You should start watching for tickets to go on sale in September. There are several options of where to sit and you can see an explanation of this if you click here and a visual explanation if you click here. My friends and I sat in the Open Front Box Seats in Sector 6. This was a great area as we were very close to the parade, there was a lot of room in our box (boxes seat up to six people), and we could move around pretty freely. There was a concession stand and bathrooms close by. There are two nights for the main parade and this is what you want to see! There are different “schools” each night so if you want to go both nights, the second night will be a completely different parade.
We chose to pick up our tickets instead of having them delivered to our hotel. It gave us a bit more control over the timing and the process in general. They don’t mail tickets outside of Brazil (or did not when I went) so this is not an option. It was a pretty easy process, but the line does get long so go as early as possible. You can also buy transportation when you pick up your tickets. We did this, but only used them to get home since we planned to eat dinner before the parade.
The tickets are placed on a lanyard around your neck, but be sure to put them inside your shirt. We didn’t do this and a policeman immediately told us to do so once we got out of our cab. Apparently people will come and rip them off you. Once you’re at the sambadrome, you might have a bit of a walk to your entrance depending on what sector you are in. Once you’re in, an usher will take you to your seat. Get your caipirinhas early! They did run out when we were there, but there was still plenty of Brazilian beer to get you through the rest of the night. Also be prepared to stay very late. The parades last all night! We got back to our hotel as the sun was coming up.
Here are some of my pictures:
Eternal Horizon 