Copacabana Welcomes 2026 With Record Crowd and Guinness Recognition as Rough Seas Trigger Mass Rescues

Overview

• Rio authorities said 2.6 million people gathered along Leme–Copacabana, and a Guinness World Records judge certified the celebration as the largest New Year’s event.
• The fireworks show lasted about 12 minutes from 19 barges using more than 12 tonnes of pyrotechnics, following military inspections of safety and positioning.
• Security and monitoring included 16 access checkpoints with metal detectors and facial-recognition cameras, about 3,500 military police, 300 patrol vehicles with live video to the CICC, and staffed medical posts.
• CET-Rio closed Avenida Atlântica and fully restricted Copacabana to private vehicles from 21:00, with all post-event bus embarkation concentrated at Botafogo’s Terminal Enseada and controlled dispersal through the tunnel.
• Parallel beach celebrations in Santos and Grande Vitória featured multi-barge, ~14-minute fireworks plans, extensive traffic interdições, extra bus services and, in some locations, low-noise displays for inclusivity.