Rio Carnaval LGBTQ+ — Blocos & Sambadrome
About This Event
Rio has no single LGBTQ+ carnival event. It has a queer layer running through the whole of Carnival, from street blocos in Ipanema and Centro to a dedicated space inside the Sambadrome. For a lot of gay travellers this is the reason to visit Rio: five days when the city's usual rules relax and dressing up, cross-dressing and drag are completely normal on the street.
The oldest anchor is the Banda de Ipanema, founded in 1965, a bloco famous for drag and outrageous costumes that parades through Ipanema on Carnival Saturday and Tuesday afternoons. It is free, packed and very good-natured. Newer queer blocos and parties fill the rest of the calendar: Divinas Tretas on the Flamengo seafront, Selvagem's street party in Centro, Sai Hétero, which has moved to a ticketed, closed format for safety, and CarnaPride, a free all-day party by Santos Dumont airport. At the Sambadrome, CandyBox runs the LGBTQ+ space in Sector 8, with open bar, buffet and pop and drag acts, paid and pricey. The old Gala Gay ball at the Scala, a Carnival Tuesday fixture for decades, hasn't advertised an edition since 2019 as far as we could find.
Carnival runs from Friday to Ash Wednesday and moves each year with Easter, landing in February or early March. Rooms in Ipanema and Copacabana sell out months ahead and prices jump, so book as soon as you know you're going, and expect minimum-stay rules. It is high summer: hot, humid and prone to afternoon downpours, so drink water between caipirinhas. Pickpockets love bloco crowds; take a cheap phone and little cash.
The last Carnival ran from Friday 13 to Ash Wednesday 18 February 2026. Time Out reported that the Sambadrome LGBTQ+ space was marking 16 years, and Sai Hétero told the press it expected 10,000 to 20,000 people at its closed parade on Carnival Tuesday. There is no overall attendance figure for the LGBTQ+ events. Carnival 2027 runs from Friday 5 to Ash Wednesday 10 February, with the Special Group samba-school parades at the Sambadrome on the Sunday and Monday nights (7 and 8 February). The 2027 bloco and party line-ups hadn't been announced when we checked.
Where to stay during Rio Carnaval LGBTQ+ — Blocos & Sambadrome
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Videos
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