How to Parade in Rio Carnival 2027: Costs & Steps

Booking choice: The samba school parade in costume, from $444 per person. Check dates Tour details

Every samba school needs thousands of paraders, and most of them are its own community. Some places go to the public too. Some schools sell them in commercial wings, the alas comerciais, and specialist operators rent costumes and take visitors to the parade.

This guide explains the routes in, what each costs, what the operator handles, who can take part and how to get ready, from learning the song to a samba class.

The quick answer

The easiest route is a costume package. The parade with a samba school rents you a costume, does your make-up, takes photos and drives you to the Sambódromo, from $444 in 2026. Buying a place directly in a commercial wing can approach R$10,000 at the most sought-after Rio schools, CNN Brasil reports. Book early, because costumes are limited.

Can a tourist parade in Rio Carnival?

Yes. Some samba schools sell places in commercial wings to the public, and costume packages put visitors in a wing with the costume sorted.

CNN Brasil sums up the routes. Some schools sell commercial wings to anyone. Others accept only members. The drum section is a different world, with an aptitude screening and compulsory rehearsals, and the passistas and other choreographed groups also expect you at every rehearsal.

For a visitor with a week in Rio, a wing is the realistic way in. You walk and dance with the group, in the same costume as everyone around you.

Route	What it takes	Typical cost
A commercial wing (ala comercial)	Buy a place and a costume from a school that sells them to the public	CNN Brasil says Rio places can approach R$10,000
A costume package	A rented costume, make-up, photos and transport, booked in English	From $444 (2026)
Community wing	Join the school as a member and attend its rehearsals	Membership and commitment
Drum section (bateria)	Pass an aptitude screening and every compulsory rehearsal	Months of rehearsals

How much does it cost to parade in a samba school?

From $444 in 2026 with a costume package. A place bought directly from a Rio school can approach R$10,000, says CNN Brasil, with Mangueira and Portela among the most sought after.

The price depends on the school, the wing and what is included. A direct place can cover the registration fee, the costume, food and other items. The package price covers the costume rental, professional make-up, photos and transport to the Sambódromo.

Our view: the first time, take the package. It removes the paperwork in Portuguese, and someone collects your costume from the workshop and gets you to the right gate.

Rent a costume, get your make-up done and march down the Sambódromo with a samba school, with professional photos and transport included. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.

★ 4.6 · 6 hours · from $444

Explore the samba school parade in costume Tour details

What does the costume package include?

A rented costume, professional make-up, professional photos and transport to the Sambódromo. Personal expenses are extra.

The operator, Rio Samba Experience, collects the costumes from the schools' workshops and brings them to the meeting point in Copacabana intact, because a damaged costume can cost the school points. Each school designs new costumes every year, and the models are limited and kept confidential, so the operator shares the options after you book.

The costumes are not made to measure and may not fit perfectly, and the team adjusts them as well as it can. The package lasts about 6 hours. It has 6 reviews so far, with a 4.6 average.

A rack of blue and silver feathered costumes, hands adjusting a feather — Costumes are collected from the workshops and fitted before the parade.

What is it like to parade at the Sambódromo?

You walk and dance the 700 m avenue with your wing for a little over an hour, singing the samba-enredo, past grandstands that hold about 90,000 people.

The noise hits first. The drum section plays the whole way, and the grandstands sing with you. Each school has a set time on the avenue, so the wings keep moving. You dance as you go, and stopping is not an option.

At the end, the parade spills out by the Praça da Apoteose, and the next wing is already behind you.

A pink and gold feathered backpiece against the night sky — Feathers are light; a full costume worn for an hour is not.

Who can parade in Rio Carnival?

Adults who can walk comfortably for the whole parade. The costume package is for over-18s only.

The listing rules it out for pregnant women, people with back problems or mobility impairments, wheelchair users and visually impaired people. The listing does not allow phones, so the photos in the package are your record of the night.

Wear comfortable shoes and clothes to the meeting point, and eat before you go.

When should you book a place in the parade?

As early as you can. Most places are settled months before Carnival, and the costume models in a package are limited.

The schools start building costumes about eight months before the parade, says CNN Brasil, and only a few have places left close to Carnival. The Grupo Especial parades run on 7, 8 and 9 February 2027, and our parade order guide shows which school parades on which night.

The package cancels free up to 24 hours before, so booking early costs nothing if your plans change.

Costume, make-up, photos and transport for your parade at the Sambódromo. Costume models are limited, so book early.

Check dates for the samba school parade in costume

How do you prepare for parading in Rio?

Learn the samba-enredo, take a samba class and, if you are in Rio early, watch a school rehearse.

Learn the song. The album with the 2027 samba-enredo songs is out from 29 October 2026. You will sing yours for an hour.
Learn the step. The Ipanema samba lesson teaches the basic samba step in an hour, with dancers from the samba schools, from $24.
See a rehearsal. The Salgueiro rehearsal shows how a school moves, on Saturday nights before Carnival.
Walk. An hour of dancing in a costume is a workout. Comfortable shoes are a must.

A feathered headdress on a stand in a sunny studio, Ipanema outside — An hour in a studio makes the hour on the avenue much more fun.

Learn the basic samba step with dancers from the samba schools in Ipanema, then photos in Carnival costume.

Check dates for the Ipanema samba lesson

Would you rather watch than parade?

Then book a seat. A grandstand ticket with a round trip from the South Zone takes the stress out of the night.

The ticket with transfer gives you an official ticket in sector 3, 5 or 7 and hourly rides back from midnight to 4 AM, from $747. To try a costume on without parading, the Samba City backstage tour runs all year inside Grande Rio's workshop, from $29. It is non-refundable.