Looking for an Inexpensive Samba Parade? Watch the Access Group parade.
The Access Group Parades
The participants in the Rio de Janeiro Carnival Access Group Parades are perhaps not given as much reverence as those in the Special Group. Still, they consist of excellent performers as well. Composed of 16 of Rio’s big samba schools, the competition is fierce in this category, as the winner makes it to the Special Group parade of the following year.
This is the best option for those who do not want to spend vast amounts of money but are still interested in watching exceptional performances. Access Group Parade Tickets are highly sought after and tend to sell out quickly. Samba Schools in the Special Group that did not perform well in previous years now join the Access Group Parades. They do everything to return to the Special Group. Thus, Cariocas and tourists end up being able to attend the Access Group Samba Parade with small schools and large schools for a more accessible price, in a very interesting competition, as the large schools yearn to return to the main group and the small ones fight for a place next to the big ones, giving its best on the Sambadrome, at Avenida Marques de Sapucaí.
Luciola Villela | Riotur
The 2025 Rio Carnival Access Group Parade
The 2025 Rio Carnival Access Group parades will happen on Carnival Friday, February 28th, and Saturday, March 1st. The lineup for the 2025 parade at the Sambadrome on the order of performance will be as follows:
Warming up before entering the Samba Catwalk - at "Concentração"
"Concentration" in English is the translation of the word "Concentração" in Portuguese. At the sambadrome, "concentração" is the area where schools gather for a final warm-up before they enter the competition arena. Just like in the Rio Carnival Special Group category, only two schools collect at any given time, in order of their performance schedule, and await their entrance which is announced over the microphone.
This is a great place to take pictures with performers, as everyone is in a high state of energy and excitement just before they take the stage.
Luciola Villella | Riotur
How to choose your Access Group Parades tickets
If you decide to attend Access Group's samba parade, the prices will be considerably lower, as compared to the Special Group’s parade. There are various types of seats to choose from. The Grandstand seats or bleachers, with unmarked seats, are the cheapest tickets. Allocated seats are in Sector 12 and are assigned seats. If you want to protect yourself from the summer rains that suddenly fall in Rio de Janeiro, then the Covered Boxes in Sector 7 are your best option.
Our Advice: Get a front box ticket - It's not that expensive compared to the Special Group Parades and watch the parades with the comfort of an assigned seat right by the runaway. Get Sambadrome Tickets Here.
Still can't decide? Our video below may help.
Some people recommend that the best place in the Sambodromo is near the drummers’ niche, where the “baterias” stop to play and the acoustics are perfect. These include the front boxes and grandstands in Sector 11. Others say that Sector 6 offers a good view of the parade, as it is located in the middle of the avenue, offering an excellent view of the front and rear of the parade and it has a judges' cabin in that sector.
There are thus a variety of tickets for you to choose from, depending on what you would like to experience. Whichever sector or day you choose to buy your Carnival tickets for the Access Group Parades, you will certainly have an unforgettable night!
