Words, pictures and videos don’t do New Year’s Reveillon (eve) in Rio any measure of justice. They can’t possibly capture the feeling of the energy, the excitement, the breeze from the ocean on your skin, and the infusion of hope erupts inside you as the world class fireworks display begins. Even as I’m typing this I get a little misty eyed and am thinking how I wish I could have a Ground Hog Day experience right now! For those who aren’t familiar with Ground Hog Day, it’s a movie reference for waking up and starting a day over and over again until its perfected but it’s hard to imagine Reveillon getting any better than it already is!
The most famous part of Reveillon happens on Copacabana beach. Before I get into this story, a little geography. Copacabana beach is a 4 kilometer (2.2 miles) stretch of soft sandy beach that is shaped like a crescent moon. At its southern end it “connects” with Ipanema beach. Ipanema is also shaped like a crescent moon and is connected to Leblon beach. My hotel, the Sheraton, is located just south of Leblon beach. Ipanema and Leblon are also approximately 4 kms in length. All that to say, it’s a really long walk to Copacabana beach from where I’m staying.
Back to the story, it’s been estimated that Copacabana beach hosted close to 3 million revelers on NYE this year. Yes, 3M people on one beach congregating around music stages, food stands, the hippie art fair, beach bars, volleyball sand courts, kicking soccer balls and generally enjoying the ocean. It is one massive party that centers around the magnificent fireworks display at midnight but that is definitely NOT the end of the night…This party goes on all night long!!
What did I do you ask? In light of the fact that I’m a solo female traveler, the distance from the Copacabana beach and the reality that a taxi or Uber would be next too impossible to get with 3 million people leaving one location at 1:00 am, I chose to go to one of the parties at my hotel the Sheraton. There were plenty to choose from…4 to be exact. I chose the one with dance floor that was the “big party” after midnight. The 3 other parties finished before the fireworks and party converged at the event I chose.
I went to my party around 10:00 pm and started with the buffet, which was amazing! I was so hungry I forgot to take a snap of it…but it had all manner of seafood, tenderloin, a variety of local sides and plethora of sweets! Top shelf adult beverages and the champagne flowed nonstop. I was seated with some lovely people from the UK and Poland, who after the 3rd bottle of champagne, became my new bffs! At around 11:45 we all made our way to the beach for a fireworks display shot off the top of my hotel! Ahhh, that explains the note on my bed to make sure my balcony doors were shut by 11:30 pm. I didn’t know where to focus my eyes and camera between the Copacabana fireworks across the bay to the fireworks right over my head. It was truly magical!! (misty eyed again)
After the fireworks, all of the parties converged into one with live music and a DJ. I made my way back to my room at 1:30 am and conked out! I woke up at 6:30 am to hear the party still going on…loudly! It continued until 8:00 in the morning to which the revelers simply made their way to the beach again. It’s a party that never ends…
Wow, those fireworks!!