Halloween with a Rio Twist

By Sarah Coursey, Editor

RIO DE JANEIRO – For a city famous worldwide for its costumed Carnival, Halloween may seem like a dud in comparison. But Rio is not one to miss an excuse to throw a party, and has various activities on offer for those dying to dress up as a wacky or spooky character, from family-friendly events to after-hours club nights. The Gringo Times has digested the best of the Halloween offerings for you in this easy guide to get you ‘trick or treating’ in the Marvelous City.

Halloween is a uniquely Yankee holiday, and it only fits that the American Society of Rio is hosting one of the night’s most important events at Jardim Pernambuco in Leblon. This Saturday, October 31, the group is putting together a ‘spook-tacular’ evening featuring classic American decorations, music, dancing and contests, all for R$30. Guests compete for the best female, male and couple costumes, as well as best Jack-o-Lantern. Tickets must be purchased in advance by Wednesday, October 28, and won’t be available for purchase at the door.

For those looking to celebrate Halloween after work this Friday, Dance Club 10 on 137 Avenida Franklin Roosevelt (10th Floor) in Castelo, is offering an early event on October 30. Starting at 6:30PM, the best music from the 70s, 80s and 90s, also known in Brazil as ‘flashback music’, will be spun by DJ Daniel Sant’Anna. The cover price is R$15, which includes a buffet.

Halloween in Rio wouldn’t be complete without a bit of Samba, and the Centro Cultural Ação da Cidadania, (Citizen Action Cultural Center) on 75 Avenida Barão de Tefé in Saúde, has organized just that. This Friday they will commemorate the holiday with a performance by the drum section of Salgueiro, one of Rio’s most famous Samba Schools. The party will be led by O Rappa, and include performances from Mr. Catra and DJ Marlboro. Tickets start at R$25, with VIP prices at R$40 for women and R$60 for men. Doors open at 10PM.

Lapa gets in on the creepy, crawly Halloween action with its own party on Saturday, October 31. The club Cine-Lapa, on 23 Rua Mem de Sá, throws a regular party called Rendez-Vous, which it will be tailoring to the holiday. The costume party, called Vampiros e Outros Terrores (Vampires and other Terrors), will feature DJs Buba and Fabrizzio with the best of glam-pop and electro-pop. Doors open at 10PM and the cover price is a reasonable R$16.