Which Brazilian beach hosts the large New Year’s Eve celebration known as Réveillon?

Copacabana Beach hosts Rio de Janeiro’s large New Year’s Eve celebration known as Réveillon.

The event fills the beach and surrounding waterfront with concerts, crowds, and a major fireworks display over the Atlantic Ocean. Many attendees wear white, a color associated with peace and renewal, and some participants make offerings or follow traditions influenced by Afro-Brazilian religious practices. Customs vary among individuals and communities.

Rio’s celebration became internationally famous because the long crescent beach provides space for enormous public gatherings and a dramatic view of fireworks launched offshore. Boats positioned in the ocean help create the display’s distance from the shoreline. The word “réveillon” is used in Brazil for the New Year’s Eve celebration and can also refer more generally to the festive meal or party.

Copacabana should not be confused with nearby Ipanema, another famous Rio beach. Both are in Rio de Janeiro’s South Zone, but the principal mass New Year’s Eve event is associated with Copacabana Beach.