New Year's Eve in Rio

New Years Eve in Rio—the biggest New Year’s Celebration on the planet—and it seems to live up to that description.

Copacabana Beach looks to be about 4 miles long, in a semi circle flanked by big hotels facing the beach. The beach itself is fronted by a broad paved road, and it is about 300 yards of soft, flour like sand from the road to the water.

By 6 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, the beach was starting to fill up; families with tents, chairs, blankets. People carrying flowers to throw into the ocean, little shrine boats to float (although the waves broke pretty close to the beach and would quickly sink any small boat launched).

Several big cruise boats had anchored off the beach, obviously so their guests could watch the celebration without actually participating, and the hotels along the beach were crowded with people on their balconies anticipating the new year.

Large tower structures with speakers were blasting rock music, and the crowd was milling around, buying 2009 t-shirts, scarves, and other trinkets. Food vendors were setting up their open charcoal braziers and would begin cooking fat hot dogs on a skewer, kabobs of chicken, pork, beef and shrimp. Popcorn wagons, fried churros, deep fried shrimp, coconuts with straws stuck in them, and impromptu bars with beer and mixed drinks were everywhere.

Even at 6 pm there was a long line at the 20 or so portable toilets set up; and this line would only get longer during the evening.

Despite the reputation of being a dangerous place to celebrate the New Year, I didn’t see any particular problems. People were friendly; little kids everywhere and families were enjoying the beach like they do anywhere in the world. There were police on the beach, but I didn’t see anybody fighting, or being particularly obnoxious the whole evening, and none of our group was mugged, robbed, or attacked.

We took a taxi to the beach; as it was a considerable distance from our hotel; but getting a taxi home after midnight was a bit harder….some of the group had to walk a couple of miles back into the city before they could catch a taxi—but they all arrived in pretty good shape, considering that they had been partying for 6 hours of so by that time.

At some point in the evening, it began to rain. First just sort of a heavy mist, and then a bit harder. Around 11 pm it was coming down pretty good and we all got soaked for about 15 minutes, then it stopped; but it was pretty warm, and there wasn’t any where to go to escape it. By midnight, I had mostly dried out.

As the time approached midnight, the beach became more and more crowded, until it was pretty much elbow to elbow. Some people told me that they estimate as many as a million (or more) people could be on the beach. I don’t know if that is even possible, but there were more people there than I have ever seen in one place. It was crowded.

Then the fireworks started, and people began to surge towards the beach, making it even more crowded, but the fireworks were spectacular. I think it probably supported China for a day or two….maybe ½ hour of continuous fireworks, launched from barges in the ocean.

We took this opportunity to move back towards the city as the fireworks wound down, so as to be able to catch a taxi before this giant hoard of people had the same idea, though many were planning to spend a few more hours partying.

Wow, what an experience

---

---