Last updated: 16 October 2026
Carnival 2027 in Brazil peaks from Saturday 6 to Ash Wednesday 10 February. In Rio de Janeiro, the top samba schools parade through the Sambadrome on the nights of Sunday 7, Monday 8 and Tuesday 9 February, and the winners parade again on Saturday 13 February. Salvador's street Carnival opens on Thursday 4 February, and Recife's Galo da Madrugada fills the city center on Saturday 6 February.
Carnival is the busiest week of the year in Brazil: millions of people in the streets, hotels booked months ahead, and many of the best Sambadrome tickets already gone. Here is what is confirmed on 16 October 2026, how to get tickets, where else to go, what US citizens need to enter, and how to keep your phone safe and online.
Carnival 2027 at a glance
| Date | Status on 16 October 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Rio: Série Ouro parades (second division) | Friday 5 and Saturday 6 February 2027 | Announced by the organizers |
| Recife: Galo da Madrugada | Saturday 6 February 2027, from 9 am | Announced, theme published on 7 October 2026 |
| Rio: Grupo Especial parades (top schools) | Sunday 7, Monday 8 and Tuesday 9 February 2027, at night | Confirmed by LIESA, start times not yet published |
| Salvador: official street Carnival | Thursday 4 to Wednesday 10 February 2027 | Announced by the city, with pre-Carnival from 29 January |
| Ash Wednesday (Quarta-feira de Cinzas) | Wednesday 10 February 2027 | Fixed by the Easter date |
| Rio: Champions' Parade (Desfile das Campeãs) | Saturday 13 February 2027 | Confirmed by LIESA |
Rio de Janeiro
The Sambadrome parades
The Sambadrome (Sambódromo da Marquês de Sapucaí) is where Rio's samba schools compete. Each school has about an hour to cross the avenue with thousands of dancers in costume, giant floats and a drum section of hundreds, telling a story it has worked on all year. LIESA, the league of the top schools, runs the Grupo Especial over three nights: Sunday 7, Monday 8 and Tuesday 9 February 2027, four schools a night. The parades start late in the evening and run until dawn.
The second division, the Série Ouro, parades on Friday 5 and Saturday 6 February, with cheaper tickets and an easier crowd. The six best schools of the Grupo Especial come back for the Champions' Parade on Saturday 13 February, a good option if your trip starts late.
Tickets
LIESA opened its general sale on 10 August 2026 on Ticketmaster Brazil, at R$250 a night for the special grandstands in sectors 2 to 11 (except 9) and the numbered seats in sector 12. The three-night passes sold out in August. LIESA has said it will open more sales, including the frisas (boxes at the edge of the avenue) and the popular grandstands in sectors 12 and 13, but had not given dates on 16 October 2026.
- Buy from LIESA's official channel or a known travel agency. Fake tickets and inflated resales circulate every year.
- Even sectors and odd sectors face each other. Sectors in the middle of the avenue see the schools at their best; the first sectors see them fresh, the last ones see them tired.
- Bring the ticket on paper as well as on your phone. At 3 am in a crowd of 70,000, a dead battery or no signal should not keep you out.
The street parties: blocos
Most of Rio's Carnival is free and in the street. Hundreds of blocos, street bands followed by crowds of every size, play from mid-January through the week after Carnival, in Centro, Santa Teresa, Ipanema, Copacabana and across the city. The giant ones draw hundreds of thousands of people; the Cordão da Bola Preta, the oldest, traditionally takes over Centro on Carnival Saturday morning. The city publishes the official bloco schedule in December or January.
Go early, travel light, and take the Metro: many streets close, and ride apps surge or stop.
Salvador and Recife
Salvador, in Bahia, has Brazil's biggest street Carnival: trucks with sound systems (trios elétricos) carry the biggest stars of Brazilian music through three circuits, followed by crowds that pay for a place inside a roped-off group (a bloco with an abadá shirt) or follow free outside it. The city has announced its official opening on Thursday 4 February 2027, with a pre-Carnival from 29 January, and the festa de Iemanjá on 2 February.
Recife and Olinda, in Pernambuco, dance to frevo and maracatu. Recife's Galo da Madrugada, often called the biggest Carnival parade in the world, sets off on Saturday 6 February 2027 at 9 am from the Forte das Cinco Pontas. Olinda's hilly old town, next door, fills with giant puppets (bonecos gigantes) all week.
Before you go: the e-visa
US citizens need a visa for Brazil again. Since 10 April 2025, Brazil requires an e-visa for US passport holders traveling for tourism or business. You apply online on Brazil's official portal, brazilianvisaonline.gov.br, and pay a fee. Apply well before you fly, and use only the official portal: lookalike sites charge extra for the same form. Check the rules again before you book, as they can change.
Book early, and plan for crowds
Carnival is the busiest and most expensive week of the year in Rio, Salvador and Recife. Hotels and short-term rentals near Ipanema, Copacabana and the Sambadrome book out months ahead, and flights from the US fill for the long weekend. If your dates are fixed, book now.
- Agree on a meeting point and a time, in case you lose each other in a bloco.
- Carry a little cash and one card, in a front pocket or a money belt.
- Drink water: it is summer in February, often over 90°F, with sudden showers.
- Take the Metro, and plan the trip back before a parade or a bloco ends.
Safety: what the State Department says
The US State Department rates Brazil at Level 2, "Exercise increased caution", because of crime and kidnapping, in its advisory dated 31 August 2026. It advises against travel within 160 km (100 miles) of Brazil's land borders and to informal housing developments (favelas), and warns about drinks spiked with sedatives in Rio. At Carnival, the most common problem by far is theft, of phones above all. Read the full advisory on travel.state.gov before you go.
Your phone at Carnival: safe first, then online
Phones are the first thing stolen at Carnival, in crowded blocos and on the way home from the Sambadrome. A few minutes of preparation make a theft a nuisance instead of a disaster:
- Keep the phone in a front pocket with a zip, or a pouch under your clothes. Do not hold it up over a crowd for long, and do not use it at the curb.
- Turn on Stolen Device Protection on an iPhone, or Theft Protection on Android, so a thief who saw your passcode cannot change your Apple or Google account.
- Write down your IMEI (dial
*#06#) and keep a copy away from the phone, for the police report and your insurer. - Know how to lock your bank apps and your US line from another device.
- Think about a second phone. Many visitors take an old unlocked phone to the blocos and leave the expensive one in the hotel safe.
A travel eSIM helps here too. An eSIM cannot be pulled out and used in another phone the way a SIM card can, so a thief does not get a working line with your number on it.
Getting online:
- Crowds slow mobile data. Hundreds of thousands of people in a bloco share the same cell towers. Agree on plans before you go, and send videos later.
- Download offline maps of Rio and the Metro, and screenshot your tickets and bookings.
- Carry a power bank. A Sambadrome night lasts until dawn.
What your US plan costs in Brazil: Brazil is included on AT&T Unlimited Premium 2.0 and Elite 2.0. On other plans it is roaming: TravelPass on Verizon and the Day Pass on AT&T at $12 a day per line, or T-Mobile's included allowance. See our guides for Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile.
Our Brazil eSIM costs $11.99 for 7 days with 1.5 GB a day, or $24.99 for 7 days unlimited, and works as soon as you land, with your US number still on for calls and texts. Check that your phone is unlocked first (how to check), then install it on Wi-Fi before you fly: iPhone or Android.
FAQ
When is Carnival in Brazil in 2027?
Carnival 2027 peaks from Saturday 6 to Ash Wednesday 10 February 2027. Rio's top samba schools parade on 7, 8 and 9 February, Salvador's street Carnival opens on 4 February, and Rio's Champions' Parade is on Saturday 13 February.
When are the Rio Sambadrome parades in 2027?
The Grupo Especial parades on the nights of Sunday 7, Monday 8 and Tuesday 9 February 2027, four schools a night. The Série Ouro parades on Friday 5 and Saturday 6 February, and the Champions' Parade is on Saturday 13 February.
How much are Rio Carnival tickets in 2027?
LIESA's general sale on Ticketmaster Brazil priced the special grandstands at R$250 a night. The three-night passes sold out in August 2026, and LIESA plans more sales, including the boxes and the popular grandstands.
Do US citizens need a visa for Brazil?
Yes. Since 10 April 2025, US citizens need an e-visa for tourism or business in Brazil. Apply on the official portal, brazilianvisaonline.gov.br, before you fly.
Is Rio Carnival safe?
Brazil is at Level 2, "Exercise increased caution", in the US State Department's advisory. Most problems at Carnival are thefts, especially of phones, in crowds and on the way home. Carry little, keep your phone hidden, and use the Metro or a booked ride.
Will my US phone work in Brazil?
Yes. It is included on AT&T Unlimited Premium 2.0 and Elite 2.0, and roaming at about $12 a day on most other plans. A Brazil travel eSIM costs $11.99 for 7 days.
Facts checked on 16 October 2026 against LIESA's 2027 ticket sale as reported by Diário do Rio, Billboard Brasil, Poder360 and O Liberal, the cities of Salvador and Recife as reported by A Tarde and Portal de Prefeitura, the US State Department's Brazil advisory, Brazil's e-visa rules, and our catalogue and carrier guides.