Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ENTERTAINMENT IN RIO
A
s a major world city, Rio
some clubs give a watered-down
take on Brazilian culture, on the
whole, visitors can enjoy a scintil-
lating nightlife. The trendiest and
most fashionable choices are
found in Ipanema and Leblon,
and around the Lagoa. Downtown
Rio is also back in fashion, with
Lapa being particularly popular
when it comes to clubs and bars
that play upbeat Brazilian music.
offers a wide variety of high-
quality entertainment.
However, these are targeted more
toward the local residents than
the casual tourists. The big local
and international acts perform
mainly for the Brazilians, and the
same is true of what is presented
at the theater, in the movie
houses, clubs, and bars. Though
Elaborately
dressed
samba
dancer
INFORMATION
agency. Large ticket agencies,
such as
Ticketmaster
,
Ticketronics
, and
Ingresso
,
operate countrywide, and
offer tickets to both events
and particular venues.
Vivo Rio
located in the
Modern Art Museum in
Flamengo puts on various
shows. The
Cidade da Música
in Barra has a spacious main
concert hall, although the
opening of this venue has
been delayed.
Smaller bands, or big
names looking for a more
intimate setting, also use the
Circo Voador
in Lapa and
other smaller venues such as
the
Teatro João Caetano
in
Centro,
Ballroom
in Humaitá,
and even
Morro da Urca
on
the half-way stage of Sugar
Loaf
(see pp76-7)
.
The open-air venues
of
Praça de Apoteose
and
Cidade do Rock
stage large
acts. Even the Copacabana
and Flamengo beaches
sometimes hold free concerts.
Rio also hosts a number
of festivals during the year
that cover all genres. The
For details of entertainment
in Rio, check with the daily
newspapers or their web
sites, most notably
O Globo
and
Jornal do Brasil
. For an
update on on-going events,
check
Veja Rio
, the special
Rio supplement in Brazil's
leading weekly news-
magazine,
Veja
. It normally
offers an accurate guide
to the current scene. The
concierge at any big hotel
would also be of help.
MAJOR VENUES
Rio is an important venue and
tour stop for not only the top
names in Brazilian music, but
also for all the leading inter-
national acts. The major
Brazilian acts tend to prefer to
play in one of two big show
houses in Rio,
Canecão
in
Botafogo and the
Citibank Hall
in Barra da Tijuca. Opened in
1967, Canecão has hosted
many major concerts and a
number of classic live Brazilian
albums have been recorded
here. Claro Hall, a purpose-
built state-of-the-art facility,
opened for business in 1994,
with a show by Diana Ross.
BOOKING TICKETS
Brazilians traditionally only
buy their tickets at the very
last moment. Even for the
biggest events, tickets may
go on sale only a few days
ahead. In many cases, the
tickets will be sold at the
venue itself, or through an
Colorfully costumed
samba
performers in the floor show at Plataforma 1
