Brazil's New Year's Eve festival, especially famous for celebrations on Copacabana Beach, is called Réveillon.
In Brazil, Réveillon refers to New Year's Eve and the celebrations surrounding the turn of the year. The word entered Brazilian Portuguese through French usage and is also used in other Portuguese-speaking contexts for a festive New Year's meal or celebration.
Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana celebration is among the world's largest public New Year events. Crowds gather along the beach for concerts, fireworks, and midnight festivities. Many attendees wear white, a color associated with peace and renewal, while some participants also make offerings or prayers connected with Afro-Brazilian religious traditions, including practices honoring Iemanjá.
Fireworks are launched over the water, often from barges positioned offshore. The beach setting gives the display a distinctive visual scale, but the event is not limited to Rio. Cities throughout Brazil hold their own Réveillon gatherings, with regional music, religious customs, special meals, and family parties. Because weather, crowd-control rules, and municipal programming can change, details differ from year to year.