Viradouro is the Rio Carnival samba school based in Niterói and traditionally associated with red and white.
Its official name is Unidos do Viradouro. The school represents Niterói, the city on the eastern side of Guanabara Bay opposite Rio de Janeiro. Despite that location, it competes in Rio’s principal samba-school Carnival system and parades at the Sambadrome.
Viradouro was founded in 1946 and became a major Special Group competitor over time. Its first top-flight championship came in 1997, and it won again in 2020. The school’s red-and-white visual identity is a useful way to distinguish it from Rio schools with similar championship histories.
A common mix-up is assuming every leading school in the Rio Carnival competition must be based within Rio municipality. The competition has long included organizations representing nearby cities and neighborhoods across the metropolitan area.