The ten rafts that will be used in the traditional New Year’s Eve fireworks display in Copacabana, in the south zone of Rio de Janeiro, were approved after the last inspection carried out this Friday (30). The New Year’s Eve party will once again be celebrated with concerts around the city, after two years without shows due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Representatives from Riotur, the Port Authority, the Fire Department and the Civil Police’s Weapons and Explosives Inspection Division analyzed safety issues related to the fireworks show, scheduled to last 12 minutes.
“This release is extremely important for Rio, as it is the first post-pandemic New Year’s Eve and with the expectation of a record public on the waterfront. Therefore, our inspection, which is always cautious, was extremely thorough for the occasion”, said Colonel Leandro Monteiro , State Secretary of Civil Defense and General Commander of Firefighters.
The ferries will be at a distance of 450 meters from the sand strip. In all, they carry 20 tons of fireworks.
Fireworks will be triggered by GPS. The show, which will have a musical background, will have 20,000 visual effects. Rio City Hall promises new graphics with more technology, brightness and colors.
The municipality also guarantees that the noise of the fireworks will be within the norms established this year. A bill approved by the Chamber of Rio this month prohibited the manufacture, sale and use of fireworks in the city. The text preserves, however, the events promoted by the city hall, such as the New Year’s Eve party, as long as the limit of 120 decibels is not exceeded.
In addition to the fireworks display, two stages were set up on Copacabana beach for concerts by Zeca Pagodinho, Iza, Alexandre Pires, Mart’nália and drums from the Grande Rio and Beija-Flor schools.
This Friday afternoon, there was a rehearsal with Zeca Pagodinho on the Copacabana Stage, in front of the Copacabana Palace hotel. “Just the sound check is already emotional”, declared the singer.
The party will also have a moment of tributes to names of Brazilian music that died in 2022, such as Erasmo Carlos, Gal Costa and Elza Soares. King Pelé, who died last Thursday (29), will also be remembered in a video that will be shown on the big screens before the countdown to the fireworks display.
To celebrate the arrival of 2023, there will also be celebrations in nine other parts of the city: Flamengo, Ilha do Governador, Madureira, Paquetá, Guaratiba, Penha, Ramos, Sepetiba and Barra da Tijuca.
In Copacabana alone, the City Hall expects an audience of 2 million people. But the expectation is that this number will be exceeded, since the occupancy rate in the city’s hotels is already at 90%.
Safety
For the first time, New Year’s Eve in Copacabana will have security reinforced with 150 metal detectors to inhibit the use of sharp objects in accesses to the neighborhood. Knives, scissors, stilettos and other sharp objects will be seized, as well as firearms.
On the waterfront, there will also be 16 inspection points, starting at 2 pm on Saturday, the 31st, ending at 4 am on the first Sunday of the year.
The security scheme will also include more than 50 semi-armored vehicles, drones and light cannon towers. In addition, around 300 military police officers will wear cameras on their uniforms during policing.
This year’s New Year’s Eve in Copacabana will have 2,662 military police. Throughout the state, the corporation is going to mobilize 22,000 agents. The workforce will be more than 20% higher than the number employed at the last New Year’s party.
The Municipal Department of Public Order and the Municipal Guard will use 1,517 agents in urban and traffic planning actions.
Vehicle parking has been prohibited on the inner streets of Copacabana since 6 pm this Friday (30). On the waterfront, the prohibition comes into effect from 8 pm.
As of 7:30 pm on the 31st, only buses and taxis will be able to travel around Copacabana. The city hall recommends the use of public transport, with the subway being the most suitable option. It is necessary, however, to buy the special ticket, sold only at the Carioca station, for R$13 (round trip).
At 4 pm, the Copacabana waterfront will be completely closed in both directions. At 7:30 pm, all accesses to the neighborhood will be closed.
As of 5 am on the 1st, access to the neighborhood will be free for all vehicles. But Avenida Atlântica will remain closed. Only from 10:00 am, the track next to the buildings will be opened with the reverse hand, as it happens on Sundays and holidays.
Weather forecast
The New Year’s Eve party starts at 6 pm on the 31st and runs until 3:30 am on the 1st. The forecast is for rain over New Year’s Eve. Therefore, the recommendation for anyone going to Copacabana is to take a cover for protection.
According to Climatempo, weak to moderate rain may occur in isolation throughout the day, increasing in intensity in the afternoon and night periods, and may still be accompanied by lightning and gusts. The maximum temperature on Saturday is expected to be 29°C.
The weather should remain unstable on the first day of 2023. For Sunday, isolated moderate to heavy rain showers are forecast in the afternoon and night, mainly in the regions of the state of Rio de Janeiro that border Minas Gerais. Thermometers must not exceed 31°C.
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