All the blocos rocking Rio de Janeiro are very low-pressure kind of events—come as you are, preferably half naked, and have fun, whatever this means for you.

But there’s a place where the stakes are much higher—the Sambódromo.

For many foreigners, the words “Rio Carnival” don’t bring to mind guys in pink tutus but samba goddesses in bikinis wearing extravagant feathered wings.

Newsflash. While even the drunkest Cariocas seem to be mastering basic samba steps, samba goddesses in their mesmerizing costumes aren’t chugging Brahma at the nearest bloco—they are performing for their samba school at the Sambódromo.

The Sambódromo—designed by Oscar Niemeyer, of course, why are you asking—is the centrepiece of the yearly samba school competition held during Carnival. The parades are held from Friday night to Tuesday, starting with the Série Ouro, and then the much-awaited Grupo Especial from Sunday to Tuesday. The results are broadcast live on Ash Wednesday at the Apotheosis Square, which is a major event in Rio de Janeiro.

Getting tickets to the Sambódromo isn’t particularly difficult if you don’t mind the concrete bleacher’s nosebleed section. Boxed seating, VIP service, and the nights when top samba schools compete are much more expensive. To give you an idea, we paid $50 for our “cheap” tickets.

We rested for a few hours after our first Carnival bloco, then we got ready and took the subway to the Sambódromo around 9 p.m. This was again the chance to explore a neighbourhood that’s not so safe but perfectly fine, if chaotic, during Carnival, when the subway service runs 24 hours a day and 700,000 people are going to the same venue plus performers carrying their costumes. The Sambódromo is safe as well, and it pays off to explore it once inside—check out the view of the favelas and the Corcovado!

The atmosphere is very relaxed during the parade. Each school is allocated 75 minutes to travel from one end of the Sambódromo to the other. People eat, drink, smoke, move around, take pictures, sing along, etc.

Samba schools don’t “just” dance the samba. Instead, they bring a theme to life with thousands of performers—the “alas” (wings), the front commission, the flag bearer, the queen, the float, the “bateria” (drummers), the “passistas” (samba dancers), and more. The result is an elaborate, colourful, and lively show with a theme song that will inevitably get stuck in your head.

The parades are an all-night event, by the way:

Sexta-feira (28 de fevereiro)

• 21h:Botafogo
• 22h: Arranco
• 23h: Inocentes
• 0h: Unidos da Ponte
• 1h: Estácio de Sá
• 2h: União de Maricá
• 3h: Em Cima da Hora
• 4h: União da Ilha

It often starts late as well and ends long after sunrise.

We “only” watched three schools and left around 2 a.m. Saturday is megabloco day, we had to get up in the morning!