Category Archives: Brazil News

British Airways Daily Service to Rio as of October 2023

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As of 28 October 2023, British Airways’ service from London Heathrow to RIOgaleão – Aeroporto Internacional Tom Jobim will continue on to Buenos Aires, which will lose its current non-stop service.

However, the flights will now be daily (rather than the current five times a week), and there will be a switch of aircraft from the Boeing 787-8 to the Boeing 777-200ER. That increases capacity from 214 passengers to 272.

The other change is that the outbound flight from London will no longer be a daytime flight but over night. It is expected that the BA 249 will depart daily from London at 22:10, landing in Rio de Janeiro at 07:05 the following day. Departing at 08:35 for Buenos Aires where it is scheduled to land at 11:40. On the return the BA 248 will depart from Buenos Aires at 13:30, landing in Rio de Janeiro at 16:25. It will depart Rio at 17:55 to arrive in London the following day at 08:10.

It is also worth remembering that British Airways will also be able to offer seats between just Rio and Buenos Aires.

Baía do Sancho, Fernando de Noronha, world’s best beach for 2023

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Baía do Sancho, on Fernando de Noronha, is the world’s best beach for 2023, according to Tripadvisor. Ipanema in Rio is at number 19 on the list.
Top ten for 2023 is:
  1. Baia do Sancho, Brazil
  2. Eagle Beach, Aruba
  3. Cable Beach, Australia
  4. Reynisfjara Beach, Iceland
  5. Grace Bay Beach, Turks and Caicos
  6. Praia da Falésia, Portugal
  7. Radhanagar Beach, India
  8. Spiaggia dei Conigli, Italy
  9. Varadero Beach, Cuba
  10. Ka’anapali Beach, Hawaii

Baile do Copa – Copacabana Palace

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Saturday, 18 February,  sees the return of the iconic Baile do Copa carnival ball to the equally iconic Copacabana Palace, A Belmond Hotel in Rio de Janeiro.

The hotel is celebrating its centenary this year and the ball – that took place for the first time in 1924 – will celebrate its own centenary in 2024. This year’s theme for the ball is “Time Tunnel” to encourage guests to dress to recreate some of those special moments from the hotel’s past 100 years, or even if they wish from its future. The hotel promises an evening of “decadence, joy and glorious excess,…”, something we all need in 2023. Many of the great and the good have attended the ball over the decades from Orson Welles to Brigitte Bardot, to name just two.

Rio Carnaval Parades 2023

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As always a diverse selection of themes and story lines have been chosen to be presented by the top schools at Rio’s carnaval.

In 2023 these include Vila Isabel that will celebrate the human capacity to have faith in what cannot be seen; Salgueiro that has chosen a plot about valuing freedom of expression, showing that paradise is built individually by each person, without restriction or sin. Mocidade will look at the cultural legacy of artists from Alto do Moura in Pernambuco, and the disciples of the artist Mestre Vitalino. Historic figures also feature and Viradouro will tell the story of Rosa Maria Egípcia who was brought from Africa to Brazil in 1925 and is credited as the first black woman to write a book in Brazil. Imperatriz Leopoldinense will travel to the northeast and tell the story of the arrival in both heaven and hell of the bandit leader and folk hero, Lampião. Império Serrano brings a storyline based on Arlindo Cruz’s success, “My Place”. In a tribute to the singer, the samba school will go through moments and places that marked his career.

Paraíso do Tuiuti will tell the story of the arrival and impact of buffaloes to Brazil, through the Marajó Island, in Pará, which inspired a cultural manifestation in the region. The state of Bahia is featured by three schools. Unidos da Tijuca will celebrate everything about Bahia, taking a lot of axé to the avenue and feature the joy of Bahia’s carnival. Mangueira will highlight the impact of women on the music of Bahia, while Beija-Flor will argue that the “true” independence of Brazil was the expulsion of  the Portuguese troops from Bahia 200 years ago in 1823. Celebrating its centenary, Portela, one of the city’s most famous and traditional schools, will not surprisingly look back at the school’s history through the eyes of five characters who have been fundamental to the school and Rio’s carnival. And Grande Rio, the current champion of Rio’s carnival, will pay tribute to the musician and great sambista Zeca Pagodinho, who will join the school for the parade.

The main parades of the Grupo Especial – Rio’s top 12 ranking samba schools – will next take place on the nights of Sunday, 19 February and Monday, 20 February 2023.

Sunday, 19 February 2023

  • Imperil Serrano
  • Grande Rio
  • Mocidade
  • Unidos da Tijuca
  • Salgueiro
  • Mangueira

Monday, 20 February 2023

  • Paraíso do Tuiuti
  • Portela
  • Vila Isabel
  • Imperatriz Leopoldinense
  • Beija-Flor
  • Viradouro

Order of the Carnival Parades 2023

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In 2023 the main parades of the Grupo Especial in Rio de Janeiro’s carnival are currently scheduled to take place on the nights of Sunday, 19 February and Monday, 20 February 2022. The 12 schools and the order that they will parade in 2023 are:

Sunday, 19 February 2023

  • Imperil Serrano
  • Grande Rio
  • Mocidade
  • Unidos da Tijuca
  • Salgueiro
  • Mangueira

Monday, 20 February 2023

  • Paraíso do Tuiuti
  • Portela
  • Vila Isabel
  • Imperatriz Leopoldinense
  • Beija-Flor
  • Viradouro

 

Carnival 2022: Day Two of Rio’s Top Samba Schools

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Thanks to the Riotur.Rio team of photographers, a quick and colourful look at the second of two nights of parades of Rio’s top samba school. On 23 April it was the turn of Paraíso do Tuiuti, Portela, Mocidade Independente de Padre Miguel, Unidos da Tijuca, Acadêmicos do Grande Rio and Unidos de Vila Isabel parade.

The results of the Grupo Especial, which covers Rio’s top twelve samba schools, will be announced in Rio on Tuesday (26 April) starting at 15.00 local time (19.00 in London). The lowest scoring school will be relegated to the Grupo de Acesso for 2023, with the winner of this year’s Grupo de Acesso joining the top 12 in 2023.

Dates of the parade of the Grupo Especial in 2023 are 19 and 20 February.

Winners at Festival do Rio in 2021

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The awards for the 23rd Festival do Rio were announced and presented during a ceremony at Sala 1 of Estação NET Botafogo on Sunday, 19 December 2021. 

Première Brasil – Redentor Trophy – 2021

Jury: Patrícia Andrade (president), Bia Salgado, Gustavo Pizzi, Quito Ribeiro and Suzana Pires

Best Fiction Feature: Medusa, by Anita Rocha da Silveira

Best Documentary: Rolê – Histórias dos rolezinhos, by Vladimir Seixas

Best Short: Solitude, by Tami Martins and Aron Miranda

Special Jury Prize: Medida provisória, by Lázaro Ramos

Best Director – Feature Fiction: Anita Rocha da Silveira, for Medusa; and Laís Bodanzky, for A viagem de Pedro

Best Director – Documentary:  Murilo Salles, for Uma baía

Best Actress: Tati Villela, for Mundo novo

Best Actor: Rômulo Braga, for Sol

Best Supporting Actress: Lara Tremouroux, for Medusa

Best Supporting Actor: Sergio Laurentino, for A viagem de Pedro

Best Screenwriting: Alvaro Campos and cast, for Mundo novo

Best Editing: Eva Randolph, for Uma baía

Best Cinematography: Ivo Lopes Araújo, for Casa vazia

 

Première Brasil – New Directions (Novos Rumos) 2021

Jury: Emílio Domingos (president), Alice Furtado and Mariana Genescá

Best Film: Rio Doce, by Fellipe Fernandes

Special Jury Prize: for actress Renata Carvalho, for Os primeiros soldados

Special Jury Prize (Honorary Mention): O dia da posse, by Allan Ribeiro

Best Short: Chão de fábrica, by Nina Kopko