the sambódromo (sambadrome), is a special stadium located on rua marques de sapucaí in rio de janeiro - built specifically to host the official rio carnival samba parades.

the official rio carnival samba parades, now held at the purposively built rectangular stadium, have taken place in various rio locations since their inception in 1935, with the very first venue being praça onze.

the location for the parades was moved to avenida presidente vargas in 1942, then it was changed to estadio san gennaro in 1945, and back to avenida presidente vargas again in 1947.

in 1951 temporary stands with seating were introduced at this location to allow the public a better view, and in 1961 a charge for admission was introduced for the first time.