By Marcelo Duailibe, Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Perhaps the largest New Year’s Eve party in the world is set to ring in 2012 with international star DJ David Guetta, Brazilian legend Beth Carvalho, Carioca favorites O Rappa, and plenty more artists for just about every musical taste this Saturday night with performances lasting until 3AM next year.
With over two million people expected to descend on Copacabana Beach, the organizers are also taking the opportunity to promote the theme sustainability for this year’s Copacabana Réveillon. The event in Copacabana is reportedly costing R$17.2 million, of which R$14 million provided by sponsors.
Ano Novo (New Years) is second biggest celebration in Rio, second only to Carnival, and brings travelers and Cariocas (Rio natives) alike to the 4km stretch of sand between Leme and the Copacabana Fort.
Most revelers will be donned in white, considered the lucky color to bring prosperity for the following year. For those looking to go the extra step, some other colors have symbolism – red is good to attract romance, yellow is for prosperity and green for good health.
Another tradition is to bring offerings of flowers, candles, and other small tokens to honor Yemanja, the deity of the seas of the Afro-Brazilian Candomble religion.
There will be four stages set up along the beach, but two are where the main shows will be centered, the Palco Sol (Sun Stage) across from the Copacabana Palace, and Palco Agua (Water Stage) by Rua Santa Clara. While the official performances are scheduled to start at 7PM, surely the party will start earlier.
Five minutes before midnight there will be a light and laser show, followed by a blackout. Then at midnight the public will be given a twenty minute fireworks show launched from eleven barges.
The pyro-tech display will be divided into ten themes: “Welcome, Golden Decade”, “Natural Riches”, “Union of People”, “Celebration of Life,” “Sympathy Carioca”, “Peace on Earth”, “Contagious Energy”, “The Future is Blue”, “Apotheosis of Love” and “Watercolor of Brazil”.
Regular transportation in and out of Copacabana will not be possible starting late afternoon on December 31st, Avenida Atlântica will completely closed to traffic by 3PM, and Metrô Rio will have a special schedule and ticketing system in place. Special Réveillon tickets are for per-determined hours of departure between 7PM and midnight, and the tickets will only be valid for that one-hour period.
The Secretaria Municipal de Saúde e Defesa Civil (Municipal Health and Civil Defense – SMSDC) has seven medical centers – one more than last year – planned for the public, with 193 health professionals working throughout the event, including 72 doctors.
The complete list of the performances at Copacabana’s four stages are as follows:
Palco Sol (The main Stage, in front of the Copacabana Palace Hotel):
6PM – Welcome by Otaviano Costa
6:10 PM – DJ
8PM – Beth Carvalho
10PM – O Rappa
11:55 PM – Moment of Reflection
11:59 PM – Countdown
Midnight – Fireworks show
12:16 AM – Latino
1:40 AM – DJ David Guetta
3AM – Beija-Flor samba school drums
3:30 AM – Closing
Palco Água (The Stage across Santa Clara Street):
6PM – Welcome by Fiorella Matheis
6:10 PM – DJ
7PM – Baia
8:30 PM – Sargento Pimenta
10:15 PM – Moraes Moreira
11:55 PM – Moment of Reflection
11:59 PM – Countdown
Midnight – Fireworks show
12:16 AM – Blitz Band
2AM – Unidos da Tijuca samba school drums
2:30 AM – Mangueira samba school drums
3AM – Closing
Palco Oi Novo Som (The Stage across Xavier da Silveira Street):
DJs
Palco Coca-Cola (The Stage in Leme):
DJs