The calendar of technical rehearsals for the Special Group’s samba schools for Rio Carnival 2025 is now ready. The presentations begin on January 25th, with three groups per day, and will continue until the week before the official parades on the Passarela da Marquês de Sapucaí, the Sambadrome, in the city center.
To meet the groups’ requests, technical rehearsals will take place on Saturdays. In recent years, schools that performed on Sundays were complaining because they finished late and there were difficulties with transportation on the way home. Furthermore, the next day the components needed to start the work week.
“The idea of schools moving to Saturdays has been an old request from some Liesa schools, it was put to a vote, and it was not unanimous, but the idea of having technical rehearsals on Saturdays won”, said the president of the Independent League of Rio de Janeiro Samba Schools (Liesa), Gabriel David at Brazil Agency.
Marquês de Sapucaí Sambadrome – Photo: Marco Terranova/Riotur
Light and sound
Another new feature is that all schools will be able to carry out sound and light tests over a period of 4 days. In this case, the calendar marked the rehearsals between Thursday (20) and Sunday (23) February. With these tests, also for the first time, the associations will carry out 2 days of technical rehearsals.
“It is the first time in the history of carnival that the 12 samba schools of the Special Group will be able to test official sound and lighting on Avenida do Rio Carnaval 2025. This is super fundamental. I am sure that we will have an artistic gain in preparation and also in delivery for our city”, he said.
Well in advance, Liesa announced the calendar this Monday (14). For the president of the league, Gabriel David, technical rehearsals are essential for the preparation of the associations. He highlighted that the definition of the program was collective, as had happened when there was a discussion of having 3 days of parades. In 2025, the presentations will be on Sunday (2), Monday (3) and Tuesday (4) in March.
“The league explained the importance and what we could deliver more to the public because of this. It is super important for us to start the next year in earnest, and the turn of the year is with schools fully programmed and organized for their big start dates of the year, both for rehearsals on the courts, as well as those on the streets and technical rehearsals”, said Gabriel David.
The president of Liesa believes that the light and sound rehearsals will turn into a pre-carnival event in the city. “I wanted to reinforce here the importance of these two technical tests per school. I think it is a gift for the city of Rio de Janeiro, for the people in general, who can attend the technical rehearsals for free, there will be two opportunities per school, with the second opportunity being a week before carnival in a true pre- 4-day carnival, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday with schools officially presenting a general sound and light test for all schools”, he added.
Calendar of technical rehearsals for Rio Carnival 2025:
01/25
8pm – Unidos de Padre Miguel
9:30 pm – Unidos da Tijuca
11pm – Independent Youth
1st/2
8pm – Paraíso do Tuiuti
9:30 pm – Hummingbird
11pm – Hose
8/2
8pm – Vila Isabel
9:30 pm – Portela
11pm – Grande Rio
15/2
8pm – Salgueiro
9:30 pm – Imperatriz Leopoldinense
11pm – Viradouro
Light and sound test dates:
20/2
8pm – Unidos de Padre Miguel
9:30 pm – Unidos da Tijuca
11pm – Independent Youth
2/21
8pm – Paraíso do Tuiuti
9:30 pm – Hummingbird
11pm – Hose
2/22
6pm – Wash
8pm – Vila Isabel
9:30 pm – Portela
11pm – Salgueiro
2/23
8pm – Grande Rio
9:30 pm – Imperatriz Leopoldinense
11pm – Viradouro
