Rio’s City Hall Expects 2.8 Million People in Copacabana on New Year’s Eve

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – On the eve of the turn of the year from 2019 to 2020 at Copacabana Beach a celebration will be held including 16.9 tons of fireworks, spread over ten rafts, in a 14-minute burst synchronized to an exclusive soundtrack, the so-called pyro-musical show.

The operational plan for the New Year’s Eve in the city was introduced by the City Hall yesterday, December 26th.

Wilson Witzel, governor of Rio de Janeiro, also introduced the state’s share in the celebration yesterday. According to him, the event will cost R$10 million (US$2.5 million), of which R$5.5 million will be sponsored by the state’s Culture Incentive Law.

“This year the expectation is to exceed 2.8 million people at the party in Copacabana. We’re almost 90% occupancy at the hotel chains,” the governor said today at Palácio Guanabara, the state executive’s headquarters.

Marcelo Alves, president of Riotur, confirms the expected attendance to be the same number achieved last year and said hotels expect to reach maximum capacity by December 31st.

“We have 100 percent hotel occupancy. This is the result of a year’s work, of all the city hall, of all of RioTur, with very efficient planning. And what we want is not only a record of these numbers but essentially a record of joy. That’s what New Year’s Eve is all about. And the city is crowded with tourists, there are more than 1.8 million tourists coming to the city now”.

In addition to Copacabana, which will include four stages, nine other areas will feature musical attractions: Paquetá Island, Madureira Park, Governador Island, Guaratiba, Sepetiba, Ramos, Penha, Flamengo, and Barra da Tijuca. The last two will also have fireworks.

On the main stage in Copacabana, opposite Copacabana Palace Hotel, there will be shows from 7 PM to 3 AM, with evangelical singer Anayle Sullivan, Allyrio Mello, Diogo Nogueira, Ferrugem, a tribute to Rio funk with DJ Marlboro after the fireworks and the drums of Mangueira Samba School.

Transport

It is recommended to use public transports, as the streets in the neighborhood will be blocked for passenger cars from 7:30 PM on December 31st. Buses and taxis will be allowed through Copacabana until 10 PM. Parking on the neighborhood’s main streets will be blocked from 6 AM on December 30th.

Getting off and on the city’s line buses will only be available at the bus stations in Botafogo, for those going to the center and north zone, and in Ipanema, heading to the west zone. Tourist buses must park in the Teleporto area, in Cidade Nova.

From 7 PM onwards only those who have bought the special New Year’s Eve passes may take the subway. These have been available for purchase since December 9th and are now only available at Estação Carioca. The Surface Subway integration system will be interrupted as of 6 PM.

SuperVia will be reinforced in regard to trains leaving the Central during the early hours of January 1st.

The Municipal Health Secretariat (SMS) will provide support to the celebration with four medical stations, 48 ambulances and a team of 266 professionals from 5:30 PM. Last year, 641 attendances and 70 transfers were performed at Copacabana New Year’s Eve.

Patrolling in the region by the Municipal Guard will be conducted by 1,774 agents, 616 of them in traffic control and 122 vehicles. The Grupamento de Ronda Escolar (“School Patrol”) team will distribute identification bracelets to be placed on children.

The operation of the Municipal Urban Cleaning Company includes 3,420 employees, 177 vehicles, 1,080 containers and 160 metal bins at all crowded points in the city. From 6 AM on January 1st, Copacabana features a team of 1,202 sanitation workers to clean the beach. The company’s goal is to provide tourists and locals with a clean beach by 10 AM.

According to the president of RioTur, Marcelo Alves, the New Year’s Eve of Copacabana is “without a doubt the greatest event in the world”.

Source: Agência Brasil