Rio de Janeiro hosts the famous white-clad New Year's Eve celebration on Copacabana Beach.
Rio's Réveillon draws huge crowds to the shoreline for live music, fireworks, and the transition into January 1. Many attendees wear white, a color widely associated with peace and renewal in Brazilian New Year's customs. The beach setting makes the fireworks visible across the bay and from vessels offshore.
The celebration has religious and cultural layers. Some participants honor Yemanjá, a sea-associated figure in Afro-Brazilian traditions, by making offerings or releasing flowers. Others follow secular party traditions, so no single practice represents everyone attending.
Copacabana is a neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, not a separate city. São Paulo also holds major New Year's events, but its best-known celebration is not the Copacabana Beach gathering described here.