New Year Celebration

Santa comes to Copacabana

More than two million people are expected to be on the Copacabana beach on December 31st, in order to celebrate the New Year's Eve. Concerts, parties, and the big star of the night - the world's biggest and most famous fireworks!



By GABRIELA ZAGO
from Pelotas, BRAZIL


A mix of summer weather, people, music, fireworks and celebration makes a tradition for Brazilian - young and adults - to follow on the New Year's Eve. Every year, more than 2 million people gather together along the beach of Copacabana, in Rio de Janeiro, for the largest New Year's party in the world.

The New Year's celebrations at Copacabana are also broadcasted live for many other people through open Brazilian television channels, like Rede Globo. The thrill and excitement of watching endless fireworks, music concerts and many people gathered to celebrate a new year can be felt everywhere in the country. And the party goes on till the morning of the next day.

The beach of Copacabana is 4km long and is located in the south of the city of Rio de Janeiro. It is named after the Virgin of Copacabana, from Bolivia but this is also the name of a borough of Rio de Janeiro, inhabited by 160,000 people. In 2006, there were 1,2 million people in Copacabana. Two million people were expected, but it rained, and less people appeared. Another reason for the low participation rate was a party, sponsored by Nokia, and with a performance by the Black Eyed Peas, that attracted another million people to the beach of Ipanema, also located in Rio de Janeiro.

Unlike Europe and North America, the New Year comes to Brazil in the middle of summer. That's one of the reasons why so many people go to the beach during the turn of the year. Summer and beaches - and Brazil has a great variety of them - all right next to the Atlantic Ocean. The same party that takes place on the beach of Copacabana also takes place on other beaches around the country, like Salvador (Bahia) and Florianópolis (Santa Catarina). These other parties gather less people, but the same fun and thrill can be found everywhere in Brazil.

But what attracts so many people to the beach of Copacabana on December 31st? Concerts, parties, and the big star of the night - the world's biggest and most famous fireworks. Last year, 24 tons of gunpowder in 19,000 rockets, provided 22 minutes of fireworks. The idea was to have only 16 minutes of fireworks, but it ended up lasting longer.

People expect to break the record every year for fireworks exhibition length. That's why the amount of gunpowder used increases from one year to another. According to Riotur (the Tourism Secretariat of Rio de Janeiro), this year's show is (once again) expected to be at least 16 minutes long. In order to inssure this length (and probably also to exceed it), they will use 22,600 rockets, each one more powerful than last year's.

For this year, the fireworks will have a special '3D effect'. The idea is to allow people to watch the fireworks from any point place on the beach. Just like last year, the fireworks will be provided by the News Fireworks Company.

The fireworks are launched from boats anchored on the sea - not from the shore. This is done in order to prevent accidents with people that stay on the sand. A distance of at least 360 meters is kept in order to inssure safety. After the fireworks, people gather around the stages placed on the sand, in order to get to the free music shows and parties.

But why do people stay on the beach during the fireworks? Well, it's much better to watch them in the outdoors rather than indoors. And it is way much more interesting to see it live, and not from TV. That - and the heat of 32°C - is why so many people from around the world go to the beach of Copacabana in Brazil on the New Year's Eve.


(Published: 09.12.2007.)

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