Rio de Janeiro Daily Brief for Thursday, June 18, 2026

A bright Thursday, the rate calls behind us and the football ahead.

Last days of Yoshitaka Amano

If you have been meaning to see the Yoshitaka Amano show at the CCBB, the clock is now running down. The exhibition, Além da Fantasia, closes on June 22, so with the weekend likely to be busy, a quieter weekday visit today is the smart move.

Amano is one of the most influential visual artists working in Japan, and the retrospective ranges across fine art, illustration, fashion and the worlds of animation and gaming. It draws the line from Japanese calligraphy, Noh theatre and ukiyo-e prints through to his celebrated pop-culture work, and many pieces have never been shown in Brazil before. The intricate, dreamlike style rewards taking your time, so allow a good hour or more.

Entry is free, with tickets released online through the bank’s culture portal and at the box office, though they go quickly, so arrive early to be sure of a slot. The CCBB itself, a beautifully restored early-twentieth-century banking hall on Rua Primeiro de Março with a grand glass-domed rotunda, is worth a look in its own right, quite apart from the show. There is usually more than one exhibition on across its floors, plus a café and a bookshop, so leave time to wander beyond the headline retrospective. With the warm weekend likely to draw the crowds, a calm weekday visit today is comfortably the best way to see it before it closes for good on Sunday.

A fine day to get back outside

After days of grey, the outdoors is firmly back on the menu. With a dry, bright 23°C, the beach is a real option again, and Ipanema and Leblon will be drawing people back to the sand after the wet spell.

For something more active, the Lagoa circuit and the Aterro do Flamengo are at their best on a clear day like this, the bay sparkling and Pão de Açúcar sharp against the sky. Both make an easy walk, run or cycle, with the freshly washed air a bonus after the rain.

If you fancy a view, today is a good day for the trails up to a mirante, or for the cable car at Pão de Açúcar, with the clear conditions giving the long vistas their full reward. The weather only improves into the weekend, so this is the start of a fine run for the outdoors — a welcome change after days spent dodging the rain, and a good cue to plan a proper beach morning while it lasts.

Wrapping up the working week

With the rate decisions out of the way, it is a calmer Thursday for anyone who spent the week glued to the markets. In Centro, near the CCBB, Curto Café remains the pick for excellent coffee and an hour of focus, with its pay-what-you-think spirit.

Over in Botafogo, Urban Bean offers a calm room and a steady connection, while Como Coworking nearby is the dependable choice for a full day at a desk. Both are well suited to clearing the decks before the weekend and tomorrow’s football.

If you are near the port at the WeWork Porto Maravilha, the cafés around Praça Mauá make a pleasant break in the returning sunshine, with the waterfront and the museums close at hand. A bright day is a good incentive to get the work done early and free up the evening for the warm air outside.

Take the cable car while it is clear

A clear, dry day is exactly when the Pão de Açúcar cable car earns its keep. The ride up to the Sugarloaf, in two stages by way of Morro da Urca, opens up some of the finest views in the city, out across the bay, the beaches and the green hills, and they are at their sharpest in settled weather like today’s.

It is worth timing a visit for late afternoon, when the light softens and the sunset over the city is the reward for the climb. Buy tickets ahead online to skip the queue, and pair it with a wander around Urca’s quiet streets and seawall, one of the most charming corners of Rio, where locals fish off the wall and gather at the little bars come evening, far from the tourist bustle of the beaches.

A warm evening, the night before the game

With the weather mild and dry, it is a good evening to be out, and the city has a pre-match buzz with Brazil playing tomorrow. A relaxed bar or botequim is the move, somewhere to enjoy the warmer air and a cold beer without committing to a big night before the main event.

Botafogo and Humaitá are full of easy, sociable spots, and on a fine Thursday the tables spill out onto the pavement, the neighbourhoods at their most likeable. If you want a little music, Lapa is reliably lively through the week, its bars and live rooms running samba and choro most nights for anyone keen to stay out a while longer.

There is no Brazil match tonight, so keep something in reserve. Tomorrow is the big one, and the warm, dry forecast for Friday should make for a fine evening to gather at a bar and watch the Haiti game with a crowd, the kind of warm, easy night out the city does so well, especially with the football to look forward to.

A dry day eases the usual rush-hour strain, though the Metrô and main avenues still fill at the start and end of the working day. With the rain gone, getting around is simpler than it has been all week.

For the CCBB and Centro, the Metrô to Uruguaiana or Carioca is simplest, and the VLT light rail serves the port. For Pão de Açúcar in Urca, a bus or ride app is easiest, as it sits a little off the Metrô network out on the point.

Lunch: Centro is at its best at midday on a weekday. A per-kilo buffet or a sit-down prato feito near the CCBB is quick and good value, and with the sun out, a spot with a terrace or some pavement seating is worth seeking out.

Dinner: Make the most of the warm evening. The botequins of Botafogo and Humaitá come into their own when the weather turns, with cold beer and petiscos at tables out on the pavement, easy and unhurried.

A culture reminder: the Amano show at the CCBB ends on June 22, so this week is the time to catch it, and a weekday is calmer than the weekend rush. The CCBB is open today through to 8 pm with free entry.

On the markets, the rate decisions are now behind us, with the Selic down to 14.25% and the US Fed holding but sounding cautious. Expect the real and the Bovespa to keep digesting the news today, especially the tougher tone from Washington.

The return of the sun is a reminder of why people fall for Rio. After a grey week, a single bright day transforms the city, and the easy pleasures — a walk by the sea, a coffee in the sun — are free and close at hand.

For newcomers, this is a good moment to enjoy the outdoors before the weekend crowds arrive. A weekday beach or a quiet walk along the Lagoa lets you see the city at its most relaxed, before Saturday brings everyone else out to join you.

It all comes down to tomorrow. Brazil face Haiti in Philadelphia on Friday at 9:30 pm BRT, needing a convincing win after the stuttering 1-1 draw with Morocco in their opener.

The Group C maths is simple enough. Scotland lead on three points after beating Haiti, with Brazil level with Morocco on one apiece, so a victory tomorrow would put Carlo Ancelotti’s side back in command of the group before the final round of matches.

The team news to watch is Neymar, who missed the opener with a calf injury and has been pushing to be fit. His return would be a real lift, though Vinícius Júnior and Raphinha carry the main threat either way after the latter’s bright start to the tournament.

There is no Brazil match today, but the build-up is everywhere, and the warm, dry forecast for Friday evening should make for a fine night to watch wherever you gather in the city.

The decisions are in. The central bank cut the Selic by a quarter point to 14.25% last night, its third straight reduction and a unanimous one, but pointedly gave no signal on whether more cuts will follow.

It was the US side that moved markets more. The Federal Reserve held its rate but, under new chair Kevin Warsh, struck a tougher tone and hinted at a possible hike later this year, lifting the dollar and weighing on emerging markets.

The Ibovespa felt the chill, closing Wednesday down 0.70% at 168,454 points after giving up an early gain, with the dollar firming to around R$5.11. With both central banks now done, attention turns to how the inflation and growth picture unfolds from here.

The central bank cut the benchmark Selic rate by 0.25 point, from 14.50% to 14.25%, on Wednesday evening. It was the third consecutive cut of 2026 and the decision was unanimous, in line with what most economists had expected.

Notably, the committee gave no guidance on its next steps, stressing that inflation risks remain and that future decisions will depend on the data. The next meeting is on July 28 and 29. The US Federal Reserve, deciding the same day, held its rate but struck a tougher tone on inflation.

Brazil face Haiti tomorrow, Friday June 19, in Philadelphia, kicking off at 9:30 pm BRT. The match is live on Globo and SporTV, with streaming on Globoplay, and the warm dry evening should suit watching out at a bar.

The game matters: Scotland top Group C on three points, leaving Brazil level with Morocco on one each, so a win is needed to take control. Bar Urca, the bars of Lapa and the botequins of Botafogo and Flamengo all make good spots to watch with a crowd, but arrive early as tables fill fast.

Yes, but not for long. The Yoshitaka Amano retrospective, Além da Fantasia, runs at the CCBB until June 22, so this is effectively its final week. The CCBB is open today from 9 am to 8 pm with free entry.

Tickets are free but limited, released online and at the box office, so it is worth arriving early, especially with the weekend likely to be busy. A weekday visit today or tomorrow will be calmer than the final weekend, when crowds tend to gather for a closing show.

It is looking good. Thursday is dry and bright near 23°C, Friday warms to 24°C in time for Brazil’s match, and Saturday peaks at a lovely 26°C — proper beach weather after the wet start to the week.

Sunday brings a slightly higher chance of rain, around 35%, but stays warm near 24°C, so the bulk of the weekend looks settled and fine. It is a good few days to be outdoors, whether at the beach, the Lagoa or up at a mirante for the views.