Réveillonin Fortaleza
Every New Year’s Eve, Fortaleza throws a huge free party at the Aterro da Praia de Iracema, where the Beira Mar seafront begins. Big Brazilian names on stage, the sea right next to you and a city that celebrates until sunrise.
Not announced yet (checked 8 Oct 2026). We add the artists, days and times here as soon as the city publishes them.
What the night is like
Réveillon is what Brazilians call New Year’s Eve, and in Fortaleza it means one thing: the city’s free party at the Aterro da Praia de Iracema. A big stage goes up on the sand, the Beira Mar fills with people in white, and the shows start in the late afternoon and run past sunrise.
The pattern is the same most years. Local artists open while it is still light. The big national names play through the evening. Just before midnight one of them leads the countdown, the fireworks go up over the sea, and then the music simply carries on. At the last edition the first act started at 5 p.m. and the fireworks lasted ten minutes.
The crowd is the real show. The city counted about 1.5 million people at the last edition, and a million or more at every edition since the party came back in 2022. Families, groups of friends, visitors from all over Brazil: everybody is there for the same few minutes at midnight.
The last edition at a glance
- Name: "Ligada nos 300", the start of the celebrations for Fortaleza’s 300 years
- Free, with no paid area in front of the stage
- 30 December: shows on three stages, at the Aterro da Praia de Iracema, in Messejana and in Conjunto Ceará
- 31 December: everything at the Aterro da Praia de Iracema
- The city expected more than 1.5 million people on 31 December
On stage at the Aterro on 31 December
Ten years of Réveillon in Fortaleza
Who played, how many people came and how long the fireworks lasted, edition by edition. The crowd figures are the city’s own estimates, as reported at the time. We list the names the sources mention; the full bills were longer.
| Turn of the year | People | Fireworks | On stage (a selection) | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/26 | 1.5 million | 10 min | Seu Jorge, Claudia Leitte, Os Paralamas do Sucesso, Wesley Safadão, Matuê, Taty Girl, Marcos Lessa, Transacionais | Called "Ligada nos 300", the start of the celebrations for Fortaleza’s 300 years. Two days, three stages on 30 December (Aterro, Messejana, Conjunto Ceará), everything at the Aterro on the 31st. Seu Jorge led the countdown. |
| 2024/25 | 1 million | – | Pedro Sampaio, Vanessa da Mata, Os Paralamas do Sucesso, Matuê, Joelma | One night only. The city had planned three days and cut it back for lack of sponsors. Pedro Sampaio led the countdown; the fireworks were short and silent. |
| 2023/24 | 1.2 million | – | Roberto Carlos, Wesley Safadão, Alok, Titãs, Ney Matogrosso, Marina Sena, João Gomes, Taty Girl | Three days, 29 to 31 December. Roberto Carlos opened, with more than half a million people at his show according to the city. Wesley Safadão led the countdown, Alok flew 200 drones. The city called it the biggest New Year party in its history. |
| 2022/23 | 1 million+ | – | Alok, Nando Reis, Luan Santana, Mari Fernandez, Waldonys, Camila Marieta | The return after two years without a party, and the first edition with two days. At midnight DJ Alok led a light show; the fireworks were shorter than before. |
| 2021/22 | No party | Cancelled again because of the pandemic. The mayor announced it on 27 November 2021. | ||
| 2020/21 | No party | No party because of the pandemic. The Aterro was closed off on 31 December to keep crowds away. | ||
| 2019/20 | 1 million+ | – | Alok, Jorge Ben Jor, Fagner, Nando Reis, Simone e Simaria, Matheus e Kauan, Falcão, Mastruz com Leite, Calcinha Preta, Limão com Mel | Eighteen acts on the main stage, plus a new second stage for local bands on the Aterrinho next door. The local paper O Povo reported more than one million people. |
| 2018/19 | – | 17 min | Claudia Leitte, Marília Mendonça, Alcione, Xand Avião, Léo Santana, Jorge Vercillo, Tom Drummond | The city expected more than 1.2 million people at midnight. We found no count from after the party. |
| 2017/18 | 1.3 million | 18 min | Luan Santana, Wesley Safadão, Xand Avião, Simone e Simaria, Alok, Gustavo Serpa | Fifteen acts. Crowd figure and fireworks as reported by the local society site Portal IN. |
| 2016/17 | 1 million | 17 min | Jorge e Mateus, Simone e Simaria, Claudia Leitte, Luis Marcelo e Gabriel | Thirteen acts. The countdown was led by the comedian Falcão; Claudia Leitte played after the fireworks. |
What we could not find: the year the first party was held at the Aterro. A city document from 2018 already calls it an event "traditionally held" there, and that is as far back as our sources go.
What changed in ten years
In the three editions up to 2018/19 the fireworks were reported at 17 or 18 minutes. Since the party returned they have been shorter and low-noise: a 2021 city law restricts loud fireworks. In 2023/24 drones joined in.
Up to 2019/20 the party was one night. In 2022/23 it grew to two days, in 2023/24 to three, then back to one, and at the last edition two days with extra stages in other neighbourhoods.
Forró and sertanejo next to samba, MPB, rock, axé and electronic music. Artists from Ceará itself, such as Wesley Safadão, Fagner and Waldonys, keep coming back.
Why is everybody in white?
Look at the crowd from the Beira Mar and you see one colour. Wearing white on New Year’s Eve is a Brazilian custom, and it comes from the Afro-Brazilian religions Umbanda and Candomblé.
In those religions white is the colour of the clothes worn for offerings. For followers of Umbanda it is one of the colours of Iemanjá, the orixá (deity) of the sea, who also stands for a new beginning. For followers of Candomblé it honours Oxalá, linked to life, peace and transformation. That is how Brazil’s public news agency, Agência Brasil, explains it.
The link between Iemanjá and New Year’s Eve grew from the 1950s, through a federation of Umbanda groups that was founded to resist religious intolerance. According to the newspaper Correio Braziliense, wearing white became common for everybody in the 1970s, after people saw the offerings on Copacabana beach in Rio and liked what they saw.
Today most people in white are not making a religious statement. They wear it for peace and a fresh start. You do not have to join in, but you will stand out less if you do. If you see flowers or small offerings at the water’s edge, leave them where they are: for the people who placed them, they are sacred.
The sea: beautiful to look at, better to stay out of
Our advice is simple: enjoy the sea from the sand that night. Do not go in.
Nobody can see you in the water at night, and in a crowd of this size nobody will notice that you are gone.
The city’s lifeguards at Praia de Iracema were on duty from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. when the newspaper Diário do Nordeste reported on them in January 2024. The party peaks seven hours after that. Check this year’s safety plan when the city publishes it.
The fire brigade of Ceará is blunt about it: do not go into the water after drinking alcohol.
The same fire brigade warns of rip currents on this coast, which pull you away from the beach even when the water looks calm. If one catches you: stay calm, signal to the shore and swim sideways, never against it.
What about jumping seven waves? It is a real New Year tradition, from the same Afro-Brazilian roots as the white clothes: seven waves, to open the way for the year ahead. Plenty of people do it. If you want to take part, do it at the very edge, ankle-deep, sober and with someone next to you. Or make your wish with dry feet. In an emergency the fire brigade’s number is 193, free, day and night.
Where is it?
At the Aterro da Praia de Iracema: the big open area by the sea where the Beira Mar seafront starts, between Praia de Iracema and Meireles. Many hotels are within walking distance.
Tips for the night
New Year is high season in Fortaleza. Hotels near the Beira Mar fill up first.
Many Brazilians wear white on New Year’s Eve for a peaceful new year.
The best spots near the stage and the sea go first.
Expect closed streets and busy traffic around the seafront. Check the city’s transport plan for this year.
Light clothes, water, and keep your phone and money close in the crowd.
Sleep close to the party
Hotels on the Beira Mar and in Praia de Iracema, with live prices.
Questions about Réveillon in Fortaleza
Is Réveillon in Fortaleza free?
Yes. The city’s party at the Aterro da Praia de Iracema is free; at the last edition there was no paid area in front of the stage.
When is it?
On the night of 31 December. At the last edition there were also shows on 30 December. The days for 2026/2027 have not been announced yet.
Where is it?
At the Aterro da Praia de Iracema, where the Beira Mar seafront begins.
Who performs this year?
Not announced yet (checked 8 Oct 2026). At the last edition, on 31 December: Seu Jorge, Claudia Leitte, Wesley Safadão, Marcos Lessa, Os Paralamas do Sucesso, Transacionais, Nayra Costa, Matuê, Taty Girl.
Why do people wear white at Réveillon?
The custom comes from the Afro-Brazilian religions Umbanda and Candomblé, where white is worn for offerings to Iemanjá, the orixá of the sea, and honours Oxalá. Today most Brazilians wear white on New Year’s Eve for peace and a fresh start, whatever their religion.
Can I swim in the sea during the party?
We advise against it. It is dark, the beach is very crowded, lifeguards work by day, and the fire brigade warns against going into the water after drinking alcohol. Enjoy the sea from the sand.
How many people go to Réveillon in Fortaleza?
The city counted about 1.5 million people at the last edition (2025/26), 1 million the year before and 1.2 million in 2023/24. These are the city’s own estimates.
Was the party ever cancelled?
Yes. There was no party at the turn of 2020/21 and 2021/22 because of the pandemic. It returned on 31 December 2022.
How long are the fireworks?
Ten minutes at the last edition. Up to 2018/19 the reports say 17 or 18 minutes; since 2022 the fireworks are shorter and low-noise.
- Prefeitura de Fortaleza, 1 Jan 2026: 1.5 million people welcome 2026 at Praia de Iracema
- Diário do Nordeste, 31 Dec 2024: Réveillon de Fortaleza 2025, coverage of the night
- Prefeitura de Fortaleza, 1 Jan 2024: 1.2 million people at the Aterro celebrate the arrival of 2024
- Prefeitura de Fortaleza, 31 Dec 2022: Réveillon returns with over one million people at the Aterro
- O Povo, 27 Nov 2021: the city will not hold the Réveillon party at Praia de Iracema
- Diário do Nordeste, Dec 2020: the Aterro is closed off on 31 December to avoid crowds
- O Povo, 27 Dec 2019: the order of the acts at Réveillon 2020
- Prefeitura de Fortaleza: press kit, operational plan for Réveillon 2019
- Portal IN, Jan 2018: coverage of Réveillon de Fortaleza 2018
- Diário do Nordeste, 2 Jan 2017: crowd greets 2017 at the Aterro da Praia de Iracema
- Diário do Nordeste, 22 Nov 2022: Réveillon 2023 will have two days for the first time
- Agência Brasil (Rádio Nacional), 29 Dec 2023: New Year traditions in Brazil come from Umbanda and Candomblé
- Correio Braziliense, Dec 2024: the origin of Brazil’s New Year rituals
- Diário do Nordeste, 7 Jan 2024: drownings in Ceará and the fire brigade’s tips for safe bathing
Read on 10 October 2026.