The Brazilian New Year’s Eve celebration held especially on Copacabana Beach is called Réveillon.
In Brazil, Réveillon refers to New Year’s Eve festivities and the celebration that welcomes January 1. Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach is one of its most famous settings, drawing enormous crowds for concerts, midnight fireworks, and gatherings along the waterfront.
Many participants wear white, a custom often associated with wishes for peace. Some people also follow Afro-Brazilian religious traditions, such as offering flowers to the sea or honoring Iemanjá, although practices vary among individuals and communities.
Réveillon is broader than the Copacabana event itself: cities and towns throughout Brazil hold their own parties. The French-derived word is also used in other Portuguese-speaking contexts, but the scale and imagery of Rio’s beach celebration have made the Brazilian usage especially recognizable internationally.