By Chesney Hearst, Senior Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – While the famous Réveillion celebrations are expected to draw millions of partygoers to the Copacabana shoreline on New Year’s Eve, many additional celebrations in and around Rio will help the city ring in 2015 in style.
First, for a different view of the Copacabana spectacular revelers can head up to the Réveillon do Morro party. Located on Morro da Urca, the mountain adjacent to the landmark Pão de Açúcar (Sugar Loaf Mountain), the party will offer views of the Copacabana fireworks from 396 meters above the water.
This year will be the ninth edition of the event presented by the Companhia Caminho Aéreo Pão de Açúcar (Sugar Loaf Aerial Way Company) and for entertainment during the night, the band Soul de Quem Quiser will perform their reinterpretations of works by Jorge Ben Jor, Rita Lee, Tim Maia, James Brown, and Ray Charles among others. The bateria of Unidos da Tijuca, the 2014 Carnival champion samba school, will also perform during the night.
Additionally, DJs Janot, João Rodrigo, and Chu will take over the dance floors, spinning the best of samba, MPB and soul music to help ring in the new year. Food during the event will be provided by the Central de festas, Gastronomia Criativa and entry to the event includes the buffet, with open bar, and access to shows. A free bus will also run from midnight to 5AM from Praia Vermelha to Botafogo to help ease partygoers’s trips home.
For more views of the Copacabana fireworks from higher up, there is also Réveillon 2015 at Alto Vidigal. Perched atop the Vidigal favela community, Alto Vidigal has expansive views that include Pão de Açúcar, Lagoa, Ipanema, Leblon, and the municipality of Niterói, located also the Guanabara Bay. Most importantly, the views include a birds-eye perspective of the Copacabana fireworks display.
For entertainment during this year’s New Year’s Eve celebrations at Alto Vidigal, DJs Chester Cave, Lucius and Beranger will spin the best of lounge, 70s and 80s, funk, soul, house, and deep house. Food will by provided by an Indian buffet with the option of three dishes: Alu Methi (potatoes with dried fenugreek leaves), Chana Masala (chickpeas with Indian sauce), and Murgh Hariyali (Chicken with green curry). Each dish will be served with rice and a salad. Entry fee includes one welcome drink, the Indian buffet and one glass of sparkling wine at midnight.
Back down below, the Copacabana beachfront restaurant Mab’s will host a special New Year’s Eve celebration. That party will begin at 9PM and continue through 2AM. Entry there will include appetizers of snacks; releves of shrimp cocktail or salpicão chicken; a main course of tornedor with piamontese or grilled golden fillet with mushroom sauce and capers; and desserts including mini strudels, or mini strawberry pie with whipped cream.
Entry will also include an open bar with Brazilian national drinks (imported drinks will be sold separately). One bottle of Champagne will also be made available to every pair of revelers that arrives at the party. “At Mab’s you have your own reserved table to share New Year’s Eve dinner with your family and/or friends,” Mab’s owner Bob Fetterman told The Rio Times.
“You have an open bar with Brazilian National drinks. You do not have to deal with the crowd on the Beach and on Avenida Atlântica. You have Security with a fence around the outside seating area, Mab’s Security Personal to keep others out, and you have a ringside seat to watch the fireworks at midnight! Come and celebrate with peace of mind!”
Across the city at Aterro do Flamengo (Flamengo Park), there will be another fireworks display, and while not as famous as Copacabana, the free to the public display often lasts a little longer and includes live entertainers.
This year, a DJ will start the event at 7PM followed by a roda de samba at 9:40 PM. Silvinho Blau Blau will perform before the fireworks and Gabriel Moura will follow. The samba schools Beija-Flor and São Clemente will perform to close the night.
The Museu de Arte Moderna, or MAM (Musuem of Modern Art), located close by in Parque do Flamengo, will host its famous all inclusive New Year’s Eve party, “Réveillon Cidade Maravilhosa,” with views of the fireworks display in Copacabana, Praia do Flamengo and Niterói (see below).
DJs Tartaruga, Tubarão, Rodrigo Loyola, Sany Pitbull, Gagau Dieckmann and Giordanna Forte will spin to welcome in 2015 and the band Primeiro Amor and the carnival bloco, Chora me Liga, also will perform live.
Across the Guanabara Bay, the city of Niterói also will host a twenty-five minute long pyrotechnic show on Icaraí beach. In addition to the fireworks, there will be live performers including the popular Brazilian band, Paralamas do Sucesso.
When the Niterói Company of Leisure and Tourism (Neltur) first announced the city’s plans for the 2015 New Year’s Eve celebrations earlier in December, Paulo Freitas, president of Neltur told O Globo: “The fireworks display will have many surprises, but the only one that I can say is that 3D figures will be formed by fireworks.”
There will be many more surprises to discover at various others celebrations during the night. Many hotels, clubs, beaches, parks, squares and bars in Rio, Niterói and the surrounding around with host New Year’s themed events. For a more complete list, see here and continue to check the The Rio Times Nightlife Guide for more information about addresses, times and entrance fees.