THEIR FAVOURITE PLACES

10 REASONS TO GO

TO RIO IN 2016

THIS MARVELLOUS CITY SHINES BRIGHTLY IN THE SPOTLIGHT THIS OLYMPIC YEAR: RIO UNVEILS SPECTACULAR NEW CHARMS AND A CULTURAL CALENDAR THAT PULSES WITH UNPARALLELED ENERGY. HERE’S A LOOK AT THE MUST-SEE EVENTS BETWEEN NOW AND DECEMBER.

By Kim Levy Photos Mickaël A. Bandassak

1ADMIRE THE OLYMPIC TITANS Some 10,500 athletes will compete in 28 disciplines across Rio, with four Olympic venues hosting sporting events to be broadcast worldwide. The Barra da Tijuca district will be home to contests in swimming, tennis and golf; Copacabana beach is the site for beach volleyball, rowing, canoeing; in western Rio, Deodoro will host the basketball and equestrian competitions; and the Maracanã stadium will welcome football as bowstrings are drawn in the Sambodromo. > Summer Olympics, 5-21 August. Paralympic Games, 7-18 September. www.rio2016.com

4DANCE WITH BRASS Jazz Me Up! is a series of electro-jazz concerts that have gained popularity since the event was created two years ago. In a mix of standards and electronic or hip-hop beats, the music shows up in a new place every time and is always a pleasant surprise. Though such events happen often in London and New York, they take on a samba-rich flavour in the carioca city! > Watch for the schedule on www.facebook.com/ jazzmeupfesta

2WRITE ON THE WALLS This year, French, Americans, Italians and Spaniards will join forces in the biggest gathering of street artists, “Meeting of Favelas”, in the northern outskirts of Rio. A superb chance to see the work of new graffiti talent. > “Meeting of Favelas,” Sunday, 27 November, in Vila Operária, Nova Iguaçu. www.meetingoffavela. com.br

3AMBLE AMID ART Every year, for a single weekend, the streets of the Santa Teresa neighbourhood are transformed into a gigantic gallery. The many painters, sculptors and photographers working in the district open their studios and workshops to the public to share the environment in which their creations take shape. An opportunity to discover the most creative corners of Rio during an artistic open house. > “Arte de Portas Abertas”, a weekend in summer, in Santa Teresa. www.chavemestra. com.br

5CONTEMPLATE CULTURE After São Paulo, Belo Horizonte and Brasília, the Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil (CCBB) in Rio de Janeiro will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the De Stijl artistic movement and its eminent eponymous journal. The display features nearly 70 works – paintings, models, furniture –, half of which are from Piet Mondrian, the most renowned representative of this trailblazing style that heavily influenced early 20th-century art. > “Mondrian and the De Stijl Movement” exhibition, 12 October 2016 through 9 January 2017, at the Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil. www.culturabancodo brasil.com.br

6SWIM WITH THE SHARKS After the Rio Art Museum (MAR), which opened in 2013, and the Museum of Tomorrow unveiled in 2015, this is the last piece of the new cultural trio built in conjunction with the Olympic Games. The Rio Aquarium celebrates the theory of evolution and the reintroduction of marine species in fascinating displays and activities. The most intense: visitors can dive into the “ocean tank,” a huge aquarium populated by swimming sharks and rays. > Aquário Marinho do Rio de Janeiro. Opening in 2016. www.aquariomarinho dorio.com.br

7GO TO THE FAIR As a public portion of the São Paulo Biennial, ArtRio draws the who’s-who of Rio to the neighbourhood of Gamboa. In the enormous red-brick warehouse on the Píer Mauá, the modern and contemporary art fair unfolds in an immense exhibition where shoppers, onlookers and famous faces mingle to feast on artistic fare. > ArtRio international art fair, 28 September through 2 October, at Píer Mauá. www.artrio.art.br

8TAKE IT TO THE STREETS Each year, in a different favela, the spotlight is on Franco-Brazilian cultural exchanges in film screenings, concerts, workshops, exhibitions and more. Created in 2014 by producer Freddy Vitorino and musician Mathias Cassel to bring culture to children in challenged neighbourhoods, the 2016 event will host a number of Festival do Rio celebrities, all with support from the Olympic Committee. > Festival Planeta Ginga, at the Complexos da Penha e do Alemão favelas, 3 and 4 December. www.livinastro5000.com

9POSE ON THE RED CARPET Though “telenovelas” have seen overwhelming success, Cariocas are avid moviegoers as well. Each year, the Rio International Film Festival honours the best local productions and screens some 250 international films in various venues around the city. Illustrious red-carpet guests help make it the largest film festival in Latin America. > Festival do Rio, 6-16 October, throughout the city. Awards ceremony at Armazém da Utopia (Gamboa). www.festivaldorio.com.br

10 MIX AND MATCH GENRES Arte Inn evening events are marked by light shows and colourful attire, when the creatures of the night mingle with artistic sorts. With sound and light from DJs, bands, visual artists and even poets in residence, the events take place on Friday nights in different sites throughout the city. > Arte Inn evenings, Friday nights in Rio de Janeiro. More information on https://www.facebook. com/arteinnrio/