The large New Year's Eve celebration at Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana Beach is called Réveillon.
Réveillon is the Portuguese term commonly used in Brazil for New Year's Eve festivities. Rio's celebration centers on Copacabana Beach and is known for huge crowds, live music, fireworks over the Atlantic, and people dressed in white. Many participants also follow Afro-Brazilian or personal traditions, such as offering flowers to Yemanjá, a deity associated with the sea in Brazilian religious culture.
The word “réveillon” comes from French and is also used in several countries for a New Year's Eve meal or celebration. In Brazil, however, it has become a familiar name for the nationwide holiday festivities and especially for Rio's iconic beach event.
Rio's Réveillon is often confused with Carnival because both feature music, costumes, and large public gatherings. They are separate celebrations: Réveillon welcomes the calendar year on December 31 and January 1, while Carnival is a later pre-Lenten festival whose dates change annually.