Carnival all year long

hello everyone,

So you came to Rio de Janeiro before or after Carnival and you still want to see how things are done? Now you have the oportunity to visit the place where all the samba schools spent almost half the year creating costumes, floats and many more things.

The Cidade do Samba (Samba City) is locatet on the Rio docks, where they say the carnival started. All the 14 schools that participates of the main parades from Carnival (sunday and monday nights) have their spaces to work there. The one that get the last position on the parade, has to move out, to give room for the second group winner.

Visits can be done everyday, from noon to 8 pm, and tickets costs R$ 20 for tourists and R$ 10 for locals. Every thursday, the City closes earlier, at 6 pm and they have a special presentation by 7 pm. The visitors pay R$ 80 and have a small carnival for themself, with dancers, musicians, some food and a small parade by the end.

The Cidade do Samba is located on rua Rivadavia Correa, 60 - Gamboa. To get there by subway, take the train direction north and get down at Central Station (yes, the same one from the movie). Cidade do Samba is just after the tunnel near the station, but is kind of dangerous to cross by foot. Take one of the buses that goes to Rodoviária or Cajú. If you want, you can get those yellow buses to Rodoviária, that come all the way from south zone.

more information (in portuguese) - www.liesa.com.br