Carnival is the reason a great many people finally book the trip to Rio, and it earns the reputation. In 2027 it runs from Thursday 5 to Saturday 13 February, with the great samba-school parades on the nights of Sunday the 7th, Monday the 8th and Tuesday the 9th, and the Champions' Parade on Saturday the 13th. But Carnival is really two celebrations at once, and knowing the difference is how you plan a good one.
The two Carnivals
The first is the Sambadrome — the Passarela Professor Darcy Ribeiro, the long parade avenue designed by Oscar Niemeyer, where the top samba schools compete across the main nights in the most extravagant spectacle in Brazil. You watch this one from a ticketed grandstand, dressed for a warm night, and it runs until dawn.
The second is the blocos — the free street parties that move through every neighbourhood by day, hundreds of them across the city, from tiny brass bands to million-strong marches. This is the Carnival you fall into rather than buy a ticket for, and Copacabana and neighbouring Ipanema host some of the best of them.
Why Copacabana is the base
You want to be near the street Carnival but able to step out of it — and that is exactly what the Copacabana beachfront offers. Blocos pass along and behind the beach through the week, so the party comes to you; the Sambadrome is a short taxi or metro ride away for the big nights; and when you have had your fill of drums and sun, you climb thirteen floors and close the door. A pool, a cool shower, and a quiet terrace are worth a great deal during nine days of Carnival — especially with children or a group who keep different hours.
The best Carnival is the one you can walk into, and walk out of. Copacabana gives you both doors.
Doing it well
- Book the big-night tickets ahead. Sambadrome grandstand seats for the main parades sell out; our concierge can arrange them and a car for the late finish.
- Follow the blocos by day. Schedules are published each year; the beachfront ones are easy, joyful, and free. Go in the morning before the heat peaks.
- Dress for it. Light clothes, a costume if the mood takes you, closed water bottle, sunscreen, and almost nothing in your pockets.
- Pace the week. Carnival is a marathon. Alternate a parade night with a pool day. The terrace is there for a reason.
- Mind the basics. Big crowds reward a little street sense — the same rules as ever, gathered in our honest guide to safety in Copacabana.
Carnival stays are booked far in advance and minimum stays lengthen over the holiday, so the earlier the better. Write to us about your dates, see how Réveillon compares a few weeks earlier, or look at the penthouse that makes a calm base of a loud, wonderful week.