the costumes of the samba schools must help explain the story (enredo), also told in the lyrics of samba theme (samba-enredo).

fantasias must be consistent with the theme, elaborate, and in harmony with the school as a whole.

each samba school's parade is divided into wings, and each of these groups has a different fantasia, making individual groups easily identifiable in the parade.

scoring by the judges is based on creativity of the costume, their significance to the plot, use of color, use of materials, finishes, details, and uniformity.