Latin America’s Largest Creative-Economy Summit Opens in Rio

LATIN AMERICA · CULTURE

Latin America’s biggest gathering for the creative economy opened in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday, and this year it doubles as a stage for regional cultural diplomacy.

A Summit Built Around the Creative Economy

Rio2C is often described as Latin America’s largest creative-industries event, a mix of conference and festival likened to South by Southwest. Now in its eighth year, it runs from May 26 to 31 at the Cidade das Artes in Rio de Janeiro. The 2025 edition drew tens of thousands of visitors from dozens of countries.

This year’s theme, “Code of Meaning,” casts creativity as a business and cultural strategy rather than mere entertainment. The program spans more than 20 stages, with hundreds of panels on streaming, technology and the business of content. It is backed by the state oil company Petrobras and the federal government.

The lineup pairs global executives with Brazilian names. The content chief of Disney+ is due to speak on May 28 about regional co-productions, alongside figures from YouTube and Hollywood. Brazilian artists including singers Iza and Zeca Pagodinho round out the bill.

Cultural Diplomacy Comes to Rio

The headline shift is political. For the first time, Rio2C is hosting the Ibero-American Forum of Vice-Ministers and High Authorities of Culture, which meets from May 25 to 29. Brazil holds the forum’s rotating chair, an effort led by its Culture Ministry.

The forum draws senior culture officials from across the region. Organizers put the figure at around 15 countries, while the government’s own notice cites more than 10, joined by the Organization of Ibero-American States. The agenda covers cultural policy, copyright, streaming and co-productions.

Several agreements are expected. Organizers say Brazil plans deals with El Salvador to create a Central American market for cultural industries and with Bolivia on technical support for its culture plan. A large Chinese delegation, including the platforms iQIYI and Kwai, is also taking part.

Why It Matters for the Region

The pitch is economic. Officials frame the creative sector as a driver of jobs and exports, and the forum aims to turn that idea into shared policy across Ibero-America. Brazil’s government estimates the sector accounts for a meaningful share of national output.

For the region, the gathering signals a bid to align governments and industry. The presence of culture ministers next to streaming and technology firms underscores how content has become a matter of trade as well as art. Whether the agreements deliver remains to be seen.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is Rio2C?

It is an annual creative-industries event in Rio de Janeiro, often called Latin America’s largest. It blends a business conference with a public festival, and is frequently compared to South by Southwest.

Why is a culture forum meeting there?

For the first time, Rio2C hosts the Ibero-American forum of culture vice-ministers. Brazil holds the rotating chair and wants to link cultural policy with the creative market.

Who is taking part?

Government culture officials from across Ibero-America, streaming and technology firms such as Disney+ and China’s iQIYI and Kwai, and a range of Brazilian artists and executives.

Connected Coverage

For more on the region’s culture and cooperation, see The Rio Times on Walter Salles’s new documentary and on a regional plan to deepen Latin American integration.

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