Copacabana Beach is famous for hosting Rio de Janeiro's huge New Year's Eve fireworks gathering.
The celebration, commonly called Réveillon de Copacabana, draws enormous crowds along Rio's Copacabana shoreline. Fireworks are launched from barges offshore, allowing the display to be viewed from the beach and the surrounding waterfront.
Many participants wear white, a custom associated with peace and good fortune and influenced by Afro-Brazilian religious traditions. People also make offerings to Iemanjá, a sea-associated figure honored in several Brazilian religious practices, although customs differ among participants.
Copacabana is a neighborhood as well as a beach, so “Copacabana” can refer to more than the sand itself. The nearby beaches of Ipanema and Leblon are also internationally famous, but they are not the standard answer for Rio's signature mass New Year's Eve fireworks event.