Samba Parade in Rio Samba Schools

Samba Schools in the Special Group
Sunday and Monday. Doors open at 17.00, opening ceremony at 20.00 and parades start at 21.00

This is the Parade the high-point of Rio Carnival, with seven schools on both days. The schools belonging to this group are especially magnificent and sumptuous.

The two days are similar in terms of set-up. 6 of the best 12 Samba Schools march on Sunday and 7 on Monday. If you only opt for one day it should be Monday. The excitement of the people already reaches its ultimate limits by then and the winner usually comes from that day.

CHILDREN'S SAMBA SCHOOLS
The Independent League of the Children's Samba Schools selects the participants for each guild from public school students, by best performance in the classroom. They parade on the Passarela Professor Darcy Ribeiro on Friday of Carnival at 19:00. Their parade follows the procedure of the big schools.

COURTS ("Quadras") and rehearsals
The place where rehearsals are held is called a "quadra". All of them have something in common: the bubbling happiness of their participants.

DESIGNER (Carnavalesco)
This is the individual who is responsible for the artistic work of designing, producing and directing the school's parade. Sometimes they chose and write the schools's theme of the year, too. They design every costume and float, chose and supervise the purchasing of materials, supervise the construction and manufacture of floats, costumes and accessories. They can earn a lot of money in a top school. The names of the top carnival designers are as well known as the names of top film directors. They have their own idiosyncratic style, some being known for being very futuristic (Salgueiro), baroque/rococo (Imperatriz , Mangueira), or have a special preference for a particular topic (like Beija-Flor´s preference of their designers' team for anything native Brazilian-Indian).

FLAG BEARER AND MASTER OF CEREMONIES ("Porta-bandeira" and "Mestre-sala") They have a very important mission, since they carry the school's flag and banner. They use luxurious costumes. As they dance along the avenue, the master of ceremonies courts and at the same time protects the flag-bearer (originally he had a knife to make sure that the other schools are not damaging the flag, making them loose the competition). Their dance is the most elaborate and elegant. The schools have more than one couple of flag bearers but only the front one (in front of the drummer group) is important and gains scores.

FLOATS, SUPPORTING ELEMENTS ("alegorias") Also called "carros alegóricos", they represent part of the school's enredo. They are enormous and luxurious. Beautiful people or famous starts ride on top of the floats. The largest costumes are called "destaques" (highlight). These floats are pushed since motors or animals are not allowed.

GROUP A SAMBA SCHOOLS
These schools are affiliated with the Association of Samba Schools of the city of Rio de Janeiro and are part of the so-called Access Group. There are 10 guilds in Group A that parade on Saturday. The first two groups in Group A will be promoted to the Special Group of the Independent Samba School League (LIESA).

KING OF CARNIVAL (King Momo)
"Momo" is the name of the god of mockery in the Greek mythology, and according to Carnival tradition, King Momo should be jolly and as big as a house. Legend suggests that he was expulsed from the Olympus to come and settle down in Rio, the City of Carnival. The Rio Carnival officially opens with the delivery of the key of the city to King Momo. When King Momo sambas, everything - sequins, feathers and flesh and all people around should also samba with him. He opens all major Carnival events including the Samba Parades.

LEADING COMISSION ("Comissão de frente")
This commission comes at the beginning of the school and its function is to introduce the school to the public, with a group of 12-15 dancers with a highly choreographed routine. At another time in history, it was represented by important people in the school or the "old-team", who parade in suits and greeted the public. Their costumes do not have to reflect the school´s theme.