How to Party In Rio… The Right Way

1. How to Party In Rio… The Right Way By Salim Bakhit

2. A little Food For Thought Drinking Age and Carioca Lifestyle How I Know • The legal drinking age in Brazil is 18, though fake IDs are a regular occurrence for people as young as 15 wishing to party like their older siblings. • Marijuana is decriminalized, but it is not good quality and overpriced. • The swim wear of choice for men is 50% Sungas (Speedos) and 50% Surfista (Board Shorts). For women, it is usually bikinis, even if they scar your eyes because of age or weight. • People from Rio are called Cariocas; which means (in a way) Chilled out Person. • Cariocas don’t care for punctuality and live their lives in a fluid motion because time is not as important as good company. • I lived in Rio for a little over 2 years for Junior and Senior year of HS. • I lived among the crème de la crème of Rio’s elite class and went to school with their kids. • I also chilled with many Favelados (people from the slums) that took me to baile’s (parties) in the Favelas. • I experienced the do’s and don’ts of Rio’s nightlife and day life. • I had also been going there to visit my dad since I was 11 years old 2-3 times a year. • My Brazilian friends called me “O Cara quaseCarioca” The guy that is almost a Carioca.

3. Just so that you know… • The partying lifestyle in Rio is not one that is only designated for evenings. • Beach parties, Kioskes (kiosks are mini-bars/beach huts that have alcohol, food, and normal beverages), and the occasional beach kegger will occur in the spring and summer months. • There are many different areas that one can party in within the city of Rio, but be careful because there are many dangerous ones as well. • Be sure not to take the people that seem friendly on the street for genuine because there is a is a possibility that they will try to rob you when your guard is down.

4. ZonaSul • Copacabana (or Copa for short) is one of the most famous areas of Rio. Though it is also one of the most dangerous for tourists. • To party here, be sure not to wander behind the first couple of streets after the beach. • Bar daCopa is a perfect bar/club for those that wish to party with the top 1% of Rio. • If you want a more alternative scene, then Fosfobox is a great place where beer chugging contests and hipsters thrive. • If you want to meet a special lady, for all of you desperados, then Dolce Vita is ripe with women that adore foreign men. • Ipanema and Leblon are the more lavish areas that share a beach than begins after Apoador and Copa. • These two areas hold the more up-scale clubs and bars that the Rio elite have come to love and thrive in. • Another area that is affiliated with these is called Lagoa which is the lagoon behind the beach streets a few blocks back. • These three areas are for the avid club scene person and for those who like nice restaurants and chilled out bars. • The expected dress code in these areas include, but are not limited to: collared shirts, nice jeans, and fresh sneakers (or a nice T-Shirt) for guys, while girls can wear anything in the realm of the “Dress to Impress” Category.

5. Barra, Sao Conrado, and Gavea • Barra, Sao Conrado, and Gavea are the next destinations for someone visiting in Rio. • Barra is about 30 minutes away from ZonaSul and has a night-life that is more similar to that of the South Beach area in Miami. • Sao Conrado has a more upper crust crowd than Barra, but a majority of them will go to Barra to party and enjoy its night-life. • Gavea is the area between ZonaSul and SC/Barra. • It holds more of a college bar scene and a few clubs/lounges that attracts the crème de la crème crowd that ZonaSul has. • Barra has a line of clubs and restaurants that have massive crowds flocking from every area of Rio (crowds that can afford it). While Gavea is geared, more, towards people from ages 18-25. • The average dress code in Barra is a nice shirt, nice jeans, and sneakers for guys, and girls have the same as they would in the ZonaSul area.

6. Lapa, Rocinha, and Castelo das Pedras • Lapa, Rocinha, and Castelo das Pedras are areas in Rio for people that prefer to get a little more crazy. • Lapa is an area of Rio that is filled with bars, restaurants, street vendors, and clubs. It is like Carnaval every weekend in this area. • Rocinha is the largest Favela in South America and holds some the best and most dangerous parties. • Castelo das Pedras is a Baile Funk club in the Favela named, Castelo. • Lapa is an area where you can go to a restaurant during the day and have the cheapest fun at night. It is considered one of the best places to party on weekends in Rio if you don’t mind the danger that lurks behind every corner there. • Rocinha is a favela that is full of genuine people and drug dealers, the baile funk parties there are both dangerous and exhillerating. • Castelo das Pedras is for those who would rather go somehwere that has cheap drinks, culture, and a ton of random violence.

7. Experiences in ZonaSul Copa New Years at our Apt. in Leme 2010.  Senior Skip day night at a club in Lagoa with my Graduating class. Itahy in Leblon with some random American guys from New Jersey A weekend out with some people I graduated with at the best club in ZonaSul: Baronetti. 

8. The Do’s and Don’ts and Dress Code Re-Cap • What you don’t want to do in the street is key to surviving at night, without being mugged, flat out robbed, or injured in any way. And who you are with is also key. • Don’t skip in the street, look like an idiot, pull out anything expensive, shout in anything other than Portuguese, and don’t talk about where you are from. • Make sure to walk in groups and always have a few guys or 1-2 bigger guys in the group at all times. This will usually keep muggers away. • What to wear in each area is important because your entry and safety will partially rely on these factors. • ZonaSul: Nice shirts/collared shirts, nice jeans, and nice sneakers for guys. Girls just need to dress to impress or they won’t gain entry. • Barra/Gavea/SC: Same as ZonaSul for both guys and girls in Barra and Gavea Clubs/lounges. Gavea bars, just wear what you would wear to a neighborhood bar or restaurant in your hometown. • Lapa/Rocinha/Castelo: Look as grimy as possible and don’t wear anything that you worry about getting dirty.

9. Barra and Lapa A Club in Barra with some friends Top Left: Lapa with some friends. Bottom Left: Lapa with brother and friend. Top Right: Posing in the middle of the street vendor tents with brother and friends.

10. So now we’re done • Now you know…. where to go in Rio. • …How to avoid being injured or robbed. • …what the dress code is like. • …what types of people go to which areas. • …how to walk in the streets. • …and what to wear.