The Rio Times · Nightlife Desk

Sábado das Campeãs · Viradouro closes the Sapucaí, Bloco da Anitta takes Centro, and Lapa runs until dawn

01
Tonight’s Vibe Menu

The grand finale. Three days after the apuração crowned Viradouro campeã with 270 points — ahead of vice-campeã Beija-Flor — six schools return to the Marquês de Sapucaí tonight for the Desfile das Campeãs. The event starts at 9 pm; the schools enter the passarela from 10 pm in reverse order, Mangueira opening and Viradouro closing. Archivancada tickets are sold out. If you have a camarote, you have the best seat in Brazilian culture tonight. Outside the Sambódromo, the city is running at full pós-Carnaval power: Bloco da Anitta rolled through Centro this morning — hundreds of thousands of foliões on Rua Primeiro de Março from 7 am. Tonight, Lapa takes over: Carioca da Gema hosts Familia Moadir from 9 pm. Beco do Rato has samba and feijoada from noon until 2 am. Rio Scenarium opens on Rua do Lavradio. At the Blue Note Rio, Indiana Nomma brings Carnaval de New Orleans at 8 pm, followed by BondeSom at 10:30 pm. And at the Sociedade Hípica Brasileira on the Lagoa, Dubdogz bring the Nostalgia party — summer eletrohits dos anos 2000 — from 5 pm.

Sambódromo spectacle

Desfile das Campeãs —
Viradouro closes the night

→ Sapucaí · Centro · from 9 pm

New Orleans jazz

Indiana Nomma at
Blue Note Rio

→ Copacabana · Av. Atlântica · 8 pm

Samba in Lapa

Carioca da Gema —
Familia Moadir

→ Lapa · Mem de Sá · 9 pm

Eletrohits dos 2000

Dubdogz Nostalgia —
CarnaHípica

→ Lagoa · Soc. Hípica Brasileira · 5 pm

02
Top Picks Tonight
Fast scan

1

Desfile das Campeãs — Marquês de Sapucaí

R. Marquês de Sapucaí, s/n – Centro · 6 schools, Viradouro campeã closes

2

Blue Note Rio — Indiana Nomma: Carnaval de New Orleans

Av. Atlântica, 1910 – Copacabana · Jazz, brass and Mardi Gras energy

3

Carioca da Gema — Familia Moadir

Av. Mem de Sá, 79 – Lapa · Saturday samba until 4 am

4

Nostalgia by Dubdogz — CarnaHípica

Sociedade Hípica Brasileira, Av. Borges de Medeiros, 2448 – Lagoa · 18+

5

Beco do Rato — Saturday Samba & Feijoada

R. Joaquim Silva, 11 – Lapa · Roda from 2 pm, live samba all night

03
Full Rundown
Deep dive

1Desfile das Campeãs — Marquês de Sapucaí

Sambódromo

GATES 9:00 pm

SCHOOLS from 10:00 pm

PRICE Sold out (camarotes remain)

The season’s final act. Six schools return to the Sapucaí in reverse classification order: Mangueira (6th), Imperatriz (5th), Salgueiro (4th), Vila Isabel (3rd), Beija-Flor (vice-campeã) and Unidos do Viradouro, the 2026 champion with 270 points, closing the night. This is not a competition — it’s a celebration, and the atmosphere in the Sambódromo is electric. All archivancada tickets are sold out, but some camarotes remain available, including Camarote Nº1 and Camarote Allegria. Multishow (cable) and Globoplay (streaming) broadcast live from 9:30 pm for those watching from the bars of Lapa or the comfort of a hotel room.

Practicalities: R. Marquês de Sapucaí, s/n – Centro. Metro Cidade Nova (setor par) or Central do Brasil (setor ímpar). Card accepted at camarotes. Road closures from 6 pm in the surrounding blocks. 16+.

R. Marquês de Sapucaí, s/n – Centro

2Blue Note Rio — Indiana Nomma / BondeSom

Jazz & brass

SESSION 1 8:00 pm

SESSION 2 10:30 pm

PRICE From R$60 via Eventim

Two sessions close the Blue Note Rio Carnaval programme tonight. At 8 pm, Indiana Nomma brings Carnaval de New Orleans — a brass-driven, Mardi Gras-inflected jazz set that bridges two carnival traditions across the Atlantic. At 10:30 pm, BondeSom takes the stage for the late session with Brazilian grooves. The Blue Note sits on the Copacabana calçadão at Av. Atlântica 1,910 — ocean view, intimate room, world-class sound. Doors open at 7 pm for the calçadão and piano bar. As per Blue Note rules, the room clears between sessions. Tickets via Eventim; the bilheteria at the venue sells without service fees.

Practicalities: Av. Atlântica, 1910 – Copacabana. Tickets via Eventim. Metro Cardeal Arcoverde + 10-min walk. Card accepted. 18+ (minors only with parents/guardians).

Av. Atlântica, 1910 – Copacabana

3Carioca da Gema — Familia Moadir

Samba

DOORS 9:00 pm

CLOSE 4:00 am

PRICE Via Sympla

Twenty-five years in the game and the Carioca da Gema remains the beating heart of Lapa’s samba scene. Tonight Familia Moadir takes the stage — expect a house packed with pós-Carnaval energy, dancers filling the ground floor, and the distinctive Gema sound reverberating off the old townhouse walls. The bar was a pioneer in reclaiming the Lapa casarões for live music, and on a Sábado das Campeãs Saturday, the room runs hot. The happy hour (free show from 7:30 pm) warms up the night before the main programme begins at 9 pm.

Practicalities: Av. Mem de Sá, 79 – Lapa. Tickets via Sympla. Metro Cinelândia + 10-min walk. Card accepted. Saturday hours 9 pm – 4 am.

Av. Mem de Sá, 79 – Lapa

4Nostalgia by Dubdogz — CarnaHípica

Electronic

DOORS 5:00 pm

AGE 18+ only

PRICE Pista / Backstage tiers

The twin DJs from Juiz de Fora close their Carnaval marathon with a double header in Rio today — Camarote Mar at the Sapucaí and the Nostalgia party at the Sociedade Hípica Brasileira by the Lagoa. Nostalgia is a time machine: summer eletrohits from the 2000s, the tracks that defined a generation of Brazilian dance floors, all remixed through the Dubdogz lens. The Hípica is a sprawling equestrian club turned festival space, with the Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas as backdrop. Pista and backstage areas available. Strictly 18+ — minors not admitted even with a guardian.

Practicalities: Sociedade Hípica Brasileira, Av. Borges de Medeiros, 2448 – Lagoa. No metro nearby; ride-hailing recommended. Cupom FESTASRJ for discounts on some platforms.

Av. Borges de Medeiros, 2448 – Lagoa

5Beco do Rato — Saturday Samba & Feijoada

Samba de raiz

OPENS 12:00 pm

CLOSE 2:00 am

PRICE Free until 2 pm / R$25 after

The Beco do Rato is where the samba lives every day, and on a Carnaval Saturday the energy redoubles. Doors open at noon with feijoada service (R$40 individual); the roda de samba starts at 2 pm. At night the house transitions to its evening programme — live bands, a packed house, the sound of cavaquinho and pandeiro bouncing off the Lapa cobblestones until 2 am. The Beco is run by the Pacheco family, who have kept its traditions alive through decades of Lapa’s evolution. Pastéis de angu, caldo de mocotó and ice-cold beer complete the picture.

Practicalities: R. Joaquim Silva, 11 – Lapa. Metro Cinelândia + 8-min walk. Cash or PIX at the door; card accepted inside. Ingressos antecipados via Sympla.

R. Joaquim Silva, 11 – Lapa

04
Suggested Route
Three stops

6:00 PM

Beco do Rato

Start in Lapa. The roda is running, the feijoada is served and the samba is hot. Get a table near the stage, order a caipirinha, and ease into the night. You can walk to the rest of Lapa from here.

9:30 PM

Carioca da Gema

Walk five minutes to Av. Mem de Sá. Familia Moadir is on stage, the ground floor is filling up. This is Lapa at full volume. Stay until midnight or keep moving.

12:00 AM

Rio Scenarium / Lapa Streets

Walk down to Rua do Lavradio for the Scenarium — the three-storey townhouse with 10,000 antique objects and live samba across seven environments. Or stay on the streets: the Arcos da Lapa, Rua Joaquim Silva and Rua do Lavradio are all electric tonight. Carioca da Gema runs until 4 am if you want to circle back.

05
Still Going After 10 pm
Late shift

Lapa is the engine tonight. Carioca da Gema runs until 4 am. Beco do Rato closes at 2 am. Rio Scenarium (Rua do Lavradio, 20) opens Saturday from noon and runs its evening session with live music across multiple floors. Nova Capela (Av. Mem de Sá, 96) is the 120-year-old late-night institution — order the cabrito and a cold beer. It stays open past midnight on weekends. The Blue Note Rio’s second session starts at 10:30 pm with BondeSom — if you want to swap Lapa samba for Copacabana jazz, take a ride-hail south. In Botafogo, the Fonte (R. Henrique de Novais, 107) runs a Summer Eletrohits party from 10:30 pm on the main floor with a funk Furacão 2000 second stage opening at midnight. Bip Bip (R. Almirante Gonçalves, 50, Copacabana) is always a wildcard — if the door is open and there’s music, pull up a stool. Meanwhile at the Sapucaí, Viradouro is expected to enter the passarela after midnight — the last and greatest school of the night.

06
Plan B
Alternatives

›

Monobloco — Sunday encerramento — Rua Primeiro de Março, Centro, Sunday 22 February, from 9 am. The official closing megabloco of Rio Carnaval 2026. If tonight is the Sapucaí’s farewell, tomorrow is the streets’ last hurrah.

›

Mulheres de Chico — Praça Alm. Júlio de Noronha, 86 – Leme, from 3 pm. A bloco celebrating the songs of Chico Buarque through a feminine lens. Concentra-mas-não-sai format — gather, sing, and celebrate in place.

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Alto Vidigal Brasil — Rua Armando Almeida Lima, 2 – Vidigal, Feb 20–24. The hilltop venue above the favela offers views over the ocean and a multi-day programme running through the end of Carnaval. Check altovidigalbrasil.com for tonight’s lineup.

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Baile de Máscaras — Dance Floor — Vista Bar Maguje, Sat 21 Feb, 9 pm–3 am. Flashback hits, current music and Carnaval atmosphere with a dress code: bring a mask. Tickets from R$70 via Sympla.

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Pós-Carnaval blocos — Saturday — 36 blocos authorized across the city today: Bloco Pela Saco (Botafogo, 3 pm), Bafafá (Laranjeiras, 10 am), Berço do Samba (Lapa, 1 pm), Sufridos de Copacabana (Copa, 4 pm), Tecnomacumba (Saúde, 4 pm). Full listings at carnavalderua.rio.

07
Getting Around
Transport intel

Metro: MetrôRio special Carnaval service runs tonight for the Desfile das Campeãs. Line 1: Cinelândia or Carioca for Lapa; Cidade Nova for Sapucaí setor par; Central do Brasil for Sapucaí setor ímpar. Line 1 Cardeal Arcoverde for Copacabana and the Blue Note. Expect extended hours — check metrorio.com.br for tonight’s schedule.

Ride-hailing: Surge pricing will be highest around the Sambódromo (before 9 pm and after 1 am) and in Lapa after midnight. Set your pickup on Rua do Lavradio or Rua dos Arcos — avoid the pedestrian-only stretches. Lapa to Copacabana is 15–20 minutes.

Sapucaí access: COR-Rio traffic management is active around the Sambódromo. Setor par: approach via Cidade Nova metro. Setor ímpar: via Central do Brasil. Road closures in the surrounding blocks from 6 pm. Do not attempt to drive to the Sambódromo.

Weather: Expect 27–32°C, humid, with possible late-afternoon thunderstorms. Dress light, carry water, and bring a light rain layer if you’re starting at the blocos.

08
Neighbourhood Picks
By zone

Lapa

Tonight’s epicentre

Carioca da Gema (Mem de Sá 79, 9 pm–4 am) is the anchor. Beco do Rato (Joaquim Silva 11, from noon) for samba de raiz and feijoada. Rio Scenarium (Lavradio 20) for the antique-filled three-storey experience. Nova Capela (Mem de Sá 96) for late-night cabrito. The Arcos da Lapa and Rua Joaquim Silva bars fill the gaps. Metro Cinelândia connects it all.

Copacabana

Jazz & ocean views

Blue Note Rio (Av. Atlântica 1,910) runs two sessions tonight — Indiana Nomma at 8 pm, BondeSom at 10:30 pm. Bip Bip (Almirante Gonçalves 50) is the spontaneous samba and choro corner bar — no stage, no cover. The Copacabana boardwalk bars are alive tonight. Metro Cardeal Arcoverde or Cantagalo.

Centro / Sapucaí

The Sambódromo

The Desfile das Campeãs at the Marquês de Sapucaí is the evening’s main event — 9 pm start, six schools, Viradouro closing. The surrounding streets will be packed. Bloco da Anitta rolled through this morning on Rua Primeiro de Março. The Praça Mauá and Boulevard Olímpico area offer bars and food. Metro Cidade Nova or Central do Brasil.

Lagoa / Botafogo

Parties & bars

Nostalgia by Dubdogz at the Sociedade Hípica Brasileira (Lagoa, from 5 pm) is the big electronic draw — 2000s eletrohits by the lake. In Botafogo, the Fonte (Henrique de Novais 107) runs a double-stage Summer Eletrohits and funk night from 10:30 pm. Bloco Pela Saco parades through Praça São Clemente from 3 pm. Rua Arnaldo Quintela bars stay open past midnight.

The Rio Times

riotimesonline.com · Nightlife Guide · Published daily during Carnaval
Compiled by the RT Nightlife Desk — all events verified against official sources.
Prices, times, and door policies may change — always confirm before heading out. Sábado das Campeãs tonight — six schools return to the Sapucaí. Viradouro closes.