Rio’s opera house, the Theatro Municipal, stages Turandot in its centenary year, the Tropicália legend Gilberto Gil joins his family trio, the Gilsons, at the Vivo Rio concert hall, Mariah Carey brings her Christmas show to Barra and Maria Bethânia plays the bay at Glória. Three holidays, a Pride parade and free exhibitions at the CCBB, the Banco do Brasil arts centre: Rio in November, day by day.
The rotunda of the Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil in Centro, where the November exhibitions are free. FOTO: Bruna PradoRIO DE JANEIRO — There is a great deal to do in Rio in November, and very little of it is written down anywhere in English. This guide is the monthly selection for people who live here rather than visit: what is on, where, when, what it costs, and why it might be worth crossing the city for.
The month opens with a long weekend, because Finados falls on Monday the 2nd, and closes with two nights of Brazilian classics at the Marina da Glória. In between come Turandot at the Theatro Municipal, Gilberto Gil with the Gilsons on the 13th, Black Consciousness Day on Friday the 20th and the Pride parade in Copacabana two days later.
Many of the exhibitions in Rio in November are free.
The First Week of Rio in November: Finados and a Food Festival
Sunday 1, Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 November
Festival Gastronomia Sem Fronteiras on the Fashion Mall rooftop
Rooftop of the Fashion Mall, Estrada da Gávea 899, São Conrado · Price from the ticket page; food and drink not included
A food festival curated by chef Elia Schramm, with kitchens from several countries, a market and live music. It also runs on Saturday 31 October. Food needs no translation, which makes this one of the easiest outings in Rio in November. Tickets on Ingresse, a Brazilian ticketing site.
Until Sunday 8 November, Tuesday to Sunday, noon to 8pm
Edifício Aliança da Bahia, Rua Araújo Porto Alegre 36, Centro · R$120 (about US$22) half-price R$60 (about US$11) children under 10 free
Brazil’s best-known interior design and architecture show fills a downtown building with rooms created by local architects and designers. It is a visual show from start to finish, and its final days fall on the Finados long weekend.
Until Sunday 8 November · Thursdays and Fridays 8.30pm, weekends 7pm
“Filho da Margem”, a wordless dance piece at Sesc Copacabana
Sesc Copacabana, Rua Domingos Ferreira 160, Copacabana (Sesc is a cultural network of the retail trade) · Price from the venue
Cia Boca do Mundo’s new dance work about Logunedé, an orixá (a deity of the Afro-Brazilian religion Candomblé).
The Sitkovetsky Trio on the Finados holiday
Theatro Municipal, Praça Floriano, Cinelândia (the square in central Rio) · Price from the venue
Beethoven, Schumann and Dvořák, with a 1679 Stradivarius in the violinist’s hands. A holiday evening in the city’s grandest hall.
Circo Voador, Rua dos Arcos, Lapa · Half-price R$100 (about US$18) to R$150 (about US$28) full price R$200 (about US$37) to R$300 (about US$55) in three batches; 18 and over, or 14 with a parent
The Portuguese singer-songwriter, who represented Portugal at Eurovision in 2022, brings her “So Much Has Changed” show to Lapa’s open-sided arena. Much of her repertoire is in English, which makes this an easy night for a newcomer. Our preview.
Circo Voador, Rua dos Arcos, Lapa · Price from the venue
The Australian surf-rock band plays Lapa for the first time.
Thursday 5 November, then Wednesday to Friday until 27 November
“Embarcação Perdue”, a new play about loss and reunion
Teatro Glaucio Gil, a theatre on Praça Mário Lago in Copacabana · Price from the venue
Lucas Pimenta makes his debut as playwright and director, with a poetic and comic take on mourning and reunions. It is also the first stage play from the production company Touché Entretenimento. Performances are at 8pm.
Vivo Rio, Av. Infante Dom Henrique 85, Parque do Flamengo · Price from the venue
Two of Lisbon’s leading fado voices on one bill, as part of the touring Festival Fado. A rare chance in Rio to hear the genre live.
Theatro Municipal, Praça Floriano, Cinelândia · From R$90 (about US$17)
Ivan Lins, one of Brazil’s best-loved songwriters, revisits his best-known songs in big-band jazz arrangements with the MPBJazz Orquestra, a two-hour concert in the Theatro Municipal.
Bossa Sempre Nova: Roberto Menescal and Danilo Caymmi
Vivo Rio, Av. Infante Dom Henrique 85, Parque do Flamengo · Price from the venue
Roberto Menescal, one of the founders of bossa nova, plays “O Barquinho” and “Chega de Saudade” with Danilo Caymmi.
Lagum celebrates ten years since its debut album at Qualistage
Qualistage, Barra da Tijuca · Price from the venue
Lagum, a rock band from Minas Gerais, a state in south-east Brazil, brings its “Lagum em Todo Lugar” tour to Rio, ten years after its 2016 debut album. Qualistage is a large concert hall in Barra da Tijuca, in Rio’s west zone.
Mid-November: Turandot and Gilberto Gil
Qualistage, Via Parque Shopping, Av. Ayrton Senna 3000, Barra da Tijuca · Floor from R$282.50 (about US$52) half-price, R$565 (about US$104) full price; boxes up to R$980 (about US$181) (prices at the start of sales)
The Paramore singer brings her solo show to Barra. The date moved forward from 10 November, so check that your ticket shows the 9th.
Monday 9 and Tuesday 10 November, again Wednesday 25 and Thursday 26 November, midday
Theatro Municipal, Praça Floriano, Cinelândia · Free
The theatre’s Ópera do Meio-Dia series moves to Rigoletto, staged inside the building at lunchtime. Free opera in the middle of Centro; confirm the time on the theatre’s site on the day.
Tuesday 10 and Wednesday 11 November, 8pm
Teatro Riachuelo, Rua do Passeio 38/40, Centro · Price from the venue
The Petrobras Sinfônica orchestra plays the soundtrack of Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund’s 2002 film, shot in Rio, while the full film is screened, with the original composers on stage. The film is in Portuguese.
The Gilsons with Gilberto Gil at Vivo Rio
Vivo Rio, Av. Infante Dom Henrique 85, Parque do Flamengo · Price from the venue; last tickets
The family trio plays with Gilberto Gil himself, a night that marks Vivo Rio’s twentieth anniversary — Gil opened the venue. Probably the hardest ticket to find in Rio in November. Tickets on the Vivo Rio site.
Tom Zé at 90: an extra night at Circo Voador
Circo Voador, Rua dos Arcos, Lapa · Price from the venue
One of the founding figures of Tropicália adds a night at Circo Voador, the open-sided arena in Lapa. Inventive, funny and unlike anything else in Brazilian music.
From Friday 13 November, seven performances
Turandot in its centenary year at the Theatro Municipal
Theatro Municipal, Praça Floriano, Cinelândia · Price from the venue
Puccini’s last opera, first staged at La Scala in 1926, in André Heller-Lopes’s production, with soprano Eiko Senda among the soloists. The big opera of the season, sung in Italian. Sources differ on the last performance, so check the dates on the Theatro Municipal site.
Black Consciousness Day and Pride: 16 to 22 November
Vivo Rio, Av. Infante Dom Henrique 85, Parque do Flamengo · From R$260 (about US$48) half-price, R$520 (about US$96) full price
Argentina’s most talked-about live act brings its Free Spirits world tour to Rio on the Black Consciousness Day holiday.
Outdoor area of the Farmasi Arena, Av. Embaixador Abelardo Bueno 3401, Barra da Tijuca · Floor R$247.50 (about US$46) half-price, R$495 (about US$91) full price; premium floor R$447.50 (about US$83) / R$895 (about US$165)
Her Christmas show comes to Brazil for the first time; Rio follows two nights in São Paulo. Our report on the tour.
The Parada do Orgulho LGBTI+ returns to the beach under the motto “Reconhecemos justa toda forma de amor e de existência”. The start time had not been published at the time of writing.
Late November: Seal, Bethânia and the Gipsy Kings
Arpoarte, a new festival of folk art and craft
Píer Mauá, Centro · Price from the venue
The first edition of a festival of Brazilian popular art and handicraft on the old port pier beside the Museu do Amanhã. A good place to look for presents before the holidays.
“Beatles Abbey Road” at the Teatro Riachuelo Rio
Teatro Riachuelo Rio, Rua do Passeio 38, Centro · R$160 (about US$30) to R$280 (about US$52), depending on the section
A theatre tribute to the band that follows its career from the early hits to the late albums. It lasts about two hours and is open to all ages; the two cheapest sections, the balconies, are reached by stairs only.
Seal celebrates his first two albums, with Seu Jorge opening
Qualistage, Via Parque Shopping, Av. Ayrton Senna 3000, Barra da Tijuca · Seats from R$197.50 (about US$36) half-price, R$395 (about US$73) full price; floor R$297.50 (about US$55) / R$595 (about US$110); boxes up to R$1,295 (about US$239) (prices at the start of sales)
A tour built around his first two albums, Seal I and Seal II, with Seu Jorge, known abroad from City of God and The Life Aquatic, as the opening act. Our preview.
Circo Voador, Rua dos Arcos, Lapa · Price from the venue
The American roots-reggae band in Lapa’s open-air arena.
Saturday 28 November, 5pm, and Sunday 29 November, 3pm
Festival Clássicos do Brasil on the bay at Glória
Marina da Glória, Av. Infante Dom Henrique s/n, Glória · From R$120 (about US$22)
Saturday brings Maria Bethânia and Alceu Valença, who both turn eighty this year, with Vanessa da Mata; Sunday is samba and pagode with Alexandre Pires, Péricles and Ferrugem. It is the big Brazilian music weekend of Rio in November, and the festival continues on 5 and 6 December. Details on the Riotur page.
Fresno with an orchestra at the Fundição Progresso
Fundição Progresso, Rua dos Arcos 24, Lapa · Price from the venue
The Brazilian rock band’s first symphonic show, Sinfonia’26, with the Nova Orquestra, in the old foundry in Lapa.
Gipsy Kings by Diego Baliardo, with Sidney Magal
Qualistage, Via Parque Shopping, Av. Ayrton Senna 3000, Barra da Tijuca · From R$110 (about US$20)
“Bamboleo” and the flamenco “Hotel California”, from the line-up led by Diego Baliardo — not the one led by Nicolas Reyes — with the Brazilian showman Sidney Magal as guest. Our preview.
Exhibitions in Rio in November
Until Monday 16 November · Wednesday to Monday, 9am to 8pm
Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil, Rua Primeiro de Março 66, Centro · Free
Eighty works by twenty-one women artists from the Amazon, on the CCBB’s second floor. Collect a free ticket at the box office or online.
The Prêmio PIPA 2026 winners at the Paço Imperial
Paço Imperial, Praça XV de Novembro 48, Centro · Price from the venue
The winners of the Prêmio PIPA, Brazil’s leading prize for young contemporary artists, with a selection from the PIPA collection, in the former royal palace on Praça XV.
Until Saturday 28 November · Tuesday to Saturday, noon to 7pm
Five exhibitions at the Centro Cultural Correios
Centro Cultural Correios, Rua Visconde de Itaboraí 20, Centro · Price from the venue
Five exhibitions in the Correios (postal service) cultural centre, which sits beside the CCBB, so the two make one afternoon.
Zanele Muholi, “Beleza valente”, at the MAR
Museu de Arte do Rio, Praça Mauá, Centro · Price from the venue
More than a hundred works by the South African photographer, portraits that need no caption in any language.
Throughout November · Wednesday to Saturday 10am to 6pm, Sunday 11am to 6pm
Museu de Arte Moderna, Av. Infante Dom Henrique 85, Parque do Flamengo · Price from the venue
Carnival designers’ work shown as art, in the modernist Museu de Arte Moderna on the Aterro do Flamengo. The long-running collection show “Entre o moderno e o contemporâneo” runs alongside.
Running Through November
Teatro Multiplan, Shopping VillageMall, Av. das Américas 3900, Barra da Tijuca · From R$25 (about US$5)
The official stage show of the Australian children’s series. The safest family outing in Rio in November, with characters most children already know.
The Jazz Room: a Sinatra and Armstrong tribute
Teatro Rival Petrobras, Rua Álvaro Alvim 33, Cinelândia · From R$100 (about US$18)