Category Archives: Rio News

2016 Olympic and Paralympic mascots unveiled in Rio

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23.11.2014.Mascotes. Forte Copacabana.The Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games mascots have been unveiled. Inspired by Brazil’s fauna and flora, the duo feature various pop culture influences, along with elements of animation and computer game characters.

“The Rio 2016 mascots represent the diversity of our culture, of our people,” said Beth Lula, the Rio 2016 brand director. “They represent our joy, our way of being. Both of them are magical creatures with super powers and relate naturally with the young audience, who we want to engage with our event so much.”

The Olympic mascot represents all of the different animals in Brazil. He combines the agility of cats, the sway of monkeys and the grace of birds. He can stretch his arms and legs as much as he wants. The Paralympic mascot is a fusion of plants found in Brazilian forests. He is energised by photosynthesis and can pull any object from his head of leaves. He is always growing and overcoming obstacles.

Both mascots have their own Facebook and Twitter profiles and share a special website with fun activities for kids.

“The mascots are one of the most important symbols of the Games because they create an emotional link with the public, especially children, and are genuine ambassadors for the event,” added Lula.

What is not known yet, is their names. A poll is already open and the public can vote for their choice from a shortlist of three pairs of names: one for the Olympic mascot, the other for the Paralympic mascot, respectively. The choices are Oba and Eba, Tiba Tuque and Esquindim, and Vinicius and Tom. You can find out more about these names, and vote for your choice by Clicking Here The winning names will be announced on 14 December 2014.

The mascots were created by Birdo Produções, a São Paulo-based design and animation company that has won numerous international awards.

22.11.2014.Mascotes. Sede Rio2016

Olympic mascots visit Rio de Janeiro

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11599_10152876941534111_291692445796855411_nAhead of Rio hosting the Olympic and Paralympic games in 2016 a group of mascots from previous games dropped in on the city to show their support. They included Misha (Moscow 1980), Athena (Athens 2004), Fu Niu Lele (Beijing 2008), Wenlock and Mandeville (London 2012).

The Olympic games will take place 5-21 August 2016 and the Paralympic 7-18 September 2016.

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Brazil’s 50 top restaurants

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To mark the 50th anniversary of the publication of the Brazil Guide in the Guia Quadro Rodas series, the publisher, Abril, has come up with a list of what it considers to be the 50 top restaurants in Brazil for 2015.

Nearly half, or 24 in total, are located in São Paulo, but eight are to be found in Rio de Janeiro, nine if you count Dona Irene in Teresópolis.

The Top 50 are:

1 – D.O.M. / São Paulo – SP

Rua Barão de Capanema, 549 – Cerqueira César

(11) 3088-0761

2 – MANÍ / São Paulo – SP

Rua Joaquim Antunes, 210 – Jardim Paulistano

(11) 3085-4148

3 – 
FASANO / São Paulo – SP

Rua Vitório Fasano, 88 – Cerqueira César

(11) 3062-4000

4 – ROBERTA SUDBRACK / Rio de Janeiro – RJ

Avenida Lineu de Paula Machado, 916 – Jardim Botânico

(21) 3874-0139

5 -
DUE CUOCHI CUCINA ITAIM / São Paulo – SP

Rua Manuel Guedes, 93 – Itaim Bibi

(11) 3078-8092

6 – TRE BICCHIERI / São Paulo – SP

Rua General Mena Barreto, 765 – Itaim Bibi

(11) 3885-4004

7 – MAHALO / Cuiabá – MT

Rua Pres. Castello Branco, 359 – Quilombo

(65) 3028-7700

8 – 
FASANO AL MARE / Rio de Janeiro – RJ

Avenida Vieira Souto, 80 – Ipanema

(21) 3202-4030

9 – FLORIANO SPIESS COZINHA DE AUTOR / Porto Alegre – RS

Praça do Japão, 155 – Bela Vista

(51) 3237-7601

10 – EPICE / São Paulo – SP

Rua Haddock Lobo, 1002 – Cerqueira César

(11) 3062-0866

11 – 
SKYE / São Paulo – SP

Avenida Brigadeiro Luís Antônio, 4700 – Jardim Paulista

(11) 3055-4702

12 – A BELA SINTRA / São Paulo – SP

Rua Bela Cintra, 2325 – Jardim Paulista

(11) 3891-1090

13 – ORO / Rio de Janeiro – RJ

Rua Frei Leandro, 20 – Jardim Botânico

(21) 2266-7591

14 – OLYMPE / Rio de Janeiro – RJ

Rua Custódio Serrão, 62 – Jardim Botânico

(21) 2539-4542

15 – 
TRATTORIA / São Paulo – SP

Rua Iguatemi, s/n  – Itaim Bibi

(11) 3167-3322

16 – DUE CUOCHI CUCINA SHOPPING CIDADE JARDIM / São Paulo – SP

Shopping Cidade Jardim – Avenida Magalhães de Castro, 12000 – Cidade Jardim

(11) 3758-2731

17 – 
DUE CUOCHI CUCINA MORUMBI / São Paulo – SP

Morumbi Corporate – Henri Dunant, 1383,  – Sto. Amaro

(11) 3957-9580

18 – GERO / São Paulo – SP

Rua Haddock Lobo, 1629 – Cerqueira César

(11) 3064-0005

19 – AMADEUS / São Paulo – SP

Rua Haddock Lobo, 807 – Cerqueira César

(11) 3061-2859

20 – ATTIMO / São Paulo – SP

Rua Diogo Jácome, 341 – Vila Nova Conceição

(11) 5054-9999

21 – 
LE BATEAU IVRE / Porto Alegre – RS

Rua Tito Lívio Zambecari, 805 – Mont Serrat

(51) 3330-7351

22 – KINOSHITA / São Paulo – SP

Rua Jacques Félix, 405 – Vila Nova Conceição

(11) 3849-6940

23 – 
JUN SAKAMOTO / São Paulo – SP

Rua Lisboa, 55 – Pinheiros

(11) 3088-6019

24 – VECCHIO TORINO / São Paulo – SP

Rua Tavares Cabral, 119 – Pinheiros

(11) 3816-0592

25 – VECCHIO SOGNO / Belo Horizonte – MG

Rua Martim de Carvalho, 75 – Santo Agostinho

(31) 3292-5251

26 – 
ICI BISTRÔ / São Paulo – SP

Rua Pará, 36 – Higienópolis

(11) 3259-6896

27 – GIRARROSTO / São Paulo – SP

Avenida Cidade Jardim, 56 – Jardim Europa

(11) 3062-6000

28 – DONA IRENE / Teresópolis – RJ

Rua Ten. Luís Meireles, 1800 – Bom Retiro

(21) 2742-2901

29 – PARIGI / São Paulo – SP

Rua Amauri, 275 – Itaim Bibi

(11) 3167-1575

30 – ANTIQUARIUS / Rio de Janeiro – RJ

Rua Aristides Espínola, 19 – Leblon

(21) 2294-1049

31 – MOCOTÓ / São Paulo – SP

Avenida Nossa Senhora do Loreto, 1100 – Vila Medeiros

(11) 2951-3056

32 – GUARAMARE / Guarapari – ES

Avenida Meaípe, 716  – Enseada Azul) –  7 km

(27) 3272-1300

33 – REMANSO DO BOSQUE / Belém – PA

Avenida Rômulo Maiorana, 2350 – Marco

(91) 3347-2829

34 – ANGATU / Tiradentes – MG

Rua Santíssima Trindade, 81  – Santíssima Trindade

(32) 3355-1391

35 – 
FLOR DE SAL BISTRÔ / Ribeirão Preto – SP

Rua Floriano Peixoto, 1463 – Boulevard

(16) 3421-4963

36 – 
DALÍ CAMÕES / Brasília – DF

Setor Hoteleiro Sul, Qd. 6, Bl. B (Hotel Brasil 21 Convention)

(61) 3039-8156

37 – PROVENCE COTTAGE & BISTRÔ / Monte Verde – MG

Rua Cedrus Libani, 384 – Centro

(35) 3438-1467

38 – ESQUINA MOCOTÓ / São Paulo – SP

Avenida Nossa Senhora do Loreto, 1108 – Vila Medeiros

(11) 2949-7049

39 – TRINDADE / Belo Horizonte – MG

Rua Alvarenga Peixoto, 388 – Lourdes

(31) 2512-4479

40 – SUR / Maceió – AL

Rua Professora Maria Esther da Costa Barros, 306  – Stella Maris

(82) 9808-9090

41 – 
LASAI / Rio de Janeiro – RJ

Rua Conde de Irajá, 191 – Botafogo

(21) 3449-1834

42 – WIELLA BISTRÔ / Recife – PE

Shopping da Decoração – Avenida Engenheiro Domingos Ferreira, 1274,  – Boa Viagem

(81) 3463-3108

43 – 
KITANDA BRASIL / Tiradentes – MG

Rua Padroeiro Santo Antônio, 240 – Cascalho

(32) 3355-1560

44 – 
TAYPÁ / Brasília – DF

Setor de Habitações Individuais Sul, Quadra 17, Shopping Fashion Park – Lago Sul

(61) 3248-0403

45 – 
IRAJÁ / Rio de Janeiro – RJ

Rua Comandante de Irajá, 109 – Botafogo

(21) 2246-1395

46 – LE PRÉ-CATELAN / Rio de Janeiro – RJ

Avenida Atlântica, 4240, Nível E – Copacabana

(21) 2525-1160

47 – GLOUTON / Belo Horizonte – MG

Rua Bárbara Heliodora, 59 – Lourdes

(31) 3292-4237

48 – 
ARTURITO / São Paulo – SP

Rua Artur de Azevedo, 542 – Pinheiros

(11) 3063-4951

49 – PONTE NOVA / Recife – PE

Rua do Cupim, 172 – Graças

(81) 3327-7226

50 – CHEF VIVI / São Paulo – SP

Rua Girassol, 833 – Vila Madalena

(11) 3031-0079

Rock in Rio 2015 card sells out in five hours

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RiR cardsThe first 100,000 tickets for Rock in Rio’s 30th anniversary shows in September 2015 sold out in just five hours when they were put on sale on 18 November 2014.

Fans will now have to wait until later in 2015 for the opportunity to by general tickets when they are released.

With few artists yet confirmed other than Katy Perry, John Legend and System of Down, fans that purchased the card will have first choice of days when the full schedule is confirmed.

Dates for the shows in 2015 are September 18, 19, 20, 24, 25, 26 and 27.

The concerts take place in the Olympic Park.

Prior to the Rio shows, Rock in Rio will take place in Las Vegas in May 2014. Artists confirmed include Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars, Metallica, Linkin Park, No Doubt, Deftones, Joss Stone and John Legend.

Rio introduces new attractions to the international MICE market

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PrintThe Rio Convention & Visitors Bureau (RCVB), which is celebrating its 30th anniversary, is introducing some of Rio de Janeiro’s many new attractions and facilities to the market during the WTM in London, as well as discussing improvements to the city’s infrastructure and transport post FIFA World Cup and pre-Olympic and Paralympic games.

Earlier this year Brazil hosted one of the most successful World Cups ever, with Rio de Janeiro hosting a total of seven games at the city’s iconic Maracanã Stadium, including the final on 13 July. Now the city is preparing to host the Olympic (5-21 August 2016) and Paralympic games (7-18 September 2016), making the city an ideal destination and venue for MICE events post 2016.

Even before the Olympic games, Rio has a great reason to celebrate as in 2015 the city will be celebrating the 450th anniversary of its founding. The celebrations will last from 1 January 2015 through carnival 2015 and 2016, on until 1 March 2016. More details and a growing calendar of events can be found at HERE

Sunborn ExcelThe RCVB will be located on the Brazil stand at the WTM (LA 100), but are also hosting a reception for the MICE market along with RioTur and LATAM on board the London Sunborn Yacht Hotel on Tuesday, 4 November. RCVB will also support and sponsor an evening reception during the WTM with the Latin American Travel Association and Air Europa at the historic St John’s Smith Square.

Olympic Park

Olympic Hub barraScheduled to host sixteen Olympic and ten Paralympic competitions, the Olympic Park in Barra da Tijuca is already taking shape in an area of 1.2 million square meters where the Jacarepaguá motor circuit – that used to host the Brazilian Formula 1 Grand Prix – was located.

New facilities are being built at the Olympic Park for the games that will later be used by the city and event organisers. These include a new velodrome; a large, modern tennis centre; a media centre and an international TV transmission hub, and close by, the city’s new golf course. Temporary installations will, as in London, be built for some of the sports, such as a handball arena that after the event will be transformed into four municipal schools.

An extension of the Olympic Park already hosts Rock in Rio, South America’s largest music festival, which is next scheduled to take place in September 2015 when it will be celebrating its 30th anniversary.

Hotels

Barra da Tijuca, where the Olympic Village is being built, has always been a key destination for the MICE market in Rio de Janeiro due to it being the location of RioCentro, the city’s main exhibition centre, a complex that will also be used as an Olympic and Paralympic venue in 2016.

According to the recent study by the Rio Convention & Visitors Bureau and ABIH-RJ (Brazilian Association of the Hotel Industry – State of Rio de Janeiro), this region of Rio will have a capacity of 12,850 hotel rooms by 2016. Among the chains to operate new hotels in the area are Blue Tree, Grand Hyatt, Hilton, Marriott, Pestana, Ramada, and Trump.

The Port Area

10347070_828442063845623_6336348814997992206_nOne of Rio de Janeiro’s most rapidly developing new attractions is the city’s port area (www.portomaravilha.com.br) that is undergoing a total redevelopment and refurbishment, and which recently has hosted major art and fashion events as well as the city’s international film festival, Festival do Rio.

The area already has attractions such as the new and very popular Rio Museum of Art, as well as famous gastronomic and cultural centres around the Morro da Conceição, such as Pedra do Sal and Largo da Prainha.

Work is already well underway on the construction of the Museum of Tomorrow, which jutting out into the bay is likely to become a city landmark in its own right when it opens in 2015.

Other attractions in the Port area include the Valongo Suspended Garden, Conceição Fort, Conceição Episcopal Palace, and the Cemitério dos Pretos Novos, which is an archaeological site of an old African slave cemetery. The city’s historic British Cemetery is also located in this area of Rio.

Across town, closer to Copacabana, Casa Daros is a top art gallery that has one of the most complete collections dedicated to Latin American contemporary art, with around 1,200 works of art, including paintings, photographs, videos, sculptures and installations.

Casa Daros is a space for art, education, communication and events, and occupies a 19th century neoclassic mansion, preserved under the Historic Heritage of the city of Rio de Janeiro and designed by the architect Francisco Joaquim Bethencourt da Silva (1831-1912).

logo 30 anosThe RCVB can be contacted by phone in Rio de Janeiro on (+55) 21 2266-9750 or by email at rcvb@rcvb.com.br.

Rio’s best restaurants in 2014

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4225014507_d83849c1f8_zWeekly news magazine, Veja, has published its annual list of the best restaurants and bars in Rio de Janiero. The choice is made both by a specially chosen jury of experts as well as the votes of the readers of Veja Rio.

Here is Veja’s selection with the official jury choice listed first, and the public’s choice second. You will note they do not always agree!

RESTAURANTS

Asian: Mee / Sawasdee Bistrô

6922686268_6296c56fba_zBrazilian: Roberta Sudbrack / Aprazível (photo)

Buffet: Celeiro / Ráscal

Cheap and Cheerful: Botequim / Gutessen Café e Restaurante

Contemporary: Laguiole / Quadrucci

Dessert: Oro / Demi-glace

4187733709_0fc4bc2874_zFrench: Olympe (photo) / CT Brasserie

Italian: Gero / CT Trattorie

Japanese: Sushi Leblon / Manekineko

Meat: Giuseppe Grill / Outback Steakhouse

Meat – Barbecue Rodízio: Fogo de Chão / Fogo de Chão

Pizza: Capricciosa / Bráz

Seadfood: Satyricon / Satyricon

Special set Menu: Irajá / Irajá

Also voted for were:

Chef of the Year: Pedro de Artagão (Irajá) / Claude Troisgros (Olympe, CT Boucherie, CT Trattorie, CT Brassserie)

Upcoming Chef: Rafael Costa e Silva, (Lasai) / Fred Barroso (Le Vin Bistrô)

Restaurateur of the Year: Marcelo Torres (Best Fork) / Claude Troisgros (Grupo Troisgros)

Cecília Aldaz, of Oro was voted sommelier of the year; Aprazível had the best wine list; Bazzar was elected best wine bar; and the best wine store was Mistral.

BARS

Balcony / Stand Up: Adega Pérola / Adega Pérola

9733863166_4e12718102_zBeer / Chope: Botto Bar / Botto Bar (photo)

Beer List: Delirium / Aconchego Carioca

“Bolinhos”: Aconchego Carioca / Aconchego Carioca

Boteco: Momo / Aconchego Carioca

Drinks List: Paris Bar / Complex Esquina 111

Food: Cachambeer / Adelos

Gastrobar: Pipo / Complex Esquina 111

For couples: Bar Veloso /Complex Esquina 111

Music: Godofredo Rio / Botto Bar

View: Bar do Alto / Bar Urca (photo)

9135567445_3b648a6a03_z

FOOD

Bread: La Bicyclette / Boulangerie Guerin

Breakfast: Empório Jardim / Empório Jardim

“Brigadeiro” (sweets): Fabiana D’Angelo / Colher de Pau

Cake: Café Sorelle / The Bakers

Chocolate: Q / Kopenhagen

4189567301_7187531f2b_z“Coxinha” (croquettes): Da Gema / Confeitaria Colombo (photo)

Éclair: Guerin / Kurt

Hamburger: Comuna / Reserva T.T. Burger

Ice Cream: Vero / Venchi

Juices: Jaeé / BB Lanches

 

Veterans and new faces shine in competition at Festival do Rio 2014

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IMG_1813Latin America’s biggest annual celebration of cinema closed on Wednesday 8 October by handing out its traditional Première Brasil ‘Redentor’ trophies, which highlight new work by home grown filmmakers, as well as recognising filmmakers in other categories.

The Premiere Brazil awards were dominated in the fiction category by Pernambuco director Lírio Ferreira’s (photo) drama Sangue Azul (Blue Blood) that offers a parallel between cinema and circus and speaks of the sea, art and love. The film took home three prizes including Best Feature, Best Director and Best Supporting Actor for Rômulo Braga.

Director Ferreira is something of a Festival do Rio veteran having screened previously Árido Mo-vie, Cartola – Música para os olhos and O homem que engarrafava nuvens.

In the feature length documentary competition line up, diretor Theresa Jessouroun’s (photo) À Queima Roupa (Point Blank) which delves into police violence and corruption in the city of Rio over the past twenty years, also picked up the top two prizes in its category, scooping both the Best Film and the festivals new Best Director award for documentaries.

IMG_1817There were double wins for Chico Teixeira’s coming-of-age drama Ausência (Absence), which won the Best Actor Award for the child actor Matheus Fagundes, and also received the Special Jury Prize, as well as for Sao Paulo diretor Gregorio Graziosi’s Obra that ended the night with awards for Best Cinematography for DOP André Brandão as well as receiving the FIPRESCI  prize as the best Latin American film at the festival.

Other prizes given out on the night saw relative newcomer Bianca Joy Porte receive the Best Actress award for her role in director Daniel Aragão’s father and daughter relationship drama Prometo um dia deixar essa cidade (I Swear I’ll Leave This Town), and the Best Supporting Actress award go to Fernanda Rocha for her part in Iberê Carvalho’s O Último Cine Drive-In.

Other special awards saw well-known actor Othon Bastos receive an award for his body of work, while earlier in the festival Mexican director and screenwriter Guillermo Arrriaga had been presented with the FIPRESCI Latin American Personality of the Year award.

Prizes in the Première Brasil Novos Rumos (New Trends) section were presented to Castanha by Davi Pretto for Best Film, while the Best Short award went to O Bom Comportamento (The Good Behaviour) by Eva Randolph. Director Alfeu França received the Special Jury Prize for his 30-minute short A Deusa Branca (The White Goddess).

Of the winning features, six received their world premieres at Festival do Rio.

Once again the public vote from amongst the cinema going public in Rio was at odds with the official jury. The public voted Fellipe Gamarano Barbos’ Casa Grande (photo) best feature length fiction film and Rodrigo Felha’s Favela Gay, which shows the life of the LGBT community in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, as best documentary.

IMG_1805The public’s favourite short was awarded was to director Andre Amparo’s Max Uber which examines the work of the internationally acclaimed Brazilian visual artist of the same name.

In the Generation’s section the audience award went to Frans Weisz’s Finn from Holland.

The international FIPRESCI jury made up by Ernesto Diez-Martinez (Mexico), Luiz Zanin (Brazil), and Roni Filgueiras (Brazil) chose Brazilian director Gregorio Graziosi’s Obra as the Best Latin American Film at the festival.

Earlier in the event, the festival presented for the first time its new Felix awards, given to recognise the best LGBT films in the festival. Three awards were given in a ceremony at Rio’s prestigious Banco do Brasil cultural centre, CCBB, presented by among others Rio’s re-elected Federal Deputy Jean Wyllys and popular actor Mateus Solano. Reflecting the international reach of the festival, the awards recognized gay filmmaking achievements from Brazil, Australia, Greece, France and Belgium.

IMG_1751The winners were for Best Fiction Feature, Xenia, directed by Panos H. Koutras; for Best Documentary De Gravata e Unha Vermelha (Tie and Red Nail), directed by Miriam Chnaiderman; with a Special Jury Prize for 52 Tuesdays, directed by Sophie Hyde.

Clocks go forward on 19 October 2014

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IMG_3349Rio will move its clocks forward one hour at zero hour on Sunday, 19 October. The city will remain on summer time until Sunday, 22 February, the Sunday after carnival.

With summer time in parts of Brazil, the country will have three time zones. The first includes Rio and the country’s capital, Brasília, as well as all the states in the South and South East, as well as Goiás. The second, which is one hour behind, includes the states in the Northeast as well as Pará, Amapá, Tocantins, Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul. The third, two hours behind Brasília, includes Acre, Amazonas, Roraima and Rondônia.