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It`s helpful to understand that parade in Portuguese is desfile. It’s a serious contest among different neighborhoods, divided into three leagues that vie for top ranking following the annual carnival parades.
Preparations for the big Rio Samba Parade start in the year preceding Carnaval, with each samba school counts with thousands of supporters to make it happen. Months before the parade, a theme is chosen at every samba school. Then, after a fierce competition, the song is picked. Last, the costumes and floats are secretly created by locals inside their communities
The rehearsals take place by beginning of December – three months before the big samba parade – with carnavalescos – the school “architect” – choreographing the dances and the movements. By the same time, samba songs are released, recorded and sent to record stores for the entire population to get familiarized with.
The Special Group is formed by twelve samba schools, with six schools parading in each of the two first nights – Sunday February 14 and Monday February 15. These two parades have a very similar setting and importance. A drawing conducted by the organizers determines which schools parade when.
The winner and 5 runners-up from the Special Group make part of the Winners’ Parade the Saturday after Carnival, February 20 this year.
The Access Group is composed by 12 samba schools, which all of them parading on Saturday February 13. The winner and the runner up are promoted to parade with the Special Group at the following year. The two less qualified also descend to Group B, which parades on Thursday February 12.