Shakira’s Free Copacabana Megashow Set to Begin Under Sweeping Security

Overview

• Shakira’s concert, which starts Saturday between 9:30 and 9:45 p.m., is free on Copacabana Beach and will air live on TV Globo, Multishow and Globoplay.
• Rio’s plan deploys 7,927 security personnel with 18 bag-check points, facial-recognition cameras and drones, and early evening lines at checkpoints moved without turmoil, authorities and G1 reported.
• Access and exit hinge on transit: Copacabana metro stations run 24 hours with a wristband system to speed return trips, streets close to cars after 7 p.m., and special buses route departures through Botafogo’s Enseada Terminal.
• The production scales up with a 1,500 m² stage, a 25-meter runway, 16 beachside screens of 45 m² each and about 680 m² of LED panels, topping the setups used for Madonna in 2024 and Lady Gaga in 2025.
• The buildup was marred by a fatal assembly accident that killed worker Gabriel de Jesus Firmino, which producer BonusTrack disclosed as Shakira stayed in contact and was described as deeply shaken.