The History of Samba: From Marginalised Roots to a Multi-Billion Dollar Industry
Once criminalized in early 1900s Brazil, samba now injects R$5 billion into Rio's GDP each season. Discover why it was...
March 15, 2026Topic
Samba Schools
Brazil: Carnaval is reborn at Rio’s sambadrome after two years of pandemic
The cement and steel structures of Rio's sambadrome came to life again after two years of involuntary sleep due to...
April 21, 2022
Rio Samba Schools Use Carnaval to Criticize Government
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – A little over a year into Jair Bolsonaro’s administration, Brazil has become deeply polarized. Right-wing...
February 23, 2020
Mangueira Crowned 2019 Rio Carnival Samba School Champions
The samba school told the history of Brazil from the perspective of the popular, unsung heroes, including murdered councilwoman, Marielle...
March 7, 2019
Estácio de Sá Win Promotion to Grupo Especial at Rio’s 2019 Carnival
This Ash Wednesday, March 6th, Estácio de Sá samba school was announced the winners of Rio’s Série A (Access Group)...
March 7, 2019
Brazil’s Samba Schools and Blocos Pay Tribute to Lawmaker Marielle Franco
Among the traditional samba tunes this year during Carnival in Brazil, several samba schools and ‘blocos’ honored lawmaker and activist,...
March 5, 2019
Rio’s Carnival Parade Mixes Technology With Poignant Humanity
Over the evenings of Sunday, March 3rd, and Monday, March 4th, the fourteen samba schools in Rio’s Grupo Especial presented...
March 5, 2019
Access Group Schools Kick Off Spectacular Carnival Parade in Rio
This past Friday, March 1st, and Saturday, March 2nd, a total of thirteen samba schools from Rio’s ‘Grupo de Acesso’...
March 4, 2019
Rio’s Carnival with Extra Security and Facial Recognition Cameras
The city of Rio de Janeiro announced on Wednesday its Carnival operation schedule for the five-day Carnival holiday. In addition...
February 28, 2019