I've posted up a schedule of the Rio samba schools technical rehearsals in the sambodromo in 2011.

Carnaval is really late this year, at the start of March, so the rehearsals start late too, in January. They are taking place every saturday and sunday night. Entrance to the sambadromo is free, and the rehearsals are always very popular so get there early to get a good seat. Usually theree is one samba school from Grupo A and two from Grupo Especial per night, followed by a show in front of sector 3. The samba schools parade without their carnival costumes or spectacular floats, but they usually have some treats for the crowd, and its actually easier to see the dancing and choreography without the visual overload of carnival itself.

The list of rehearsals is here: http://www.tdsounds.co.uk/rio-carnival/rio-carnival-2011/rio-samba-school-technical-rehearsals-2011.

Technical samba school rehearsals in the Sambodromo start this Saturday.

The first Samba School technical rehearsal in the Sambodromo is on the 6th December. Entrance remains free. These rehearsals are enormously popular - in 2009 there was an average of 40,000 spectators at each one. This year these rehearsals will mostly be on Saturday and Sunday evenings; the Friday night events have been curtailed because the necessary road closures caused enormous traffic problems last year.

Saturday 6th Dec also has 3 local football matches , so the rehearsals may be later than originally advertised, to allow the football crowds to disperse down Avenida Presidente Vargas before it is partially closed for the rehearsal.

To find out more about the Rio Carnival technical rehearsals in the sambodromo, and to see a timetable, click here.

Tickets for Rio Carnival 2010

Tickets are going on sale in the next couple of weeks. They will all be sold out in minutes, mostly to Cariocas (Rio locals) and agencies. As a tourist you are very unlikely to buy at these original face prices. Expect to buy from an agency with a mark-up of at least three times the face value. Its already possible to reserve tickets for the sambodromo through online agencies.

Original face values:( R$ = Brazilian Reals);Frisas (for 6 people) from R$3000 to R$6,500 per night,  Arquibancadas (stands or bleachers)- from R$110 to R$300 per night per seat.

For much more information about the best places to sit, and a Rio Carnival ticket buying guide, click here. We aren't selling these tickets, just giving independent advice.

67 meter Rio carnival float

Beija Flor is planning a 67meter long float for Rio Carnival 2010!

Rio Carnival floats are already gigantic. Up to 30 meters long, they often have problems getting under the motorway flyover outside the Sambadromo.  Sometimes floats get stuck trying to get round the right angled corner at the beginning of the sambodromo. Just one stuck float can create a gap in the parade that can prevent a samba school from winning the carnaval, the culmination of an entire years work.

Mangueira has also announced plans for a float over 60m long. There's no way that a 67m float can get round the corner, so there must be some clever engineering solutions planned. Will it be constructed like a train, or a caterpillar, with different segments joined together? Will there be a main part and then outlying bits connected by costume or theme?

And what about the rest of the samba school?  Six or seven other floats and 4000 dancers all have to get through the avenida within a fixed time limit.  Will the dancers have to run (losing points for harmony)? How will they get these monsters through the narrow street leading away from the carnival parade ground?

High Drama

Its things like this that keep Rio carnival fans in their uncomfortable concrete seats for the whole of the night. The carnival parades aren't just spectacle, beauty, music, art and dance; they are also high drama – if you know what to look out for.

And the result was...

Well, heres a picture I took of the giant float as it appeared in the carnival parade. Beija Flor is a well organised samba school, and they managed to get it round the corners and along the narrow streets without any major incident, through meticulous planning. Beija Flor came third overall in the results, not because of any technical problem with their parade, but because their theme was unpopular.

The float was made up of two smaller structures coupled together (like a train) so that they were able to bring it round the corner before assembling the full length.

But in this case, more was less. The overall effect, whilst stupendous, was also cold and impersonal. The parade became something to watch, not something to make you stand up and cheer. Such a shame. The beautiful spirit and energy of the participants ended up buried under the opulence of the costumes and props.