Rio is and always has been a highly cultured city. The high density and rich ethnic mix of the population has given shape to all forms of artistic expression, which is evident in the music, dance and lifestyle of the Cariocas - especially during Carnival. There are many cultural centers, art galleries and performance venues in Rio, hosting an ever-changing series of events. The
Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil, Rua Primeiro de Março 66, Centro (tel: (21) 3808 2020; website:
www.cultura-e.com.br), is one of the
city’s prime venues for music, plays, exhibitions and films.
The
Rio Show magazine in the Friday edition of the
O Globo newspaper has weekly cultural listings. Tickets are available for purchase at the venue box offices and, for some events, through
Ticketmaster (tel: (11) 6846 6000
or 0300 789 6846 (Brazil only); website:
www.ticketmaster.com.br).
Music: The
Brazilian Symphony Orchestra (tel: (21) 2142 5800; website:
www.osb.com.br) is based in Rio, performing at various venues in the city. The
Theatro Municipal, Praça Floriano, Centro (tel: (21) 2262 3935
or 2544 2900; website:
www.theatromunicipal.rj.gov.br), which has its own resident orchestra, is the main venue for classical concerts and operas.
Theater: Rio has over 60 theaters, cultural centers, museums and cafés designated as spaces for the performing arts. Venues include the 200-seater
Museu Nacional de Belas Artes, Avenida Rio Branco 199, Centro (tel: (21) 2240 0068; website:
www.mnba.gov.br), which stages classic performances, the
Maison de France, Avenida Carlos 58, Centro (tel: (21) 2262 7527
or 2215 1708; website:
www.teatromaisondefrance.com.br), offering contemporary shows, and the
Theatro Municipal (see
Music above), staging both contemporary and classic fare. Theater is generally staged in Portuguese, with very little in English.
Dance: Rio’s ballet company,
Ballet do Theatro Municipal, is based at the
Theatro Municipal (see
Music above). Samba is prevalent in the city. An elaborate Carnival-style samba show is performed daily from 2200 at
Plataforma 1, Rua Adalberto Ferreira 32, Leblon (tel: (21) 2274 4022; website:
www.plataforma1.com.br).
Film: Cariocas are ardent cinemagoers, whether they are watching Brazilian or foreign films. American and European films are released quickly and are screened in the original language with Portuguese subtitles. Mainstream cinemas are situated throughout the city, including
Cinemark (website:
www.cinemark.com.br), which has branches at Carioca Shopping (tel: (21) 3688 2340), Botafogo (tel: (21) 2237 9484) and Barra da Tijuca (tel: (21) 2494 5004). The arthouse cinema chain
Estação (tel: (21) 2537 1112; website:
www.estacaovirtual.com) shows an up-to-date selection of international films and has branches all over the city, including the Botafogo, Centro and Leme districts. Cinema tickets cost around R$15.
The most famous film set in Rio is probably the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers classic,
Flying Down to Rio (1933), which was filmed in the Copacabana Palace Hotel. More recently,
Bossa Nova (1999), with Antonio Fagundes, was set in Rio. Carlos Diegues’
Orfeu (1999) and the 1959 Marcel Camus classic and award-winning
Black Orpheus are both celluloid renderings of Vinicius De Moraes’ play, which retells the Greek myth of Orpheus, set in the delirium of Rio’s Carnival. More recently, a number of movies have explored the gritty reality of Rio’s poorer districts, including the internationally acclaimed 2002 film
Cidade de Deus (City of God). Rio born director Walter Salles, who shot to fame with his beautiful film
Central do Brasil (Brazil Central - 1998), had a worldwide hit in 2004 with
The Motorcycle Diaries, recreating Che Guevara’s South American journey.
Cultural Events: The biggest cultural event in Rio is undoubtedly
Carnival, which takes place annually in late February or early March, over the days running up to and including Shrove Tuesday. People from all over the world are attracted, in hundreds of thousands, to Rio’s annual orgy of grandiose fun and frivolity. Balls and street parties are held throughout the city during this frenetic period. Masquerade balls became popular with Rio’s elite in the mid-19th century and the poorer sections of society, not to feel excluded, popularized street celebrations with bands and parades. The main event now takes place in the purpose-built Sambódromo, where samba schools compete with music, costume, story, song, rhythm and dance in front of judges and up to 90,000 spectators. Tickets are available from
Riotur (tel: (21) 2217 7575; website:
www.riodejaneiro-turismo.com.br), local travel agencies and banks. Advance booking is highly advisable. New Year is also a big deal in Rio - the city is lit up by fireworks and thousands of people dress up in white and make offerings to Iemanjá (the African Goddess of the Waters) at Copacabana and other beaches.
Literary Notes: Brazilian literature remains largely untranslated into English. Two notable novelists who have enjoyed worldwide success are Jorge Amado and Rio born Paulo Coelho. Coelho’s
The Alchemist (1988) is considered a modern classic. Works set in Rio include
Blues For A Lost Childhood (1989) by Antonio Torres, which depicts the life of a journalist who makes it to the big city but discovers life there to be more akin to a living hell than heaven. Other Brazilian writers include Carlos Drummond, Luis Fernando, Verissimo and Ziraldo.
Sport:Sporting stars from the continent will descend on Rio in 2007, when the city hosts the 15th Pan American Games. There is a lot of development work going on to accommodate this regional version of the Olympic Games. But football remains Brazil’s main sport and is a national obsession – even more so nowadays, following the national team’s fifth World Cup win in 2002. Introduced by Scottish railway engineers in the 1890s, the sport soared in popularity and today, for youngsters living in the
favelas, football could prove to be their passport to better lives. Pelé (arguably the greatest player of all time), Rivaldo and Ronaldo are just some of the local heroes.
In Rio, the most important teams are
Flamengo (website:
www.flamengo.com.br),
Vasco (website:
www.crvascodagama.com),
Fluminense (website:
www.canalfluminense.com.br) and
Botafogo (website:
www.botafogo.com). These four teams feature prominently in the national league and cup tournament. The teams and the Brazilian national side play their matches at
Maracanã Stadium, Rua Prof. Eurico Rabelo, Maracanã (tel: (21) 2568 9962; website:
www.suderj.rj.gov.br). These are raucous and entertaining affairs. Enthusiastic crowds, drums, flags and endless ticker tape accompany the skill and excitement of the footballers on the pitch.
Tickets cost around R$10 for stand seats, with the price rising for Championship and International fixtures. These are available at the gates on match days.
Confederação Brasileira de Futebol (CBF), Condomínio Rio Office Park, Rua Victor Civita 66, Barra da Tijuca (tel: (21) 3535 9610/81; website:
www.cbfnews.bol.com.br), can provide information on Rio’s match schedules.
With its vast beaches, Rio is ideal for beach and watersports and the citizens fully exploit the natural resources. Football, beach volley and foot volley are constantly taking place and there is a plethora of tournaments and championships. Hiking, fishing, diving, boating, rowing, body boarding, surfing and windsurfing are also popular and there is ample opportunity to cycle, rollerblade and jog.
Fitness Centers: Fitness is an obsession in Rio. As well as exercise stations on the beaches and around the Lagoa, there are indoor gyms on almost every street, many of which are open to non-members. Of the exclusive clubs,
Estaçaó do Corpo Health Club & Spa, Avenida Borges de Medeiros 1426, Lagoa (tel: (21) 2219 3134), is one of the best. Access to its gym, dance studio, spinning center, running track, soccer pitch, swimming pool and sauna are available at daily or weekly rates.
Golf: Players can test their handicap at four local clubs. The first,
Gávea Golf Club, Estrada da Gávea 800, São Conrado (tel: (21) 3322 4141), offers a field of 18 holes for R$250 basic green fees. Non-members can play at the invitation of a member. The second,
Itanhangá Golf Club, Estrada da Barra 2005, Barra da Tijuca (tel: (21) 2494 2507; website:
www.itanhanga.com.br), is a 27-hole course that is only open to members; non-members can play at the invitation of a member. The third, the
Golden Green Golf Club, Avenida Canal de Marapendi 2901, Barra da Tijuca (tel: (21) 2434 0696), is a golf clinic with a three-par, six-hole course open to outside players for R$300 basic fees.
Golf in Rio, Avenida Benvindo de Novaes 1001, Recreio dos Bandeirantes, (tel: (21) 3411 9004; website:
www.golfinrio.com.br) is a golf school open to the public with a large course (R$50), a driving range (R$12 for 40 balls) and putting greens (R$10).
Hang-gliding and Paragliding: A tandem flight from one of Rio’s steep mountains is an increasingly popular activity with tourists. There are many pilots and companies offering this, including
Fly With Me (tel: (21) 2522 5586
or 9687 0664 (mobile); website:
www.guia4ventos.com.br),
Hang Gliding Tour (tel: (21) 2422 6531
or 9343 3380 (mobile); website:
www.hanglidingtour.com.br) and
Superfly (tel: (21) 3322 2286
or 9887 6084 (mobile); website:
www.riosuperfly.com.br). Prices start from around R$200.
Tennis: Public tennis courts are situated around the Lagoa.
Rio Sport Center has two locations with tennis courts, at Avenida Ayrton Senna 2541, Barra da Tijuca (tel: (21) 3325 6644; website:
www.riosportcenter.com.br), and Rua Visconde de Pirajá 161, Ipanema (tel: (21) 2267 4192).
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