Copacabana Beach is the Brazilian beach where Rio de Janeiro's famous New Year's Eve celebration takes place.
Rio's Réveillon celebration attracts huge crowds to the broad beachfront, where people watch midnight fireworks over the Atlantic, attend concerts, and follow traditions connected with Afro-Brazilian and Brazilian popular culture. Many participants wear white clothing, a color associated with peace and good wishes, and some make offerings or prayers connected with Iemanjá, the sea goddess in Candomblé and Umbanda traditions.
Fireworks are commonly launched from boats offshore, creating a long illuminated horizon rather than a display confined to a single building. The precise program, crowd size, and access arrangements can change each year.
Ipanema and Leblon are also famous Rio beaches, which makes them plausible alternatives, but the internationally recognized New Year's Eve gathering is centered on Copacabana. “Réveillon” is the Portuguese term commonly used in Brazil for the New Year's celebration, not the name of the beach.