Copacabana Beach is famous for its large Brazilian New Year's Eve celebration and white-clothed crowds.
Rio de Janeiro's Réveillon celebration on Copacabana Beach attracts enormous crowds for concerts, ceremonies, and a midnight fireworks display over the Atlantic Ocean. Many participants wear white, a color widely associated with peace and renewal in Brazilian New Year's celebrations. Some people also make offerings or perform rituals connected with Afro-Brazilian religious traditions.
The fireworks are launched from barges offshore, allowing the display to be viewed along the broad curve of the beach. The event's scale and setting have made Copacabana one of the world's most recognizable New Year's destinations.
Copacabana is a neighborhood and beach in Rio de Janeiro, not a separate city. It is also distinct from nearby Ipanema Beach, another famous Rio shoreline. Attendance, stage layouts, and official programming can change from year to year, but the beachfront midnight celebration remains the defining event.