Rio de Janeiro New Year's Eve Countdown

Where to watch

Copacabana Beach is the heart of it — around two million people, most dressed in white for peace and luck, watch fireworks launched from barges along the shoreline; Ipanema and Leblon beaches add their own crowds.

Ringing in the year

Revellers wear white and jump seven waves at midnight making wishes, and many leave white flowers and offerings in the sea for Iemanjá, the Afro-Brazilian goddess of the ocean.

From beach ritual to Guinness World Record

The party traces back to Candomblé practitioners who gathered on Copacabana sand in the 1970s, dressed in white and leaving gifts in the surf for Iemanjá before midnight. The crowds grew so vast that in the 2000s the city moved the fireworks onto offshore barges for safety. The scale finally became official at the 2026 réveillon, when Guinness World Records certified Rio's celebration as the biggest New Year's Eve party on Earth — roughly 2.5 million people on one beach, watching a 12-minute show fired from 19 barges alongside a 1,200-drone display.

Joining the party on the sand

The whole thing is free and open to everyone — no tickets, no fences. Locals arrive in the afternoon to claim a patch of sand along the 4 km crescent, and free concerts run on stages along Avenida Atlântica for hours before the countdown. Wear white like the cariocas do, bring as little as possible, and plan transport in advance: the metro is the way in and out, running special all-night service on New Year's Eve. Beachfront hotels with fireworks views sell out close to a year ahead, so book early if you want a balcony.

Quick facts

• Réveillon fireworks over Copacabana Beach
• Around two million people, most dressed in white
• Tradition of jumping seven waves for luck
• Offerings of white flowers to Iemanjá
• Certified by Guinness World Records as the world's biggest New Year's Eve celebration (about 2.5 million people)
• The celebration began with Candomblé worshippers honoring Iemanjá in the 1970s