Celebrate New Year’s Eve or Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro, on a Brazil Vacation

In the mood to celebrate? Goway has you covered with two unforgettable itineraries to enjoy on a Brazil vacation.

Be at, on, or even in the waters off Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro to ring in 2019 with the vibrant party-mad Brazilians and take advantage of the complimentary sunrise visit to Corcovado when staying at the Belmond Copacabana Palace Hotel.

Alternatively, head to Rio for Carnaval in February. Rio Carnaval is a wild celebration set 40 days before Easter. It officially starts on Saturday and finishes on Fat Tuesday, with the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday, after which, a pious person is supposed to abstain from all bodily pleasures.

Carnaval

Famous the world over, Carnaval has people dancing, singing, partying, and generally having tons of fun all across Rio. There are even many parties that take place before, during, and after Carnaval all day and all night. Goway’s 6-Day Rio Carnaval package, starting from $1,879 US/$2,424 CA, allows travellers on a Brazil vacation to see one of the world’s most remarkable events first-hand while also enjoying the many famous sites of Rio de Janeiro.

Experience the music, rhythms, costumes, and bright colours of Rio during one unforgettable week in February. A Rio vacation during Carnaval gives you the ultimate taste of this vibrant city and enjoy a complimentary dinner, wine and transfers.

Suggested Itinerary:
6-Day Rio Carnaval

Carnival Float in Sambadrome, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — Carnival float in Sambadrome

New Year’s Eve

Blessed with a wonderful natural setting, watched over by Christ the Redeemer atop Corcovado Mountain, and surrounded by tropical forests, Rio is one of the world’s most beautiful cities. On New Year’s Eve, the city and Copacabana Beach are the central location for the celebrations.

Festivals, be they religious, cultural, or historical, will generally incorporate some aspect of celebration. So while New Year’s Eve celebrations are technically not a festival, we take creative license to present Rio at New Year’s as an “honourable mention” for a place to be on December 31st.

Rio is famous for its beaches and on New Year’s Eve, the locals – and we are talking up to a million of them – all flock to some of the world’s most famous beaches, including Copacabana and Ipanema. A gathering of such vast numbers mixed with the inevitable Caipirinhas, cocktails, and the favourite local beer, Brahma, would suggest a disaster in the making, but not in Rio! The multiplication of people out for a good and peaceful time results in a bundle of positive energy in one of the most picturesque cities in the world.

Copacabana Beach, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — Copacabana Beach, Rio de Janeiro

To traditionally celebrate New Year’s in Rio (Reveillon), you should dress in white. On the way to Copacabana Beach, where the majority of Goway hotels are located, including the Windsor Atlantica, Miramar, Plaza, Excelsior, and Winsdor Plaza, buy some lilies so you can sacrifice them to Yemanja, Goddess of the Sea (you actually get three wishes with this offering – Bonus!).

As you party on to the sounds of the beats of Samba with your travelling friends and the guaranteed new best Brazilian friends you have just met, several barges off shore that are loaded with fireworks go off at the same time. The effect is amazing. Notice how Cantagalo, the favela in Copacabana, also has fireworks that shoot off right after the official ones on the beach. It’s like they’re shouting out, “We live here as well!”

Goway is offering a complimentary sunrise visit to Corcovado, on your Brazil vacation, when staying at the Belmond Copacabana Palace Hotel. This is an exclusive tour with only 12 people per day having the opportunity to have one of the city’s, and the world’s, most iconic landmarks all to themselves. All itineraries include Rio airport transfers, a private Rio city tour, a Corcovado and Sugar Loaf visit, private transfers to and from the Samba Parade, reserved seating in Sector 9 of Sambadrome, a favela tour, service fees, taxes, and all breakfasts.