Copacabana Beach hosts Rio de Janeiro's famous white-clad New Year's Eve crowd during Brazil's Réveillon celebration.
Millions of people have gathered along Rio's waterfront for music, religious and cultural rituals, and fireworks over the Atlantic. Many participants wear white, a color widely associated with peace and renewal. Some celebrants also make offerings or symbolic gestures connected with Afro-Brazilian traditions, including honoring Iemanjá, a sea-associated orixá.
The fireworks are launched from barges offshore, which allows the display to stretch across the broad beach panorama and reduces the need to place all launch equipment among the crowd. Hotels and neighborhood parties add concerts, dancing, and private celebrations to the public event.
Copacabana is often confused with Ipanema, another famous Rio beach, but the best-known mass New Year's Eve gathering is centered on Copacabana. The exact attendance and fireworks duration vary by year, so claims about a single fixed crowd size or show length should not be treated as permanent facts.