Ginga Tropical · Av. Pasteur 184, Botafogo
Ginga Tropical is the costumed samba show of Rio: dancers in feathers, singers and Brazil's folk dances from north to south, on a theatre stage at Centro Cultural Veneza in Botafogo. Pick it for the full Carnival look in 1 hour 30 minutes, a seat to watch from, and a short samba lesson before the curtain.
Of the four things people mean by "samba show" in Rio, this is the staged show: a theatre, a cast in costume and an audience in seats. The other three are a real samba night with locals (the Lapa pub crawl, or the street samba of Pedra do Sal), a samba school rehearsal (Salgueiro on Saturday nights) and the Carnival parade itself. If you want to see the feathers and the sequins up close any week of the year, Ginga Tropical is the one. It has 4.6 stars from 377 reviews. You can cancel free up to 24 hours before.
The operator says the show has run since 2013 and has played in Rio, China and Dubai. It now runs three times a week at Centro Cultural Veneza, Av. Pasteur 184, in Botafogo, in the South Zone. The box office opens at 7:00 PM, a short samba lesson starts at 8:30 PM, and the show runs from 8:45 PM to 10:15 PM. On stage you get samba plus the folk dances of other regions, a portrait of Brazil from north to south. Guests say the cast pulls the audience in, and that many end up dancing with the performers. Afterwards there is time for photos with the dancers in costume.
The ticket covers the show, the lesson and the photo moment. Drinks are sold at the venue, and there is no transfer, so plan a taxi or ride app both ways. The venue is wheelchair and stroller accessible and close to public transport. Bring a passport or ID card. Cameras, flash, selfie sticks and audio recording are not allowed during the show, so your phone stays for the photos at the end.
Arrive at Centro Cultural Veneza, Av. Pasteur 184, Botafogo, with your ticket and ID.
Learn the basic step with the cast before the show, included in the ticket.
Samba, costumes and live singing, then the folk dances of other regions of Brazil.
Guests say the dancers bring people up to dance, so expect to move.
The show ends and the dancers pose for photos in their costumes.
★★★★★A brilliant show with a lot of rhythm and an excellent dance troupe that gets the audience going, who end up dancing with the performers. Highly recommended.
★★★★★An amazing experience! It's totally worth it if you like musical and cultural events with traditional Brazilian samba. [...] the costumes, props, and the great energy of the artists completely make up for it. [...] I went with my family (sister and mom). 100% recommended!
★★★★★Was a great experience we took pictures with the dancers. The show was awesome from beginning to end. The clases was fun. It was worth it.
★★★★★The show was exciting and very lively. Wish it would lasted longer. We were totally entertained. The dancers seemed to enjoy entertaining the audience as much as we enjoyed their entertainment. Thank you for a fantastic performance.
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No. It is a staged samba and folklore show in a theatre, with a professional cast in costume. For a real samba school, the Salgueiro rehearsal runs on Saturday nights from July to Carnival.
The box office opens at 7:00 PM, the short samba lesson starts at 8:30 PM and the show runs from 8:45 PM to 10:15 PM, three times a week.
No. Drinks are on sale at the venue and there is no dinner in the ticket. The ticket covers the show, the lesson and photos with the dancers.
At Centro Cultural Veneza, Av. Pasteur 184, Botafogo, in the South Zone. The venue is wheelchair accessible and close to public transport. Transfer is not included.
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Rio's staged samba show in Botafogo: costumes, singers and folk dances, with a short samba lesson and photos with the dancers.
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