1) NUMBERS AND DATES

Dates, places and times

PRE-CARNAVAL:

- Bands (Abasp) – several places: February 7-20, 2009
- Pholia at the Memorial (ABBC) - Latin American Memorial: February 14 and 15, 2009 (Grito do Pholia on February 4, at the Casa do Samba).

CARNAVAL:

Special and Access Group Parades (Anhembi Sambódromo):

- SPECIAL GROUP: February 20 and 21, 2009
- ACCESS GROUP: February 22, 2009
- VOTE TALLYING: February 24, 2009
- PARADE OF THE CHAMPIONS: February 27, 2009

UESP Samba Schools and Blocks (Sambódromo and districts):

- UESP SAMBA SCHOOLS AND BLOCKS: February 22 and 23 in the districts and 23 at the Sambódromo;
- UESP VOTE TALLYING: February 26, 2009


2) COURT FOR THE 2009 SP CARNAVAL
SP already has its King Momo, Queen and Princesses for 2009.

Member of Mocidade Alegre, Vai-Vai, Unidos do Peruche and Rosas de Ouro are the city’s new merrymaking representatives.

Last January 7, the Court for the 2009 SP Carnaval was elected. Camila Aparecida da Silva, representing Vai Vai, is the new Queen and Robério Theodoro de Souza, of Mocidade Alegre, was elected King Momo, the skinniest in the history of the city, weighing only 91 Kg. The group is also comprised of Elaine Barbosa de Abreu, of Rosas de Ouro (First Princess), and Mara Kelly Silva, of Unidos do Peruche (Second Princess).

Twenty candidates participated in the contest, 11 men and nine women, an unprecedented number considering that every other year the number of competitors for Queen always exceeded the number of male contestants. This is due in part to the rule used to provide opportunities to newly interested parties in which it is determined that those elected in the past three contests held (2006, 2007 and 2008) cannot participate in this year's competition. The impossibility of re-election does not apply to princesses, who are classified in second and third places, respectively. Another change was in relation to the minimum weight for King Momo contestants, going from 100 to 90 kg with the objective of not encouraging obesity.

Other attractions of the night, which had Adriana Lessa as Master of Ceremonies, included the show by the pagode group Art Popular and a performance by the Vai-Vai samba school drum section, the big winner at the 2008 São Paulo Carnaval.

The jury for the event held at the Elis Regina Auditorium was comprised of Carlos Pazetto, director of Events for the fashion segment, Fábio Arruda, architect, landscaper and tag specialist, Idel Arcuschin, economist and director of Carta Editorial, journalists Jaqueline Falcão, of the Diário de São Paulo, and José Armando Vannucci, of Jovem Pan and TV Gazeta, Márika Gidali, director of the Stagium Ballet, Orlando de Almeida, municipal housing secretary, Raquel Verdenacci, director of events at SPTuris, Sérgio Ribeiro, representative of the Hotel San Raphael, Simone Sampaio, three time Queen of the Court for the São Paulo Carnaval and considered the Queen of Queens, and Ísis Santana, hair stylist.

The technical sheet for the winners is shown below:

King Momo - Robério Theodoro de Souza
Indication: Mocidade Alegre
Date of Birth: 5/2/1981.
Weight: 91 Kg
Height: 1.81 m
Profession: teacher

Queen - Camila Aparecida da Silva
Indication: Vai-Vai
Date of Birth: 11/6/1986.
Weight: 65 Kg
Height: 1.77 m
Size: 40.
Breasts: 96.
Waist: 66.
Hips: 103.
Profession: actress and dancer

First Princess - Elaine Barbosa de Abreu
Indication: Rosas de Ouro.
Date of Birth: 5/21/1978.
Weight: 60 Kg
Height: 1.75 m
Size: 38.
Breasts: 87.
Waist: 68.
Hips: 99.
Profession: attorney

Second Princess - Mara Kelly C. S. Silva
Indication: Unidos do Peruche.
Date of Birth: 9/8/1984.
Weight: 65 Kg
Height: 1.73 m
Size: 40.
Breasts: 91.
Waist: 78.
Hips: 101.
Profession: student and dancer


3) TICKETS FOR CARNAVAL 2009

Tickets for the 2009 São Paulo Carnaval at the Sambódromo are available at 10 points-of-sale in the state of São Paulo. Besides these locations, those interested can also buy tickets by phone (11) 2162-7250 or the site www.ingressofacil.com.br (up to 48 hours before the event). The cheapest tickets, in the grandstand, cost R$40 (special group parade) and R$20 (access group). The most expensive is R$38.4 thousand (special box seats - 25 people for the special group).

Points of sale:

IBIRAPUERA GYMNASIUM
Rua Pe. Manoel da Nóbrega, 1361 - Vila Mariana.
Time: Monday thru Saturday, from 11am to 5pm

MORUMBI STADIUM
Praça Roberto Gomes Pedrosa, 1 - Morumbi
Time: Monday thru Saturday, from 11am to 5pm

JOSÉ BRUNO DANIEL STADIUM (SANTO ANDRÉ)
Rua 24 de Maio, no number - Vila América.
Time: Monday thru Friday, from 11am to 5pm Saturday, from 10am to 4pm

PARQUE SÃO JORGE
Rua São Jorge, 777 - Tatuapé
Time: Monday thru Saturday, from 11am to 5pm

CANINDÉ STADIUM
Rua Comendador Nestor Pereira, 33 - Canindé.
Time: Monday thru Saturday, from 11am to 5pm

PALESTRA ITÁLIA STADIUM
Rua Turiassú, 1840 - Pompéia.
Time: Monday thru Saturday, from 11am to 5pm

JOSÉ CORRÊA SPORTS GYMNASIUM (BARUERI)
Time: Monday thru Saturday, from 11am to 5pm

PACAEMBU STADIUM
Praça Charles Miller, no number - Pacaembu.
Time: Monday thru Saturday, from 11am to 5pm

PITTA SPORTS STORE
Rua Silva Bueno, 1156 - Ipiranga.
Time: Monday thru Friday, from 11am to 5pm Saturday, from 10am to 1:30pm

ANHEMBI PARQUE (starting 1/20)
Av. Olavo Fontoura, 1209 - Santana.
Time: Monday thru Sunday, from 11am to 5pm


4) SÃO PAULO SAMBA CIRCUIT
The itinerary shows rehearsals of samba schools from the city of São Paulo.

The tour takes São Paulo residents and tourists to get to know the backstage activity of Carnaval in São Paulo.

After four years of success, the São Paulo Circuit, a receptive tourism firm sponsored by Bar Brahma, launches yet another edition of the São Paulo Samba Tour. The objective is to take tourists and São Paulo residents to know the courts and rehearsals of some of the main schools in São Paulo's Special Group. The partnership is an initiative that intends to support the development of receptive tourism in the city. “Besides generating jobs and income for the population, samba is no doubt Brazil’s main cultural heritage.

The São Paulo Samba Circuit tour is already in its fourth edition and last year it had the participation of more than 3 thousand people. The outing gives tourists and São Paulo residents the chance to know the school rehearsals up close, with practicality and safety. We hope tourism will bring the public closer to Carnaval’s reality and Samba's tradition and what they represent to the country. This initiative intends to show how the rehearsals do not discriminate. Quite the contrary, they are a social integration mechanism. The city tour begins at the traditional Bar Brahma, located in the heart of São Paulo where the tourists are received with a welcome drink. After the participants get warmed up they are taken the court of the samba school chosen for that day. There will stay in a reserved VIP area in box seats. One member of the community will accompany the group, explaining the history of Carnaval and the school and also teach those least prepared how to dance samba. At the end of the tour, the guests are taken back to the bar from which they started their day.

Service:
São Paulo Samba Circuit
When: until 3/13/2008 – Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays
Time: varies according to the samba school.
Duration: about 4 hours
Leaves from: MBP Corner at Bar Brahma (Av. Ipiranga x Av. São João - Downtown).
Reservations and Information:  + 55 11 5182-3974 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Price: R$ 70 per person
Note: Guests at the Mercure Hotel chain pay R$45.