Which Brazilian beach hosts Rio de Janeiro's largest New Year's Eve celebration, Réveillon?

Copacabana Beach hosts Rio de Janeiro's largest New Year's Eve celebration, known as Réveillon.

The event is famous for large crowds gathering along Copacabana's shoreline to watch fireworks launched from offshore barges. Many attendees wear white, a color associated with peace and renewal, and some offer flowers or other gifts to Yemanjá, an important figure in Afro-Brazilian religious traditions. The celebration combines public entertainment, music, fireworks, and beachside rituals.

Copacabana's broad crescent-shaped beach and the surrounding neighborhood make it a natural setting for a mass celebration. The event is often described as one of the world's largest New Year's gatherings, although crowd estimates vary by year and by counting method. It should not be confused with Rio's Carnival: Carnival is a later pre-Lenten festival, while Réveillon marks the passage from December 31 to January 1.