Rio de Janeiro Nightlife Guide for Thursday, March 19, 2026

Music · Theatre · Humour

Mirna Rubim debuts at the Blue Note Rio tonight with “Mirna Rubim Inteira” — a show that refuses to be categorised. Actress and singer, Rubim revisits more than 40 years on stage through a repertoire that pulls together theatre musical songs in Portuguese versions, opera arias and original compositions, stitched together by personal confessions, sharp reflections and disarming humour. The show addresses etarismo, neurodivergence, mental health, impostor syndrome, female ageing and the challenge of affirming identity in an artistic market shaped by expectations. The special participation of actor and singer Mouhamed Harfouch adds a theatrical counterweight. This is the Mês das Mulheres at its most fearless — a show that asks the audience to listen, laugh, and reconsider. One session at 20h. The Blue Note opens from 17h for free-entry Happy Hour on the calçadão. Tickets via Eventim. Metro Cardeal Arcoverde or Siqueira Campos.

Soul · MPB · R&B

The late session at the Blue Note Rio tonight belongs to Thati Moraes and “Soul Marisa Monte” at 22h30. The concept is bold: take one of the most beloved catalogues in Brazilian music — Marisa Monte’s — and reimagine it through soul, funk and R&B, with mashups from Stevie Wonder, Djavan and George Benson woven into classics like “Beija Eu,” “Ainda Lembro” and “Bem Que Se Quis.” Thati Moraes brings a decade of vocal maturity to the project, with arrangements that balance the warmth of what is familiar with the freshness of something entirely new. The result is a dialogue between Brazilian popular music and international groove that feels both sophisticated and joyful. Part of the Mês das Mulheres programming. Late session — access after the first show. Same venue. Tickets via Eventim.

Samba · Gafieira · Choro

Thursday at the Rio Scenarium is when the energy on Rua do Lavradio starts to build toward the weekend. The three-storey casarão opens at 19h with samba, choro and gafieira across its seven environments — the main stage on the ground floor, the mezzanine bar with its antique furniture and century-old instruments, and the upper floor with its bird’s-eye view of the dance floor below. Thursday is louder than Wednesday but gentler than Friday — the crowd mixes tourists who read the guides, locals who come for the gafieira dancing, and couples on mid-week date nights. The cover is typically ~R$30 (same as Wednesday). Two shows run through the evening — the first from 19h, the second from approximately 22h30. Kitchen runs Brazilian cuisine. Check @rioscenarium for tonight’s specific lineup. Rua do Lavradio, 20 — walk five minutes from Carioca da Gema. Metro Carioca or Cinelândia.

Samba · MPB

The Carioca da Gema’s Thursday programme starts slightly later than earlier in the week — doors at 19h30, main show at 21h. The extra hour lets the Happy Hour breathe: free entry from 18h30 to 20h30, with the dose dupla de caipirinha and cerveja promos that launched this season. Thursday at the Gema sits in the sweet spot between the quieter early-week sessions and the packed Friday and Saturday nights — the crowd is larger, the energy higher, but there’s still room to move and the atmosphere retains the intimacy that makes this venue special. The Mês das Mulheres programming continues through March. The casarão on Av. Mem de Sá, 79, sits at the centre of the Lapa triangle — walk to Beco do Rato in two minutes, to Rio Scenarium in five, to Nova Capela in one. Metro Cinelândia or Carioca.

Samba · Botequim

Thursday at the Beco do Rato runs the house’s “Encontros Casuais” programme — a weekly project that brings rotating guests and musicians for unscripted encounters in the tiny Lapa bar. The format is looser than the standard samba roda: musicians show up, instruments come out, the set list writes itself. It is the most organic version of the Beco — the bar that has run samba every single day since 2005 on Rua Joaquim Silva, 11. Thursday hours extend to 1 am (later than the midnight close on Tue/Wed), reflecting the energy of a night when Lapa is genuinely busy. No cover. Cold beer, pastéis de angu, carne-seca. The street outside fills after 21h. Card inside, cash or PIX at the door. The natural Thursday circuit: start at Carioca da Gema for the Happy Hour, move to Rio Scenarium, end at the Beco. Metro Cinelândia or Carioca.

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