The large public New Year's Eve celebration at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro is called Réveillon.
Rio's Réveillon is one of Brazil's best-known New Year's events. Crowds gather along Copacabana Beach for concerts, religious and cultural traditions, and a major fireworks display over the Atlantic Ocean. Many attendees wear white, a color associated with peace and good fortune, although clothing choices and rituals vary.
The Portuguese word réveillon comes from French and is used in Brazil for New Year's Eve festivities. The event's scale changes from year to year, depending on the official program, weather, transport arrangements, and public-safety plans. Claims about an exact attendance figure should therefore be tied to a specific edition rather than treated as a permanent fact.
Some participants honor Afro-Brazilian traditions by making offerings to Iemanjá, a sea-associated orixá, and sending flowers or small boats into the water. These practices coexist with concerts, fireworks, and family celebrations, making Réveillon both a civic spectacle and a culturally layered occasion.