In what year was the Rio Carnival Sambódromo inaugurated? 1984.
Rio de Janeiro’s Sambódromo was inaugurated in 1984 as a purpose-built parade avenue for the city’s samba-school competitions. The venue is formally called the Sambódromo Marquês de Sapucaí, or Passarela Professor Darcy Ribeiro, and it runs along Marquês de Sapucaí in central Rio.
Architect Oscar Niemeyer designed the complex after Rio’s government commissioned a permanent setting for the parades. Construction began in 1983 and was completed in only about five months, allowing the first carnival competitions there in March 1984. The project also included classrooms beneath parts of the spectator stands.
The venue is often confused with the carnival itself: the Sambódromo is the parade facility, not the name of Rio’s entire carnival. Its Praça da Apoteose, a large terminal square marked by Niemeyer’s distinctive arch, became one of the complex’s best-known features. The site was renovated in 2012 to expand viewing capacity.