It's name alone stirs images of tropic splendor, hedonism and escape - Rio de Janeiro, the city tangled in a love embrace with a tropical forest. And during the summer season, the Cidade Maravilhosa, as cariocas (the lucky residents of Rio) refer to it, turns from mere marvels to sheer lunacy, as it hosts a double gala unrivaled in the Milky Way.
So, you've decided to spend your winter holiday in summer. Or is it a summer holiday in winter? Well, never mind. If festivities are on your mind, you have chosen the right place.
Nowhere does so much partying converge in one place at one time. In festa-conscious Rio, the plan, amigos, is to push the party envelope to stellar new heights. And what do you have to look forward to here in the Cidade Maravilhosa?
Here's a brief look at the two typical summer events. Reboot your liver, don your beach gear and bedroom eyes, and "vamos nessa" - let's go!
Party Plan #1
NEW YEAR'S EVE (Reveillon)
The world odometer is rolling over another kilometer and you've made it to Rio. Congratulations. You've just landed at the planet's biggest New Year's party so get ready to kick up a samba in the sand. You and another two or three million guests are expected. Now what? Assuming you've got your accommodations all straightened out, let's carry on with the business at hand.
Every beach in Rio hosts a giant party, from Flamengo down to Barra da Tijuca and beyond. But the obvious choice is Copacabana. Copacabana is a four-kilometer stretch of beach. Where do you go? Well, that depends on what you're looking for. Check the newspapers to see what will be offered on the various stages, and plan accordingly. Remember, if you want a good look at the fireworks cascade at the Meridien, you will have to be around Posto 2 or 3. On the other hand, Posto 5 down to the end, Posto 6, is a good spot to see the cascade at the Fort of Copacabana. The overhead fireworks are good everywhere.
What can you expect at Rio's end of the year bash? Plenty of revelry. And reverence.
Reverence
New Year's Eve in Rio coincides with the Festa de Iemanjá, the goddess of the sea in the tradition of the Afro-Brazilian religions. Have a consultation with an umbanda priest or priestess (pai-de-santo or mãe-de-santo) who offer their services free of charge on this special occasion. In recent years, this tradition has unfortunately waned considerably in Copacabana, moving on to other beaches. Be careful of impostors who may try to rope you into an evangelical Christian sermon while purporting to offer "spiritual counseling." Their job is to lure you away from the supposedly evil African-inspired rites.
Devotees dress in white, create altars of lighted candles in the sand, and bring offerings of flowers, perfume, and cachaça to the revered sea goddess. Some launched their gift into the sea on miniature boats in hopes that Iemanjá will accept them.
The sea is said to become charged with a powerful energy at this time. Some people dip their feet in the water to partake of this electricity. Others avoid it for the same reason. I have encountered folk who, while claiming to be nonbelievers, steadfastly refuse to go near the sea at this point. You decide.
Revelry
Some of the world's biggest fireworks displays are mounted in Rio, typically filling the sky for twenty minutes, with a cascade spilling down from the top of the Hotel Meridien, and another from the Fort of Copacabana at the opposite end of the beach. Four soundstages of live music provide entertainment.
Do dress in white (this tradition goes for the party-minded as well as the pious), don't carry anything you really don't need, and do dance yourself silly.
Transportation
If you're staying in Copacabana or Ipanema, you've got it made in the shade. If you are staying elsewhere, for example Flamengo or Botafogo, you will have to plan your transportation carefully. The best bit of advice I can offer is this. Get there early. In any case, it's worth making a day of it. Catch a few rays and a few drinks at the beach, get a blessing from a mãe-de-santo, meet a girlfriend or a boyfriend.
Metro tickets are sold well in advance just for the chance to get to the beach by rail. If you plan on taking the Metro, try to get a ticket as early as possible in your stay. Otherwise get a bus or a taxi well before sundown.
Return transportation can be a little complicated as well. Check how the Metro will be operating, as they seem to change the system every year. Otherwise, you will have to brave a pretty chaotic system to return by bus. Don't even think about a taxi unless you have a Swiss bank account. My suggestion is to party till morning when things return to a semblance of a schedule.
Security
Do I need to tell you to be careful with your belongings, which you have wisely kept to a bare minimum? Bring enough cash to party and keep it safely stashed. Rio hires a lot of security for its New Year's event, but remember that you'll be sharing the beach with, as I mentioned, two or three million other people. Enough said.
After the Thrill is Gone
Actually, after the thrill is gone it's just started, so stick around. Spend the first day of the New Year outdoors. Go to the Corcovado or the Sugarloaf. Take a walk around the Botanical Garden. Or simply stroll down the beach at Copacabana or Ipanema, stopping at a kiosk for a coco verde (green coconut) when thirst calls.
If you're still in Rio during the month of January, there's plenty to keep you busy. Look out especially for free music events.
The period after the New Year's hangover will see Rio winding itself up into a carnaval frenzy. What does this mean, besides a generalized party attitude? Well, the deepest manifestation of Rio's carnaval culture is samba, and it would be criminal to leave Rio without having somehow participated in this. (In fact, you can get a preview of the carnaval spirit on the afternoon of New Year's Eve when the Banda da Sá Ferreira makes its first appearance of the season. This is a very informal carnaval parade, which means you will be amongst the participants. Just show up at the corner of Avenida Atlântica and Rua Sá Ferreira (at what time?) and listen out for the brass band. It usually goes off at around 3 or 4 pm. Bring a beer and a friend. If you don't have either, you're sure to find both right here.)
Here are two great things to do. Go to a roda de samba. A roda de samba is a traditional jam session where the musicians sit around a table playing old samba songs that everyone seems to know the words to. It's a relaxed affair that will have you drinking, dancing, and smiling in no time. The second option is going to an escola de samba (samba school), which is not a school at all, but a neighborhood samba organization that participates in the carnaval parades with floats, costumes, and lots of dancing. Every weekend, especially on Saturdays, you can attend a rehearsal for just a few reais, where you will hear the most visceral percussion you've ever heard and see some of the most riveting dancing you've ever seen. Of course, you'll be participating too. It's impossible not to dance to the samba beat. And if you don't know how, don't worry; just let your body move. In Brazil, it's much better to dance badly than not to dance at all. I have a decided bias toward Mangueira samba school, but there are plenty to choose from. They are however, mostly located far off the beaten tourist track. A few of the most accessible ones are Mangueira, Salgueiro, and Unidos da Tijuca.
For program information on all these events, stay tuned to the Rio Show section of O Globo or the Programa section of Jornal do Brasil, both of which come out on Friday. These sections both begin running special Carnaval columns early in the season. For the hardcore samba fanatics, the newspaper Extra can be a good source of inside information. The Agenda do Samba & Choro is an excellent source of information on musical happenings, but you will have to navigate in Portuguese.
Party Plan #2
CARNAVAL comes stumbling on the staggering heels of the New Year celebration, so pace yourself. (How does any work get done during all this time anyway?). Officially, it is the four days preceding Ash Wednesday (check here - and scroll way down - for future carnaval dates). Unofficially, the Carnaval season will start dancing just before your New Year's hangover fades away. For that matter, it begins warming up around August or September when rehearsals begin at the samba schools. By December, the smell of pandemonium is in the air. Expect a seamless transition from Party Plan #1 to Party Plan #2.
Beaches
Rio beach life begins with Copacabana, the Central Park of beaches, democratic and well used. Consequently, a great scene.
Ipanema has a distinctly more upscale feel. Try Posto 9 just across from Rua Vinícius de Moraes for the original "Girl from Ipanema" beach. Surfers gather at Arpoador, the end of Ipanema closest to Copacabana, which also happens to have the cleanest water in the central area, a serious issue of late, due to problems in the city's sewage system.
It is an unfortunate fact that swimming can no longer be entirely recommended in Rio. Officially, conditions in the middle of Copacabana and Arpoador are often considered acceptable by the local media as listed in the daily papers. Your call. Whether or not the authorities will ever take this bull by the horns is anyone's guess.
To avoid that problem altogether, head south to Recreio dos Bandeirantes, a long bus ride. Diehard surfers will appreciate Grumari farther south, but this will require a car.
General Security
Use your common sense. Rio is a rough town; there are no two ways about it. This is not a reason for paranoia, but certainly a strong dose of vigilance is called for. The usual caveats about not carrying large amounts of cash or wearing expensive jewelry apply. In particular, keep an eye open in Copacabana and downtown, and especially on public buses. Should you be accosted and demands for money made, do not hesitate to cooperate.
Excursions from Rio
Alternatively, perhaps you'd like to get out town and see what else the region has to offer. Among the beauties of a trip to Rio is the variety of places you can see, even with limited time. You've been to Copacabana, you've seen the girls and boys from Ipanema, taken the funicular to the Corcovado and the cable car to the Sugarloaf, downed a few caipirinhas, and danced the samba till night turned to day. Now you need a little refreshment from the crowds, the noise, the electric buzz of a city that doesn't know when to turn out the nightlight. Relief is not far away.
Excursion choices in Rio can be broken down into four basic categories:
The Serra, the mountainous region that looms invitingly in the distance, including the city of Petrópolis;
Região dos Lagos, a beach paradise up the coast from Rio;
The Costa Verde, a delirium of greenery down the coast where hikers will find heavenly terrain to tread, water enthusiasts can enjoy sailing and diving areas, culture buffs can savor the historical town of Parati, and hedonists will of course, stagger happily away; and lastly,
The historical towns of Minas Gerais, two of which are close enough to be considered as excursions from Rio.
Questions?
If you want more information about this area you can email the author or check out our South America Insiders page.
