for visitors who will be in rio de janeiro in periods other than carnaval, it is still possible to get an idea of what the parades in the sambódromo will feel like.

in fact, given the intense competition that takes place at the carnival samba parade, all the samba schools need to rehearse thoroughly in the months leading up to the main event.

rehearsals at the samba schools begin in august and run right up to carnival.

called 'ensaios tecnicos', technical rehearsals at the sambódromo begin the december before carnival, with the grupo de acesso beginning rehearsals in december, and the grupo especial beginning in early january.

attracting crowds of 20,000 to 30,000 people per show, these rehearsals show the various schools doing a test run of their marching, singing, music and dancing routines, but without costumes and floats.