the praça da apoteose, also known as the apotheosis square, is an event venue in rio de janeiro and part of the sambadrome marquês de sapucaí complex, a parade space located in the downtown area of the city. 'apotheosis' is derived from 'apotheoun', the greek word for 'to defy' and it is related to grandiosity, elevation, and divinity.

the sambadromo da marquês de sapucaí was built in 1983 in order to create an area especially for the carnival parades, so important to the cultural and touristic life of rio de janeiro. it was finally opened to the public in 1984, starting the era of two nights of samba school parades and the start of the current championship.