Sambadrome Marquês de Sapucaí
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The Sambadrome Marquês de Sapucaí is a purpose-built parade area built for the
Rio Carnival ) , image = File:Desfile Portela 2014 (906185).jpg , caption = A float at Rio Carnival, 2014 , celebrations = Parades, parties, open-air performances , longtype = cultural, religious , type = christian , signi ...
in
Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
,
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
. The venue is also known as Passarela Professor Darcy Ribeiro or simply the Sambódromo in
Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...
or Sambadrome in English. It is located in the downtown area of Cidade Nova in Rio de Janeiro, and is the place where
samba school A samba school ( pt, Escola de samba) is a dancing, marching, and drumming (Samba Enredo) club. They practice and often perform in a huge square-Compound (enclosure), compounds ("quadras de samba") and are devoted to practicing and exhibiting sam ...
s parade competitively each year during the Rio Carnival. The parades attract many thousands of Brazilians and foreign tourists each year, and the structure is also used as a multi-purpose performance venue. The structures of the Sambadrome were designed by the architect
Oscar Niemeyer Oscar Ribeiro de Almeida Niemeyer Soares Filho (15 December 1907 – 5 December 2012), known as Oscar Niemeyer (), was a Brazilian architect considered to be one of the key figures in the development of modern architecture. Niemeyer was ...
(1907–2012), and represent his first major work after the end of the
Brazilian dictatorship The military dictatorship in Brazil ( pt, ditadura militar) was established on 1 April 1964, after a coup d'état by the Brazilian Armed Forces, with support from the United States government, against President João Goulart. The Brazilian dict ...
of 1964–1985.


History

The Sambódromo was commissioned in 1983 and completed in 1984. It is one of two works designed by
Oscar Niemeyer Oscar Ribeiro de Almeida Niemeyer Soares Filho (15 December 1907 – 5 December 2012), known as Oscar Niemeyer (), was a Brazilian architect considered to be one of the key figures in the development of modern architecture. Niemeyer was ...
upon his return to Brazil after exile during the
Brazilian dictatorship The military dictatorship in Brazil ( pt, ditadura militar) was established on 1 April 1964, after a coup d'état by the Brazilian Armed Forces, with support from the United States government, against President João Goulart. The Brazilian dict ...
of 1964-1985. The democratic election of regional governors, notably in the state of Rio de Janeiro in 1982, signaled a return to civilian rule and renewed work for artists whose work was suppressed by the regime. Governor
Leonel Brizola Leonel de Moura Brizola (22 January 1922 – 21 June 2004) was a Brazilian politician. Launched into politics by Brazilian president Getúlio Vargas in the 1930–1950s, Brizola was the only politician to serve as elected governor of two Brazi ...
, a longtime Niemeyer associate, commissioned the Sambradrome to reflect ''socialismo moreno'', or multicultural socialism. Niemeyer worked closely with vice-governor Darcy Ribeiro (1922-1997), a Brazilian
anthropologist An anthropologist is a person engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropology is the study of aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms and ...
, on the location and building concept. The Sambadrome was not only to function as the centerpiece of the Rio Carnival, but also house a primary school with 115 classrooms underneath the bleachers of the structure. Niemeyers's ''
Praça da Apoteose The Apotheosis Square (Praça da Apoteose) is a venue in Rio de Janeiro close to the Morro da Mineira favela. It is part of Sambadrome Marquês de Sapucaí, which can hold a maximum 90,000 people. For concerts, it can hold from 10,000 to 40,000 ...
'' (Apotheosis Square), a trilegged arch, became a noted symbol of the Rio Carnival.


The venue

The Sambódromo consists of a stretch of Marquês de Sapucaí street converted into a permanent parade ground with bleachers (grandstands) built on either side for spectators. Its capacity is 90,000. The parade avenue is painted gray each year before Carnival. The complex includes an area located at the end of the parade route, the ''
Praça da Apoteose The Apotheosis Square (Praça da Apoteose) is a venue in Rio de Janeiro close to the Morro da Mineira favela. It is part of Sambadrome Marquês de Sapucaí, which can hold a maximum 90,000 people. For concerts, it can hold from 10,000 to 40,000 ...
'' (Apotheosis Square) near the
Morro da Mineira Morro da Mineira("Miner's Hill") is a favela located in the Catumbi neighborhood, near downtown Rio de Janeiro, the Sambadrome, and the Praça da Apoteose. Morro da Mineira is situated on a hill and composed of simple houses inhabited by working ...
, where the bleachers are set further back from the parade area, creating a square where revelers gather as they end their parade. Outside the Carnival season, Apotheosis Square is occasionally used as a major concert venue in Rio de Janeiro. Artists who have performed in Apotheosis Square of the Sambadrome include
Roger Waters George Roger Waters (born 6 September 1943) is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. In 1965, he co-founded the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. Waters initially served as the bassist, but following the departure of singer-so ...
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and many more. In December, the samba schools begin holding technical rehearsals at the Sambadrome, leading up to Carnival.


The Carnival parade events

The official Carnival parades take place just before the start of
Lent Lent ( la, Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke ...
. They are held for four consecutive nights, during which schools parade one after another from 8pm until the morning. The ''A Series'' samba schools are hosted on Friday and Saturday, and the elite ''Special Group'' marches on Sunday and Monday. The ''Special Group'' nights are by far the biggest attractions. The parades are televised nationally and are watched by large audiences. Each samba school has a preset amount of time (75 minutes) to parade from one end of the Sambadrome to the other with all its thousands of dancers, its drum section, and a number of floats. Each school has its own unique qualities according to its own traditions. Schools are graded by a jury, and the competition is ferocious. On
Ash Wednesday Ash Wednesday is a holy day of prayer and fasting in many Western Christian denominations. It is preceded by Shrove Tuesday and falls on the first day of Lent (the six weeks of penitence before Easter). It is observed by Catholics in the Rom ...
(''quarta-feira de cinzas''), grades are gathered and one school is declared the winner. The ''Parade of Champions'' is held the following Saturday featuring the five winning samba schools in the ''Special Group'' category and the A Series division winner, which joins the ''Special Group'' come the next year. In 2008, ticket prices for normal bleacher, or Grandstands, seats in the Sambadrome on ''Special Group'' nights ranged between R$10 and R$500 (US$6.50 to US$312.50), with VIP Cabins, or Covered Boxes, seating (which includes open bar, buffet - dinner, dessert and more) and scalped tickets costing much more (starting from US$2,500.00, in the best locations). Inflated prices to watch star samba schools exclude many Brazilians from attending. As a reaction to high levels of commercialization, Rio de Janeiro has experienced a resurgence in free block parties (Street Bands and Groups: Blocos) that take place in suburbs all over the city. It is possible for a person who is not a member of any samba school to buy a costume and arrange for a spot as a dancer in one of the parade groups.


Upgrade for 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics

For the
2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...
, the venue hosted
archery Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In m ...
and the
athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competi ...
marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...
event, and for the
2016 Summer Paralympics ) , nations = 159 , athletes = 4,342 , opening = 7 September , closing = 18 September , opened_by = President Michel Temer , cauldron = Clodoaldo Silva , events = 528 in 22 sports , stadium = Maracanã , sum ...
, the venue hosted
archery Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In m ...
. In preparation for the Olympics, an old Brahma beer factory nearby was demolished and extra bleachers were built on the site, increasing spectator capacity by around 18,000 seats in accordance with Niemeyer's original vision of making the Sambadrome complex symmetrical. The reopening occurred on February 7, 2012. Mayor
Eduardo Paes Eduardo da Costa Paes (, born 14 November 1969) is a Brazilian politician who was the mayor of the city of Rio de Janeiro from 2009 to 2012, re-elected for a second term from 2013 to 2016 and returning elected again in 2021. He is currently t ...
and architect
Oscar Niemeyer Oscar Ribeiro de Almeida Niemeyer Soares Filho (15 December 1907 – 5 December 2012), known as Oscar Niemeyer (), was a Brazilian architect considered to be one of the key figures in the development of modern architecture. Niemeyer was ...
attended the ceremony.


See also

*
LIESA Liga Independente das Escolas de Samba do Rio de Janeiro ( en, Independent League of the Samba Schools of Rio de Janeiro), commonly known by the acronym LIESA, is the principal association that organizes the Carnival of the city of Rio de Janeiro. ...
*
LIERJ The Liga das Escolas de Samba do Rio de Janeiro (LIERJ; English: League of Samba Schools of the Rio de Janeiro) is the leading association that organizes the Série A Group in the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. On 15 July 2008, seven presidents of a ...
*
Anhembi Sambadrome The Polo Cultural e Esportivo Grande Otelo, commonly known as Anhembi Sambadrome, is a Sambadrome and one of the largest outdoor venues for major events in the city of São Paulo in Brazil. It opened in 1991, and has a capacity of 103,200 people. I ...
*
List of Oscar Niemeyer works List of buildings and structures by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer. From the approximately 600 projects designed by Niemeyer, only the most notable are listed below. Early works (1930s) *1936 – Gustavo Capanema Palace, Ministry of Educatio ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sambadrome Marques de Sapucai Rio Carnival Venues of the 2016 Summer Olympics Olympic archery venues Olympic athletics venues Sambadrome Tourist attractions in Rio de Janeiro (city)chicken