Tuesday Night at the Anhembi Sambadrome
It's the final night of the top-tier parades, and the concrete of the Anhembi Sambadrome is still warm from the weekend. The air smells of grilled meat, spilled beer, and the sweet chemical tang of glitter spray. Thousands of sequins catch the floodlights as each samba school's bateria pounds out a rhythm you feel in your sternum. This is Carnival Tuesday in São Paulo — the last great night before Ash Wednesday, when the city's samba schools leave everything on the runway.
The top 16 schools parade across Friday and Saturday of Carnival weekend, but Tuesday is when results are announced, and the atmosphere in the stands turns electric with anticipation. You can buy a budget seat in the bleachers or splurge on a camarote — an open-bar VIP box. Bar Brahma and Camarote 011 both offer food, drink, and live shows alongside a view of the parade. The schools to watch include Vai-Vai and Gaviões da Fiel, two of São Paulo's most storied samba institutions.
Blocos by Day, Samba by Night
Most of São Paulo's street Carnival happens in daylight. With more than 600 official blocos — free and open to all — the city becomes a movable party that ends by early evening, leaving your nights free for the Sambadrome. Put on your costume and follow the crowds.
- Agrada Gregos — one of the best-known blocos, drawing a massive crowd.
- Bloco da Pabllo — hosted by Pabllo Vittar, a fixture of São Paulo's LGBTQIA+ Carnival scene.
- Acadêmicos do Baixo Augusta — a downtown favorite that fills the streets around Augusta.
- Tarado Ni Você — a bloco with a devoted following.
- Bicho Maluco Beleza — with Alceu Valença, bringing northeastern forró energy to the SP streets.
- MinhoQueens, Ritaleena, Bloco da Favorita, Meu Santo é Pop — each with its own crowd and corner of the city.
There are also niche parades themed around individual artists — a Caetano Veloso-themed bloco among them. São Paulo's Carnival is known for its strong LGBTQIA+ presence and as an urban alternative to Rio: less beach, more concrete, more grit, more variety.
Costumes, Glitter, and Last-Minute Wings
If you arrive without a costume, head to Rua 25 de Março. This downtown shopping street turns into a carnival supply depot in the days before the parades — glitter by the bag, feathered wings, tiaras, and every shade of sequin you can imagine. It's the practical stop before you join a bloco or take your seat at the Sambadrome.
When to Go and How to Move
Carnival 2027 runs February 5–13, culminating on Carnival Tuesday, February 9, before Ash Wednesday. Festivities often begin weeks before the official period, so the city is already in carnival mode by early February. The parades themselves run across the official dates, with the top schools on Friday and Saturday, results on Tuesday, and the Champions' Parade the following weekend.
The metro is your best friend during Carnival. Streets close for blocos, traffic becomes impossible, and parking vanishes. Take the train to the Sambadrome and walk between street parties. Most blocos are daytime affairs, so plan your days around them and your nights at Anhembi.
Beyond São Paulo: A Carnival Worth Extending
If you have time before or after Tuesday, Brazil's other Carnival cities are within reach. Rio de Janeiro's Sambadrome on the Marquês de Sapucaí hosts its own parades, with up to 500 official blocos in 2027 — free street parties are best in Santa Teresa, Glória, and Centro rather than the beach neighborhoods. Salvador, Bahia, holds the Guinness record for the largest street party, with trios elétricos and axé music on the Dodô, Osmar, and Batatinha circuits; the Pelourinho circuit is family-oriented and has no trios. Recife brings frevo and the Noite dos Tambores Silenciosos, while Olinda hosts 500+ blocos with giant puppets. Belo Horizonte's Carnival is fast-growing and free, with decentralized blocos across the city.
Start planning now: book your Sambadrome ticket and camarote early, find a hotel near a metro line, and leave room in your suitcase for a costume you'll buy on Rua 25 de Março. Carnival Tuesday 2027 falls on February 9 — mark it, and let São Paulo show you what an urban Carnival feels like.