Four destinations to celebrate the the holiday season in Brazil

There is a growing trend worldwide, each day more people choose to spend the end of the year parties outside their city and experience how they live in destinations elsewhere. The EMBRATUR shares with us four unmissable options to visit Brazil.

Gramado, the longest Christmas in the world
 For more than three decades this city located in the state of Rio Grande do Sul and considered a "little Switzerland" for its microclimate, celebrates an extensive calendar of Christmas holidays. From October 25 until January 13, 2019, the international festival "Christmas Light" takes place, with more than 500 attractions.
 Gramado, a small wine-growing city, thus becomes a theme park, with all its streets decorated with hundreds of thousands of lights, garlands and Christmas trees. Concerts, parades, thematic recitals and open-air theater plays are part of the show whose goal is to return visitors to believe in the magic of Christmas. Snowland, the continent's first indoor snow park, is one of the most visited attractions next to the Chocolate Museum, the Minimundo and the Clock Church.
The nearest international airport is Porto Alegre (125 km), which receives direct flights from Buenos Aires, Miami, Lima, Lisbon, Montevideo and Panama City.
 
Curitiba, a different Christmas
The inhabitants of the state capital of Paraná have named Curitiba as "the capital of Christmas" in Brazil. With strong influences from Italian, German, Polish and Ukrainian immigration, the city is a wooded metropolis one of whose main attractions is the German Forest, together with the Arame Opera, located on the edge of a lake.
 The Christmas celebrations begin in November. Throughout the city you can visit more than 30 giant trees, each decorated in a different style. In addition, the facades of the Castelo do Batel, the Avenida Palace and the Light Gallery are a visual spectacle at night, due to the thousands of lights that decorate them.
Events are scheduled throughout the city, and include parades, the arrival of Santa Claus and fireworks parties. From the Proclamation of Christmas to the recital of corals in the Avenida Palace, through exhibitions of cribs, concerts and gastronomic festivals and Christmas fairs.
There are direct flights from Buenos Aires, Asunción and Montevideo that arrive at the Afonso Pena International Airport, which serves the city of Curitiba.
 
Reveillon in Rio de Janeiro
The neighborhood of Copa, as the Cariocas affectionately call it, is one of the most iconic of Rio de Janeiro. In addition to hosting one of the beaches with the best infrastructure, Copacabana hosts the world's largest open-air party, where more than two million people gather dressed in white to enjoy Reveillon. At midnight, the new year is received with an exuberant fireworks display, where several tons of fireworks are burned, followed by free musical shows, until dawn.
For bigger budgets, the New Year celebrations can also be admired from the Sugar Loaf, which is reached by means of the first cable car built in Brazil, dating from 1912. The panoramic view, from its 396 meters high, reaches the beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema, besides the hills of Pedra da Gávea, Corcovado and Dedo de Deus.
There are direct flights from Buenos Aires and other Argentine cities. The New Year's party is an adventure for those who are not staying in Copacabana, because the area is closed to traffic and transportation is scarce. Line 1 of the Subway brings interested parties to the Cardeal Arco Verde, Siqueira Campos or Cantagalo stations to get to Copacabana. To reach the Sugar Loaf, line 1 or 2 and to the Botafogo Station; then the integration collective (513 - Botafogo Urca) in the direction of Urca.
 

End of the year in Jericoacoara
The Beach of Jeri, in front of the Jicoca village of Jericoacoara (state of Ceará), is known for being one of the most favorable for the practice of Stand Up Paddle (SUP), kitesurfing and sailing of the Brazilian coast. Surrounded by small lagoons and dunes that change color during the day, this jewel of northeastern Brazil, located 300 km from Fortaleza, celebrates the end of the year with musical shows and many fireworks.
This year end in Jeri, one of the most beautiful beaches on the planet, the reveillon will be completely musical. Since December 27, thousands of tourists travel from various parts of the country to celebrate, for seven days, the John John Rocks festival. This year includes in its programming famous artists and DJs, among whom are Anitta, Dennis, Ivete Sangalo and Vintage Culture.
More information:
There are flights from Buenos Aires to Fortaleza. Once there, you can get to Jericoacoara in an air connection, micro or rental car.