RIO DE JANEIRO — Colombian music icon Shakira is set to take the stage at Rio de Janeiro’s world-famous Copacabana Beach Saturday evening for a massive free concert that city officials predict will attract roughly 2 million spectators to the legendary shoreline.
The spectacular beach performance continues a tradition established by Madonna in 2024 and Lady Gaga the year before, both of whom drew enormous crowds that celebrated across the expansive sandy coastline. Saturday’s show represents part of Shakira’s global “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran” (“Women No Longer Cry”) tour, which takes its name from her 2024 album release.
Speaking with Brazil’s TV Globo network, the Latin music sensation revealed her anticipation that the Copacabana performance will mark the largest concert of her entire career.
“For me it’s a dream. I always dreamed of singing on this beach, because I think it’s a magical place,” she shared during the interview conducted in Portuguese, noting that she mastered Portuguese even before learning English.
Shakira first found success in Brazil during the 1990s, building a strong fanbase through her magnetic stage presence and deep connection with Brazilian audiences, explains Felipe Maia, an ethnomusicologist currently working toward his doctorate in popular music and digital technologies at Paris Nanterre University.
According to Maia, her enduring popularity in Brazil stems largely from “the fact that she comes from Colombia, a country whose culture has many similarities with Brazil.” He describes Saturday’s performance as something that “crowns the relationship she has had with Brazil for a very long time.”
Early Saturday morning, eager fans began gathering on the beach to secure prime viewing positions for the evening show. Local vendors set up shop selling refreshments and meals, along with practical items like toilet paper, deodorant, and even bags of sand for concert-goers hoping to gain height for better stage visibility near the Copacabana Palace.
The entertainment schedule begins with DJ performances during the late afternoon hours. Shakira’s main performance is slated to begin at 9:45 p.m. local time and should run approximately two hours. Following her set, another DJ will continue the music — a strategic addition designed to keep audiences engaged while facilitating an organized departure, according to Rio city officials.
These complimentary beach concerts represent a strategic initiative by Rio’s municipal government aimed at stimulating economic activity during the period between Carnival and New Year’s celebrations and the upcoming month-long Saint John’s Day festivities scheduled for June.
“For us, parties are serious business. Because parties generate jobs, income, development, and identity for the city,” declared Rio Mayor Eduardo Cavaliere during Wednesday’s presentation of the city’s operational strategy for the event. “Our investment in this show will give us a financial return 40 times greater,” the mayor stated.
Economic projections suggest Shakira’s concert could generate approximately 777 million reais (roughly $155 million) in revenue, based on research conducted by Rio’s City Hall in partnership with Riotur, the city’s tourism agency. This financial boost comes from increased tourist spending at local restaurants, hotels, and retail establishments.
Tourism data shows increased visitor numbers to Rio during May in years featuring these major concerts — 2024 and 2025 — compared to 2023 figures. The 2024 data revealed a 34.2% increase on May 1, just before the concerts, versus the previous year. In 2025, the growth reached 90.5% compared to 2023 levels.
In preparation for Shakira’s appearance, Airbnb announced in an April 22 statement that booking data showed rising numbers of guests planning to travel from various Brazilian regions, other Latin American countries, and even European cities including Paris and London.
