2.5 million turn out for Guinness World Record-breaking New Year’s event on Copacabana beach

No matter where you were or what you did on New Year’s Eve, none of us were partying quite like those on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro.

The massive Copacabana Réveillon event broke a Guinness World Record and is now certified as the largest New Year’s Eve celebration on the planet. It hosted 13 stages with 1,200 drones, and 19 barges used for a 12-minute-long fireworks display. It saw an estimated 2.5 million people attend.

Alongside a roster of performers including Brazilian artists like Gilberto Gil and Rio-born pop and R&B singer Iza [as per DJ Mag], Alok also put on an hour-long set, who has shared some incredible snaps on his Instagram page, showcasing the vast scale of the event.

News outlet Agência Brasil reports that a total of 5.1 million people celebrated the arrival of 2026 when taking into account celebrations at other venues organised by the municipality. Take a look at the event’s highlights via Alok’s Instagram page below:

Alok spoke to MusicTech for a cover interview back in 2022, in which he discussed Brazil’s electronic music scene. Alok became an international artist just as the Brazilian dance scene exploded, which occurred in the wake of an economic crash.

“Historically, Brazil’s scene has always been inspired and influenced by international talent,” he said. “But after this financial crash, promoters couldn’t afford to take chances or book these kinds of artists. As we couldn’t bring them to Brazil, we ended up creating our own scene and sounds. It’s been crazy how fast it’s happened.

“It’s interesting now that when international artists come to Brazil, they need to adapt their sound to succeed in our scene,” he explained with pride. “We have a lot of artists we can be thrilled for and it’s an undeniably exciting time. The majority of music loved here is by local producers.”

Find out more about Alok and view his full list of scheduled tour dates via his official website.

Rachel is a DIY musician who began learning guitar and keyboard from her bedroom at 14. She has written news and features for MusicTech since 2022, and also has bylines across Kerrang!, Guitar.com, and The Forty-Five. Though a lover of heavy music, her guilty pleasure is 2000s pop.