Rio, January 9, 2004 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - Tickets for the grandstands, reserved seats, boxes, and box seats in the Rio Samba Arena for the parades, on Sunday and Monday of Carnaval, of the samba schools in the Special Group, have already been sold out. Yesterday (8), in only 48 minutes, the 21 thousand tickets for sectors 3, 4, 5, and 7 of the grandstands and reserved seats in sectors 6 and 13 were all sold over the telephone.

Tickets for the popular grandstands (sectors 6 and 13) will be placed on sale at the Samba Arena on Marquês de Sapucaí Avenue on February 14. According to the Rio de Janeiro League of Samba Schools. 40% of the 3,200 tickets made available in localities outside the metropolitan area have already been sold. (DAS)