Each Samba School represents a different neighborhood or social club from different areas of Rio.
It's not a simple parade , but a competition between the schools attempting to gain points from their presentation composed of song, story , rhythm , dance , dress. It all starts the year preceeding Carnaval , as each samba school mobilises thousands of supporters who will create the various parts of the school's display. A theme is chosen , music written, costumes created, richly decorated floats built , while every detail is supervised by the 'carnavalesco ', the school director. By December, rehearsals have begun and, in time for Christmas , the sambas are recorded and released to record shops.
 Since 1984 , the parade or 'desfile' takes place at SAMBODROMO , the samba parade ground , a concrete structure 700 meters long which can accomodate 60.000 people.
There are 12 samba schools from the 'special group' to perform. The first night, Sunday , 6 of these schools performe at the Sambodromo - Samba Parade Ground . Each of them has from 70 to 85 minutes to perform, and the parade finishes at the 'Praça da Apoteose' (the M shaped structure at the end of the avenue ). Each school has a different theme. Each samba school has an average of 4.000 participants
Each school, composed of up to 6000 costumed people, has between 65 and 80 minutes to get the whole school through the 700-meter long parade route, which has a capacity for 60,000 onlookers. The school includes 5 to 9 allegorical floats which tell the story of that year`s theme, ranging from political or historical themes to light hearted ones. A school's drum section can have as many as 400 percussionists. You'll know which school it is by paying attention to the first float, abre alas, with the their theme and the school's name on it.
The school is judged on energy, enthusiasm, and organization such as, not having any gaps between the floats throughout the parade route. The quality of the floats and costumes, the theme, the samba song, and how it all comes together is also judged. Various details involving the performances of special groups of the school are very important too, such as the Front Commission, right after the first float, responsible for presenting the school usually with a clever choreographed routine. Bahianas are twirling older ladies in the school wearing large African style dresses. The Flag Bearer and Mestre Sala, the two principle representatives of the school, and the Old Guard, the oldest members of the school are also main attractions to pay attention to.
Be prepared for a lot of eye candy! It`ll probably be the most colorful experience you`ve ever had and I`m quite sure you`ve never seen so many feathers before. The most beautiful and famous women in Rio are big attractions at the parade, each one trying to out do the others, as well as up and coming stars of the future trying to appear on TV and get noticed. There are also professional Sambistas, called Passistas, that really put on a show dancing their way through the parade. Be there to cheer them on or buy a costume and PARTICIPATE!
Check the Samba School Album |
First of all it`s helpful to know that parade in Portuguese is Desfile. Now, this is a contest and it`s for bragging rights for the whole year as judges rate the performances of Samba schools which spend up to 8 months in rehearsals preparing for the big parade. There is a special group of Samba schools composed of 14 schools. 
and then the judging of the parades is on Wednesday afternoon to determine the winners who will parade again on Saturday in the champions parade.
