Copacabana Beach partygoers excited for 2022

Thousands gathered on one of Rio's most famous beaches to celebrate the start of 2022, enjoying a massive 15-minute firework display. Locals, national and international tourists flocked to Copacabana Beach despite the ongoing pandemic and rapid spread of the omicron variant of the coronavirus.

Rio's New Year's Eve party was cancelled at the beginning of December for health and sanitary reasons linked to COVID-19, but city authorities later decided to maintain the fireworks display, without live shows and restricting public transportation and traffic into the area. The yearly celebrations on Copacabana beach have in the past gathered more than one million locals and tourists.