Welcome!

The main goal of this site is to give tourists and visitors an inside scoop about cool places to go and things to see in Rio de Janeiro, aside the mainstream places and ordinary stuff. So don´t expect to see any information about Sugar Loaf, Corcovado and so on…for those typical tourist spots, I´m sure there are hundreds of sites out there about it.

In my view, people between the age of 25 and 45 are gonna enjoy these tips better. Or anyone looking for great party/cultural programs.

As everyone knows, Brazil, and specially Rio, had it's prices gone up the roof for just about everything. So, another objective in this portal is to let you know about great inexpensive options, and tons of local tips.

I´ve organized the suggestions into categories, focused on the king of event you might be looking for:

- Samba Events and Parties

- Unusual Parties

- Nightlife and Nightclubs

- Hangout Street Spots and Points – Free

- Daytime Activities

- Bars and Drinks

- Food

- Late Snacks

I´ve also created a Party/Events this All-Week Schedule to help you decide which places to go at each day of your visit in Rio! Hope this becomes very useful on your decisions.

It should be good for almost any week of the year. Most of them are inexpensive. I tried to organize it according to the best day of each event. Some of the hours I suggest by each event overlap or are too close to one another. In these cases, it´s an “either/or” situation, so you must choose according to what you´re looking for. When this doesn´t happen, it means that you can go to the events one after the other, if you re in good shape!

If I had just a week to spend in Rio, this is how I would do it:

Monday:

- Pedra do Sal – Free Street Samba Party (19h)

- Samba do Trabalhador – Samba Party (18h)

- Stalos – Late Snacks and Food (2h)

Tuesday:

- Saara / Uruguaiana – Popular Shopping (14h)

- Ovelha Negra – Champaign Bar (18h)

- Cervantes – Late Snacks and Drinks (23h)

- Empório – Free Rock Bar (1h)

Wednesday:

- Gargalo – Dinner and Drinks (20h)

- Democráticos – Nightlife – Forró - Dancing (23h)

- Casa da Cachaça – After Party Drinks and Hangout (4h)

Thursday:

- Baixo Gávea – Free Hangout Spot (21h)

- Belmont Leblon – Bar and Free Hangout Spot (23h)

- Empório – Free Rock Bar (0h)

Friday:

- Aprazível – Early Dinner (18h)

- Samba Luzia – Samba Party (21h)

- Circo Voador (23h) – There´s always a cool party goin´ on, but check it out first.

- Zozô - Nightclub (23h)

Saturday:

- Feira do Lavradio – Free Street Antique´s Fair, first Saturday of each month – it´s a must! (14h)

- Cardosão – Feijoada and Food (15h)

- Samba do Ouvidor – Free Street Samba Party (18h) – Check if it´s going to happen at date you´re in town, first.

- Rio Scenarium - Nightclub (22h)

- Unusual Parties (22h) – Check which of them are happening in the dates you´re in town.

- Pizzaria Guanabara – After After Party Drinks (5h)

Sunday

- Bar do Mineiro - Food (14h)

- Mureta da Urca – Free Hangout Spot (16h)

- Pavão Azul – Bar and Free Hangout Spot (16h)

- Casa Rosa – Feijoada and Samba Party (19h)

- Salvação – Bar and Samba Party  (18h)

- Empório - Free Rock Bar (0h or 2h, if you went to Casa Rosa before)

Who ever completes 80% of this schedule, send me a message! I´ll try to complement you personally! And you can consider yourself an expert on Rio´s social, bohemian, party customs. Have fun!


In case you’re looking for some extra literature about Rio, here are a few suggestions:
- Lonely Planet Rio de Janeiro (Travel Guide) (Regis St Louis)

- Lonely Planet Accessible Rio Kindle Edition (Lonely Planet)

- Rio de Janeiro: Extreme City Kindle Edition (Luiz Eduardo Soares)

- The Rio de Janeiro Reader: History, Culture, Politics (Daryle Williams)

- Hard Times in the Marvelous City: From Dictatorship to Democracy in the Favelas of Rio de Janeiro (Bryan McCann)

- Rio de Janeiro Travel Guide - 100 Must-Do: Outdoor Adventures, TOP 5 Beaches in Rio (Copacabana), Historical and Cultural Sights, Eat Drink, Cool Cafes, ... tourist places, Unusual Hostels, Souvenirs! (Kevin Hampton)

- Drugs and Democracy in Rio de Janeiro: Trafficking, Social Networks, and Public Security (Enrique Desmond Arias)

- My Rio de Janeiro: A Cookbook Hardcover (Leticia Moreinos Schwartz)

- Favela: Four Decades of Living on the Edge in Rio de Janeiro Reprint Edition (Janice Perlman)

- Living with Insecurity in a Brazilian Favela: Urban Violence and Daily Life Hardcover (R. Ben Penglase )

Pre-carnival - Street Parties - Free

Carnival is one of Brazil's main attractions. But what few people know is that in January begins a sort of countdown for carnival, which in my opinion, is even better. These street parties are called "blocos", and they are for free. All of them with it's own theme and samba.

They happen all over Rio, and each one in its own neighborhood. Drinks are provided by the street sellers and the bars near by, at reasonable prices. Very good to meet people, hook up, specially if you're wearing a costume. Quite common among the locals, so don't worry. And the funnier, the better for socializing and having fun. If you don't bring one, make sure to get one in Saara (a popular, huge and cheap street market, located in Centro – see map).

Some of them also have their own closed, paid parties, but on different dates. And each year comes out the official calendar, so you can check out the right dates and hours of each one.

There are more than 400 blocos in Rio throughout January till carnival, so I can't list them all here. But I'm gonna list my favorite ones together with the ones that I think you'll like better.

- Carmelitas – Santa Teresa
- Céu na Terra – Santa Teresa
- Suvaco de Cristo – Jardin Botânico
- Imprensa Que Eu Gamo – Laranjeiras / Largo do Machado
- Volta Alice - Laranjeiras
- Bloco Brega / Fogo e Paixão - Centro
- Sargento Pimenta – Aterro do Flamengo
- Bangalafumenga - Centro
- Azeitona Sem Caroço - Leblon
- Desliga da Justiça - Gávea

As in any street party in Rio, don't bring any personal valued stuff, for safaty.

Photos:

 

Video:

Carmelitas – Santa Teresa:


Imprensa Que Eu Gamo - Laranjeiras / Largo do Machado


Volta Alice - Laranjeiras


Desliga da Justiça - Gávea

Circo Voador – Lapa – Parties - Nightlife

One of my favorite places in Rio. It's like a cultural/event space, in the middle of Lapa, where there are all sorts of parties. Some are only with DJs, but others have live shows. Very mixed crowed, and the prices for admission are around R$ 50,00 ($ 25.00). It goes till late at night, and afterwards, you can get something to eat right in from of it, sold by the street sellers.

Technical Info:
Type: Parties, Nightlife.
Price: Average.
Frequency: Almost Every Day, Best Days Are Thursday Through Saturdays.
Hour: 22h till 5h
Good Time to Arrive: 22h / 23h.
Kind of People Expected: Middle class, mixed, about 10% foreign.
Address: Rua dos Arcos - Centro.

How to get there:
- Subway: Stop at the Cinelândia Station (see map) and walk towards Lapa.
- Bus: Lots of buses come here. Ask locals which ones to take from where you´re staying at. Some of the lines are: 158, 161, 162, 178, 180, 238, 247, 351 and 362 (see map).
- Taxi: Ask the driver to leave you at Circo Voador - Lapas. Everyone knows about it.
- Walking: If you´re in Glória, Centro or Santa Teresa, you could go by foot too.

Map:

Exibir mapa ampliado

Photos:

Videos: