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Carnival Glossary
Brazilian Carnival comes with its own vocabulary, built up over more than a century of parades, street parties, and community traditions. This glossary breaks down the terms you will hear most often, from the costumes and floats of the Sambadrome to the sound trucks and street crews of Salvador's Carnival.
- Abadá
- The uniform t-shirt or costume worn by members of a bloco or trio elétrico group, used to identify paying participants and often required for access to that group's roped-off section of the street. First-timer's guide →
- Afoxé
- A Carnival group rooted in Afro-Brazilian religious traditions linked to Candomblé, originating in Bahia, that parades with percussion, chants, and dance honoring its spiritual heritage. Salvador guide →
- Ala
- A themed 'wing' of costumed participants within a samba school's parade, with each ala representing a specific part of the school's enredo. Rio guide →
- Alegoria
- A large decorated float used by samba schools during the parade, carrying performers and visually representing scenes from the school's chosen theme. Costumes & floats →
- Bateria
- The percussion section of a samba school, made up of dozens to hundreds of drummers who provide the rhythmic foundation for the parade. Carnival music →
- Bloco (bloco de rua)
- A street Carnival group, ranging from small neighborhood gatherings to events drawing hundreds of thousands of people, typically free to join and centered on music, costumes, and dancing in the street. São Paulo guide →
- Camarote
- A private or ticketed viewing area at Carnival events, offering elevated seating, food, drinks, and entertainment, common at both street Carnival circuits and Sambadrome parades. First-timer's guide →
- Comissão de frente
- The 'front commission,' a choreographed group that opens a samba school's parade and introduces the year's theme, a tradition that replaced the earlier practice of simply presenting the school's directors. Rio guide →
- Desfile
- The formal Carnival parade, most notably the competitive samba school parades held in purpose-built Sambadromes. Rio guide →
- Enredo
- The storyline or theme a samba school selects for its yearly parade, shaping its samba-enredo, costumes, floats, and choreography. Carnival music →
- Escola de samba
- A samba school, a community-based association that competes during Carnival with a themed parade built around an enredo, samba-enredo, costumes, and floats. Rio guide →
- Fantasia
- The Portuguese word for a Carnival costume, worn by parade performers, bloco members, and street revelers alike. Costumes & floats →
- Frevo
- A fast-paced instrumental music and dance style from Recife and Olinda in Pernambuco, recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2012. Recife & Olinda →
- Grupo Especial
- The top competitive division of Rio de Janeiro's samba schools, featuring the city's most prestigious schools in the main Sambadrome parade. Rio guide →
- Maracatu
- An Afro-Brazilian performance tradition from Pernambuco combining music, dance, and royal-court imagery, with roots in colonial-era coronation ceremonies for Black kings and queens. Recife & Olinda →
- Mestre-sala e porta-bandeira
- The 'master of ceremonies and flag bearer,' a dancing couple in each samba school who present the school's flag together and are judged as one of the parade's official categories. Rio guide →
- Pipoca
- Literally 'popcorn,' the term for unaffiliated Carnival-goers who follow a bloco or parade informally from the street rather than marching within its organized ranks. Salvador guide →
- Samba-enredo
- The theme song composed each year for a samba school's parade, written to narrate and musically carry the school's enredo. Carnival music →
- Sambadrome
- Sambódromo in Portuguese, a purpose-built avenue with grandstand seating for competitive samba school parades; Rio de Janeiro's Sambadrome on Marquês de Sapucaí street was designed by architect Oscar Niemeyer and opened in 1984. Rio guide →
- Trio elétrico
- A large sound truck fitted with powerful speakers and a performance stage, originating in Salvador, Bahia, used to lead street Carnival blocos with live music. Salvador guide →
See these terms in action
Carnival 2027 datesCalendar & live countdown→Rio de JaneiroSambadrome & blocos→SalvadorTrio elétrico & axé→Recife & OlindaFrevo & giant puppets→São PauloAnhembi & street blocos→Carnival musicSamba, frevo, axé→Costumes & floatsFantasias & puppets→First-timer's guidePlan your trip→Casino reviewsOur Brazilian line-up→