New Year's Eve at Copacabana Beach

I was here for the 97-98 new year’s eve celebrations and they were amazing! I would say they would have to be one of the best in the world, certainly the best I’ve ever been to (my only other place of note for NYE is sydney though).

Everyone in Brazil wears white for new year’s eve, but the closest I had with me on the trip was an off-white coloured dress, and I stuck out even with that :S

The beach had samba bands on stages with everyone dancing (in brazil you learn to dance before you can walk, again I stuck out by being the only uncoordinated Australian there), fireworks cascading off the buildings, people throwing white lillies into the sea for the Candomble goddess Iemenja.

And apart from the lack of concern over fireworks safety, it felt safer than alot of other places I’d been to on new year’s. a real family environment, with the odd drag queen thrown in.