Rio de Janeiro · Culture
Rio’s opera house, the Theatro Municipal, stages Turandot in its centenary year, the Tropicália legend Gilberto Gil joins his family trio, the Gilsons, at the Vivo Rio concert hall, Mariah Carey brings her Christmas show to Barra and Maria Bethânia plays the bay at Glória. Three holidays, a Pride parade and free exhibitions at the CCBB, the Banco do Brasil arts centre: Rio in November, day by day.
RIO DE JANEIRO — There is a great deal to do in Rio in November, and very little of it is written down anywhere in English. This guide is the monthly selection for people who live here rather than visit: what is on, where, when, what it costs, and why it might be worth crossing the city for.
The month opens with a long weekend, because Finados falls on Monday the 2nd, and closes with two nights of Brazilian classics at the Marina da Glória. In between come Turandot at the Theatro Municipal, Gilberto Gil with the Gilsons on the 13th, Black Consciousness Day on Friday the 20th and the Pride parade in Copacabana two days later.
Many of the exhibitions in Rio in November are free.
The First Week of Rio in November: Finados and a Food Festival
Sunday 1, Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 November
Festival Gastronomia Sem Fronteiras on the Fashion Mall rooftop
Rooftop of the Fashion Mall, Estrada da Gávea 899, São Conrado · Price from the ticket page; food and drink not included
A food festival curated by chef Elia Schramm, with kitchens from several countries, a market and live music. It also runs on Saturday 31 October. Food needs no translation, which makes this one of the easiest outings in Rio in November. Tickets on Ingresse, a Brazilian ticketing site.
Until Sunday 8 November, Tuesday to Sunday, noon to 8pm
CASACOR Rio marks 35 years in Centro
Edifício Aliança da Bahia, Rua Araújo Porto Alegre 36, Centro · R$120 (about US$22) half-price R$60 (about US$11) children under 10 free
Brazil’s best-known interior design and architecture show fills a downtown building with rooms created by local architects and designers. It is a visual show from start to finish, and its final days fall on the Finados long weekend.
Until Sunday 8 November · Thursdays and Fridays 8.30pm, weekends 7pm
“Filho da Margem”, a wordless dance piece at Sesc Copacabana
Sesc Copacabana, Rua Domingos Ferreira 160, Copacabana (Sesc is a cultural network of the retail trade) · Price from the venue
Cia Boca do Mundo’s new dance work about Logunedé, an orixá (a deity of the Afro-Brazilian religion Candomblé).
Monday 2 November, 7pm
The Sitkovetsky Trio on the Finados holiday
Theatro Municipal, Praça Floriano, Cinelândia (the square in central Rio) · Price from the venue
Beethoven, Schumann and Dvořák, with a 1679 Stradivarius in the violinist’s hands. A holiday evening in the city’s grandest hall.
Tuesday 3 November, 8pm
MARO at Circo Voador
Circo Voador, Rua dos Arcos, Lapa · Half-price R$100 (about US$18) to R$150 (about US$28) full price R$200 (about US$37) to R$300 (about US$55) in three batches; 18 and over, or 14 with a parent
The Portuguese singer-songwriter, who represented Portugal at Eurovision in 2022, brings her “So Much Has Changed” show to Lapa’s open-sided arena. Much of her repertoire is in English, which makes this an easy night for a newcomer. Our preview.
Thursday 5 November
Ocean Alley’s first Rio date
Circo Voador, Rua dos Arcos, Lapa · Price from the venue
The Australian surf-rock band plays Lapa for the first time.
Friday 6 November, 9pm
Festival Fado: Sara Correia and Camané
Vivo Rio, Av. Infante Dom Henrique 85, Parque do Flamengo · Price from the venue
Two of Lisbon’s leading fado voices on one bill, as part of the touring Festival Fado. A rare chance in Rio to hear the genre live.
Sunday 8 November, 6pm
Ivan Lins with the MPBJazz Orquestra
Theatro Municipal, Praça Floriano, Cinelândia · From R$90 (about US$17)
Ivan Lins, one of Brazil’s best-loved songwriters, revisits his best-known songs in big-band jazz arrangements with the MPBJazz Orquestra, a two-hour concert in the Theatro Municipal.
Sunday 8 November, 7.30pm
Bossa Sempre Nova: Roberto Menescal and Danilo Caymmi
Vivo Rio, Av. Infante Dom Henrique 85, Parque do Flamengo · Price from the venue
Roberto Menescal, one of the founders of bossa nova, plays “O Barquinho” and “Chega de Saudade” with Danilo Caymmi.
Mid-November: Turandot and Gilberto Gil
Monday 9 November, doors 6pm
Hayley Williams at Qualistage
Qualistage, Via Parque Shopping, Av. Ayrton Senna 3000, Barra da Tijuca · Floor from R$282.50 (about US$52) half-price, R$565 (about US$104) full price; boxes up to R$980 (about US$181) (prices at the start of sales)
The Paramore singer brings her solo show to Barra. The date moved forward from 10 November, so check that your ticket shows the 9th.
Monday 9 and Tuesday 10 November, again Wednesday 25 and Thursday 26 November, midday
Free lunchtime opera: Verdi’s Rigoletto
Theatro Municipal, Praça Floriano, Cinelândia · Free
The theatre’s Ópera do Meio-Dia series moves to Rigoletto, staged inside the building at lunchtime. Free opera in the middle of Centro; confirm the time on the theatre’s site on the day.
Tuesday 10 and Wednesday 11 November, 8pm
City of God, with its score played live
Teatro Riachuelo, Rua do Passeio 38/40, Centro · Price from the venue
The Petrobras Sinfônica orchestra plays the soundtrack of Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund’s 2002 film, shot in Rio, while the full film is screened, with the original composers on stage. The film is in Portuguese.
Friday 13 November, 9pm
The Gilsons with Gilberto Gil at Vivo Rio
Vivo Rio, Av. Infante Dom Henrique 85, Parque do Flamengo · Price from the venue; last tickets
The family trio plays with Gilberto Gil himself, a night that marks Vivo Rio’s twentieth anniversary — Gil opened the venue. Probably the hardest ticket to find in Rio in November. Tickets on the Vivo Rio site.
Friday 13 November
Tom Zé at 90: an extra night at Circo Voador
Circo Voador, Rua dos Arcos, Lapa · Price from the venue
One of the founding figures of Tropicália adds a night at Circo Voador, the open-sided arena in Lapa. Inventive, funny and unlike anything else in Brazilian music.
From Friday 13 November, seven performances
Turandot in its centenary year at the Theatro Municipal
Theatro Municipal, Praça Floriano, Cinelândia · Price from the venue
Puccini’s last opera, first staged at La Scala in 1926, in André Heller-Lopes’s production, with soprano Eiko Senda among the soloists. The big opera of the season, sung in Italian. Sources differ on the last performance, so check the dates on the Theatro Municipal site.
Black Consciousness Day and Pride: 16 to 22 November
Friday 20 November, 9pm
CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso at Vivo Rio
Vivo Rio, Av. Infante Dom Henrique 85, Parque do Flamengo · From R$260 (about US$48) half-price, R$520 (about US$96) full price
Argentina’s most talked-about live act brings its Free Spirits world tour to Rio on the Black Consciousness Day holiday.
Saturday 21 November, doors 4pm
Mariah Carey’s Christmas Time in Barra
Outdoor area of the Farmasi Arena, Av. Embaixador Abelardo Bueno 3401, Barra da Tijuca · Floor R$247.50 (about US$46) half-price, R$495 (about US$91) full price; premium floor R$447.50 (about US$83) / R$895 (about US$165)
Her Christmas show comes to Brazil for the first time; Rio follows two nights in São Paulo. Our report on the tour.
Sunday 22 November
The 31st Rio Pride parade in Copacabana
Copacabana seafront
The Parada do Orgulho LGBTI+ returns to the beach under the motto “Reconhecemos justa toda forma de amor e de existência”. The start time had not been published at the time of writing.
Late November: Seal, Bethânia and the Gipsy Kings
Wednesday 25 to Sunday 29 November
Arpoarte, a new festival of folk art and craft
Píer Mauá, Centro · Price from the venue
The first edition of a festival of Brazilian popular art and handicraft on the old port pier beside the Museu do Amanhã. A good place to look for presents before the holidays.
Wednesday 25 November, 8pm
“Beatles Abbey Road” at the Teatro Riachuelo Rio
Teatro Riachuelo Rio, Rua do Passeio 38, Centro · R$160 (about US$30) to R$280 (about US$52), depending on the section
A theatre tribute to the band that follows its career from the early hits to the late albums. It lasts about two hours and is open to all ages; the two cheapest sections, the balconies, are reached by stairs only.
Thursday 26 November
Seal celebrates his first two albums, with Seu Jorge opening
Qualistage, Via Parque Shopping, Av. Ayrton Senna 3000, Barra da Tijuca · Seats from R$197.50 (about US$36) half-price, R$395 (about US$73) full price; floor R$297.50 (about US$55) / R$595 (about US$110); boxes up to R$1,295 (about US$239) (prices at the start of sales)
A tour built around his first two albums, Seal I and Seal II, with Seu Jorge, known abroad from City of God and The Life Aquatic, as the opening act. Our preview.
Friday 27 November, 8pm
Groundation at Circo Voador
Circo Voador, Rua dos Arcos, Lapa · Price from the venue
The American roots-reggae band in Lapa’s open-air arena.
Saturday 28 November, 5pm, and Sunday 29 November, 3pm
Festival Clássicos do Brasil on the bay at Glória
Marina da Glória, Av. Infante Dom Henrique s/n, Glória · From R$120 (about US$22)
Saturday brings Maria Bethânia and Alceu Valença, who both turn eighty this year, with Vanessa da Mata; Sunday is samba and pagode with Alexandre Pires, Péricles and Ferrugem. It is the big Brazilian music weekend of Rio in November, and the festival continues on 5 and 6 December. Details on the Riotur page.
Saturday 28 November, doors 9pm
Fresno with an orchestra at the Fundição Progresso
Fundição Progresso, Rua dos Arcos 24, Lapa · Price from the venue
The Brazilian rock band’s first symphonic show, Sinfonia’26, with the Nova Orquestra, in the old foundry in Lapa.
Sunday 29 November, 9.30pm
Gipsy Kings by Diego Baliardo, with Sidney Magal
Qualistage, Via Parque Shopping, Av. Ayrton Senna 3000, Barra da Tijuca · From R$110 (about US$20)
“Bamboleo” and the flamenco “Hotel California”, from the line-up led by Diego Baliardo — not the one led by Nicolas Reyes — with the Brazilian showman Sidney Magal as guest. Our preview.
Exhibitions in Rio in November
Until Monday 16 November · Wednesday to Monday, 9am to 8pm
Amazônicas — Poéticas Femininas
Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil, Rua Primeiro de Março 66, Centro · Free
Eighty works by twenty-one women artists from the Amazon, on the CCBB’s second floor. Collect a free ticket at the box office or online.
Until Sunday 22 November
The Prêmio PIPA 2026 winners at the Paço Imperial
Paço Imperial, Praça XV de Novembro 48, Centro · Price from the venue
The winners of the Prêmio PIPA, Brazil’s leading prize for young contemporary artists, with a selection from the PIPA collection, in the former royal palace on Praça XV.
Until Saturday 28 November · Tuesday to Saturday, noon to 7pm
Five exhibitions at the Centro Cultural Correios
Centro Cultural Correios, Rua Visconde de Itaboraí 20, Centro · Price from the venue
Five exhibitions in the Correios (postal service) cultural centre, which sits beside the CCBB, so the two make one afternoon.
Until Sunday 29 November
Zanele Muholi, “Beleza valente”, at the MAR
Museu de Arte do Rio, Praça Mauá, Centro · Price from the venue
More than a hundred works by the South African photographer, portraits that need no caption in any language.
Throughout November · Wednesday to Saturday 10am to 6pm, Sunday 11am to 6pm
“Carnaval como método” at MAM Rio
Museu de Arte Moderna, Av. Infante Dom Henrique 85, Parque do Flamengo · Price from the venue
Carnival designers’ work shown as art, in the modernist Museu de Arte Moderna on the Aterro do Flamengo. The long-running collection show “Entre o moderno e o contemporâneo” runs alongside.
Running Through November
Saturday 7 to Sunday 22 November
Bluey live on stage in Barra
Teatro Multiplan, Shopping VillageMall, Av. das Américas 3900, Barra da Tijuca · From R$25 (about US$5)
The official stage show of the Australian children’s series. The safest family outing in Rio in November, with characters most children already know.
Until 4 December
The Jazz Room: a Sinatra and Armstrong tribute
Teatro Rival Petrobras, Rua Álvaro Alvim 33, Cinelândia · From R$100 (about US$18)
A tribute evening to Frank Sinatra and Louis Armstrong: the American songbook with a live band, in the Teatro Rival Petrobras off Cinelândia. The reliable option when nothing else on this list fits the night.
Football in Rio in November
Wednesday 4 November, 7.30pm and 9.30pm
Flamengo against Grêmio, Botafogo against Atlético-MG
Maracanã (Flamengo) and Estádio Nilton Santos (Botafogo) · Tickets from the clubs
The first football of Rio in November: two home games on the same night in round 34 of the Brazilian championship (the top-flight league), Flamengo–Grêmio at 7.30pm at the Maracanã, Botafogo–Atlético-MG at 9.30pm at the Nilton Santos. Buy only through the clubs’ own sites.
Sunday 8 November, 5pm
Vasco against Palmeiras in the Copa do Brasil semi-final
São Januário, Vasco da Gama · Tickets from the club
The second leg, after the first in São Paulo on 1 November, with a place in the cup final on 6 December at stake.
18 to 28 November, dates to be set
The last home games of the league season
Maracanã, Nilton Santos or São Januário · Tickets from the clubs
Rounds 35 to 37 bring Flamengo–Athletico-PR, Vasco–Internacional, Fluminense–Mirassol, Botafogo–São Paulo, Fluminense–Cruzeiro and Botafogo–Bahia. The Brazilian football confederation (CBF) had not fixed the days, times or stadiums at the time of writing; the final round follows on 2 December.
Planning Your Rio in November
Three holidays fall in Rio in November. Monday 2 November is Finados, All Souls’ Day, when banks and public offices close.
Sunday 15 November, Proclamation of the Republic Day, falls on a weekend and brings no extra day off. Friday 20 November is Black Consciousness Day, a national holiday since 2024, and banks close again.
With Mariah Carey on the 21st and Pride on the 22nd, that holiday opens the busiest weekend of the month. Check the city traffic operator, CET-Rio, for road closures before you set out on holidays and on parade day.
Prices are in reais, and the real has moved sharply since the runoff election on 25 October (see our market report). Dollar values use the RT market rate of R$5.42 to US$1 at the close on 26 October 2026, so figures in dollars may shift by the time you buy.
Runners: foreign entries for the 2027 Rio half-marathon open on 16 November — dates and prices here. From 18 November the SSL Gold Cup, a sailing competition with crews from more than 65 countries, is based at the Marina da Glória until 13 December.
Where we have not printed a ticket price, the organisers had not published one at the time of writing. Programmes at the CCBB and the theatres change during the month, so check with the venue on the day.
“Half-price” means the legal meia-entrada discount for students, people over 60 and others. This guide to Rio in November runs monthly.
It returns in December.If you run a venue, a gallery or a production in Rio and would like to be considered, write to the newsroom with the date, the time, the address and the ticket price.
Those four things are what get an event into the list.
More on living here: our Rio de Janeiro coverage and Expats in Brazil.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the holidays in Rio in November 2026?
Monday 2 November (Finados, All Souls’ Day), Sunday 15 November (Proclamation of the Republic) and Friday 20 November (Black Consciousness Day). Banks and public offices close on the two weekday holidays.
What is free in Rio in November?
The CCBB’s Amazônicas exhibition until 16 November, and the midday opera series at the Theatro Municipal on 9, 10, 25 and 26 November, which is free.
What are the biggest concerts in Rio in November?
The Gilsons with Gilberto Gil at Vivo Rio on 13 November, Mariah Carey at the Farmasi Arena on 21 November, Seal at Qualistage on 26 November and the Festival Clássicos do Brasil with Maria Bethânia at the Marina da Glória on 28 and 29 November.
When is the Rio Pride parade in 2026?
Sunday 22 November, on the Copacabana seafront. The start time had not been published at the time of writing.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
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