Thousands of fans fill Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro for Shakira's free show scheduled at 21h45 this Saturday (2). Up to 2 million attendees are expected, with a massive stage setup and special guests like Ivete Sangalo. Fans face long lines at security checkpoints and buy items like sandbags from vendors.
Copacabana beach is packed hours before Shakira's megashow as part of the Todo Mundo no Rio event. Drone images show crowds on the sands, with fans camping since midday using blankets and umbrellas to secure spots near the stage. Rio's city hall expects 2 million people, akin to Lady Gaga's 2025 show (2.1 million per city hall, but 660,000 per BBC) and Madonna's in 2024.
Beach access requires passing 18 police checkpoints with metal detectors to block glass bottles and sharp objects. Lines are long near the stage, such as on Duvivier street, despite city hall urging use of Siqueira Campos metro station. Municipal Guard and Military Police agents monitor with 318 cameras, including watchtowers.
Vendors sell sandbags for R$100 and benches for R$50 as makeshift 'camarotes,' though city hall seized irregular items like enclosures and gas canisters. Ivete Sangalo confirmed her participation, telling F5: 'I can't lie, right?'. Brazilian stylist Dario Mittmann designed Shakira's look for the Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran tour. Other notes include a humpback whale sighting near Posto 6 and fans in green-and-yellow shirts for an apolitical 'wave'.
