the most energetic because the parade includes the top Samba schools. There is also a champions parade that is held the Saturday after the main competition.
Here, we provide information on how to find the block parties and our experience in going to the Sambadrome competition.
Activities
Block Parties
Rio de Janeiro is a huge city. Finding when and where the block party celebrations can be challenging if you do not know where to look. Fortunately, there is an app to help partygoers. For 2026, it was called “Blocos do Rio 2026”. The app lists the different block parties, the time and the neighborhood.
The exact location is not pinpointed. But if you arrive in the area, just follow the crowd and chances are they are headed for the celebration.
Sambadrome and Camarote Mar Experience
As described earlier, the elaborate floats and costumed participants from different Samba schools compete at the Sambadrome. The Sambadrome is basically a road, called a runway, that has stadium seats on both sides, Frisas (front boxes) and Camarotes (lounges that are fully catered VIP experience). The stadium seats and Frisas sell out quickly as those are more economical compared to the Camarotes. We were only able to secure tickets for Camarote Mar and we will explain why below. Additionally, we will walk you through our experience from purchasing the tickets, attending the carnival at the Sambadrome and leaving the carnival.
Selecting a Camarote
We used ChatGPT to gain insight about the different Camarotes. A Camarote is basically a private company that has secured a VIP lounge in the Sambadrome. ChatGPT recommended Camarote Mar, VerdeRosa, Allegria, Box Nota 10 and a few others.
In the end, we decided on Camarote Mar because it is located in Sector 6 which is the parade midpoint (there are 12 sectors) and where the judges sit. According to ChatGPT, the participants pause (from marching forward) and perform in front of the judges. Judges are located on both sides (Sectors 6 and 7) so this was, in our mind, the place to be.
Also, Camarote Mar was the cheapest among the available Camarotes at the time.
Buying Tickets
We made plans to go to the Rio de Janeiro Carnival by December of the previous year. We booked an AirBnB and learned from our host that we needed to buy tickets to the Sambadrome. Our host sent us the link to Ticketmaster Brazil which is the official carnival ticket seller. Our host also told us that the grandstand and Frisas are sold out and the only ones left are the expensive VIP Camarotes.
Indeed the Camarotes prices are shockingly expensive but we decided to go for it as it is a once in a lifetime experience. Having decided on Camarote Mar, we tried four times with four different credit cards to purchase the tickets on-line and the transaction would simply not go through. We even called our credit card company before making the purchase to make sure the transaction would not be denied.
Because everything is automated now, the credit card company fraud protection software initially denied the transaction even after giving them a heads-up of the upcoming transaction. After acknowledging the transaction was legitimate, any succeeding attempt to purchase ended in failure. We always get a message from Ticketmaster to call the credit card company while the credit card company says they do not even see the charge from Ticketmaster.
To make the long story short, we were only able to purchase the tickets when we arrived in Rio de Janeiro. We went to the Ticketmaster office at Marina da Gloria and physically used our credit card to pay. We also had to download the app called “Quentro” which is what Ticketmaster uses to send the QR code that will be used for credentialing by Camarotes Mar and gain entry to the Sambadrome. A passport is needed to make the purchase.
Credentialing
With the Camarote Mar ticket secured, the next step was credentialing by Camarote Mar. Credentialing means the Camarote Mar people just verify that we are indeed the ticket holders. The credentialing venue was at Jockey Club Brasiliero, which is a racetrack located near the Jardim Botanico do Rio de Janeiro.
The Ticketmaster people did not know where in the racetrack the Camarote Mar credentialing site was located. ChatGPT was even incorrect. We ended up asking three racetrack people and walked halfway around the racetrack until we found their office which was at the west entrance (opposite the Jardim Botanico entrance) and under one of the grandstands.
We had to show our passports to prove who we were. Then they gave us our shirts to wear for the carnival and took our photos for facial recognition to board the shuttle bus to the Sambadrome and enter the Camarote Mar lounge.
Getting to the Sambadrome
Getting to the Sambadrome meant we either had to get there on our own or ride the Camarote Mar’s shuttle bus from the racetrack where we had been credentialed. It is not what we consider a VIP experience.
The shuttle bus began running at 8:30 PM and the parade at the Sambadrome began at 9PM according to one Camarote Mar employee. Our shuttle bus took over an hour to drive approximately 12 kms due to heavy traffic. We arrived at the Sambadrome past 10 PM and hungry. There were already a lot of people in the lounge and they seemed to have been there a while despite the fact that we were one of the early ones that took the shuttle bus.
So it was a choice between eating or watching the parade. Unfortunately, we had to miss part of the parade as we needed to fill our bellies first.
What Was The Camarote Mar Experience Like?
Lounge Description
Camarote Mar’s lounge is about 200 feet wide and 130 feet deep (scaled from Google Maps). It has two levels. The lower level allows guests to get to the edge of the runway for an “in your face” view of the parade. About half of the lower level is open and the other half is within the building structure where the food and drinks are served. There was no seating area – just a few cushioned benches so the majority of the time, guests were standing or sitting on the floor.
The upper level is about half the depth of the lower level. The food and drink set-up is the same as the lower level. The upper level allows a bird’s eye view of the parade from the balcony.
Positive
Unlimited food and drinks (beer and shots) with a party atmosphere. Being able to see the parade up close in the lower level is a surreal experience. You’ll be happy if you came to eat, drink and party.
Negative
You’ll be disappointed if your sole purpose is to watch the carnival. There must have been more than 1,000 guests. It was not elbow to elbow but if you are watching the parade from either level, you will be breathing down on the person in front of you. There were no elevated stadium seats. People just congregated on the runway rails or the balcony rails. And the people that are right up on the rails just stayed there throughout the event. So if you are not in front, you are stuck in the back. And if you are in the back and a short person, you would only be able to see the top of the floats and not the costumed participants dancing on the runway.
Impression
So there was no attempt to give everyone equal experience with respect to watching the carnaval parade. Those that stood at the edge of the runway got the most of what they paid for in terms of watching the carnival. Those that were in the back did not, which was disappointing. We were always three people deep, meaning there were two rows of people in front of us. So most of the time, we were looking through openings between the heads and shoulders of the people in front of us.
Competition Program
As mentioned earlier, the competition (parade) had already started when we arrived around 10PM. The competition concluded at 3AM. Between this time period there were two breaks in the parade about 30 minutes long.
After the Parade and Return
At the conclusion of the competition,Camarote Mar continued the celebration by having a DJ and guests gather around the lower level dance floor. Food and drinks were still being served. We left around 4AM and the celebration supposedly continued until 6AM (when the last shuttle bus leaves the Sambadrome).
We boarded the shuttle bus and it took us back to Jockey Club Brasiliero. There were no intermediate stops between the Sambadrome and the racetrack. We then called an Uber when we arrived at the racetrack to take us back to our hotel.
How To Get There
We arrived at Rio de Janeiro’s international airport (code is GIG). There was a long walk to the immigration officers and customs. The immigration people were nice and cordial. They did not even ask any prodding questions or for our tourist visa (presumably the visa information is already in the system). They were just happy to welcome us.
From the airport, you have three choices to get to your accommodation – BRT, taxi or Uber. The city’s subway system does not serve the airport. BRT is a special bus that originates from the Central Bus Station. You can then transfer to other buses or their light rail systems called the VLT to get to your final destination.
We just used Uber because it is relatively inexpensive compared to cities in the US. There is a dedicated Uber pick-up point at the airport. Just head over to the leftmost exterior door as you face outside and follow the signs.
Where To Stay
We stayed three nights in Ibis Botafogo and six nights in an AirBnB in the Copacabana Area.
Our Ibis room was not roomy nor cramped. Their floors are secured as you need a room key to access the elevator.
Our AirBnB was at the corner of Ave. Nossa de Copacabana and R. Republica de Peru and only a couple blocks away from Copacabana Beach. There are many bars, restaurants, pharmacies and grocery stores nearby. The Centro Municipal de Saude where free yellow fever vaccine is available is within walking distance. We also enjoyed the Sunday farmer’s market.
Another nice area is Leblon which is not far from the famous Ipanema Beach. It has a lot of restaurants and shops like Copacabana but the area is a tad nicer (less homeless people).
How To Get Around
There are several ways to get around Rio de Janeiro. Uber is available and very affordable. Traffic can be horrible in some places. We rode the subway whenever we can which was very cost effective. You can either tap your credit card directly to pass the turnstiles (does not always work) or buy subway tickets from the counter at any subway station (cash only). We did not bother with a reloadable subway card as we did not plan on using the subway that often.
Buses and taxis are also available. The buses use the “Jae” app. However, this app was not available on IOS and we did not know how to set the App store to Brazil. Alternatively, you can pay the driver directly (cash) if you do not have the “Jae” app.
The Ibis hotel staff always warned us that it is not safe to walk around in Rio de Janeiro. We walked between subway stations and the Ticketmaster at Marina da Gloria, to Jockey Club Brasileiro and our accommodations and had no issues. We believe that walking is safe as long as there are a lot of people around.
Expected Expenses
Camarote Mar: 3,380 BRS
Single journey subway ride: 7.90 (does not matter how far as long as it is on the same line), cash only at the ticket counter
Buses: 5BRS cash only
BRT: 15BRS cash only
Uber: Between 20 and 77 BRS depending on distance. Our ride from the Airport to Botafogo initially showed 50-ish BRS but then jumped to 77-ish BRS when we got caught during high demand. Our off-peak ride from Airport to our Copacabana AirBnB costs around 75BRS.
Staying Informed
If you want to be notified when we post a new travel story, please enter your email below. We respect your privacy. Your email is used only to notify you of new posts and is never sold or shared with third parties. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Summary
The Rio de Janeiro Carnival is a celebration like no other. It cannot be explained but must be lived. Truly, anyone that has the time and money should experience it.
The carnival is a multiday celebration. Blocos (or bloc parties) occur at different parts of the city throughout the carnival celebration. Anyone can join the party atmosphere celebration and have a good time.
Elaborate floats and costumed participants compete at the Sambadrome. These participants are from different Samba schools. The atmosphere is electric and lively. However, getting tickets to the Sambadrome is next to impossible if you are not in Rio de Janeiro. Any on-line transaction through Ticketmaster Brazil would simply not go through.
There are three ways that we know of to access the Sambadrome to watch the carnival. These are the grandstands, fresas and the camarotes. The first two sell out quickly. The camarote is a fully catered lounge that allows guests to stand at the edge of the parade runaway for up close viewing. However, not all have the same experience as there is limited runaway space in a camarote. If you are at the back and short, it would be a very disappointing experience if you are stuck in the back and came there not to party.
Though not fully satisfied with our Camarote Mar experience, we consider ourselves fortunate to have checked the Rio Carnival off our bucket list.