Virada Salvador Festival Runs 30 December to 3 January

BRAZIL · NEW YEAR’S EVE

The Virada Salvador festival, a free New Year’s party on Brazil’s Bahia coast, runs from Wednesday 30 December 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027. For US travelers, it is a chance to count down to 2027 on a beach with one of Brazil’s biggest pop stars.

Ivete Sangalo and Bell Marques play on Thursday 31 December, and the full lineup is still to come. A paid lounge is on sale from R$170 (about US$34) a day, but the shows themselves cost nothing.

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What the Virada Salvador Festival Is and Why It Matters

The Virada Salvador is the year-end music festival of Salvador, the capital of the state of Bahia. The city government organizes it, and entry to the festival grounds is free.

Mayor Bruno Reis announced the first names on Monday 21 September 2026, Alô Alô Bahia reported. Ivete Sangalo and Bell Marques are set for Thursday 31 December, and Ivete will lead the midnight countdown.

The mayor calls Ivete the muse of the Virada and says she has missed the countdown in only one year. In that year an international commitment kept her away, he told TV Aratu, Alô Alô Bahia reported.

Bell Marques also played last year’s festival, on Tuesday 30 December 2025, according to the lineup the city published. The 2027 lineup beyond the two headliners has not been released.

Last year’s edition ran from 27 to 31 December 2025 with five acts a night on two stages, Bahia Notícias reported. A Tarde reported on 1 January 2026 that more than 800,000 people had passed through the arena.

This year the Virada Salvador runs later, and the city has a reason. Saltur, the tourism agency, wants visitors to stay longer after New Year’s Eve, Boca do Rio Magazine reported on 27 September.

Other cities are also naming their acts. Itatiaia reported on 15 October that Rio’s Copacabana artists were still unannounced, while Salvador, Florianópolis and Niterói had already named theirs.

Salvador has more on the calendar, starting with Ivete Sangalo’s own show on Saturday 14 November. The Festival de Verão Salvador follows on 23 and 24 January, and Carnival 2027 runs from Thursday 4 to Tuesday 9 February.

Dates, Lineup and Format

The Virada Salvador now spans five days: Wednesday 30 December, Thursday 31 December, Friday 1 January, Saturday 2 January and Sunday 3 January. Recent editions ended on 31 December, so the shows now run until Sunday 3 January.

Only Thursday 31 December has named acts so far, Ivete Sangalo and Bell Marques. Ivete leads the countdown to midnight, as she has in most years.

Last year’s Virada Salvador is the best guide to the format. The city promised 100 hours of music on two stages, with five acts each night, Bahia Notícias reported in September 2025.

The city also promised a Ferris wheel, a games arena and a food village in 2025. Nothing has been announced yet on whether the 2027 edition repeats them.

Boca do Rio Magazine said on 27 September that the full program would follow, with one line pointing to October. As of Tuesday 20 October, no full schedule is on the official Virada Salvador site.

Lounge Tickets and Prices in US$

The festival is free, but the Lounge Virada Salvador is a separate, private area with paid tickets. General sale opened on Thursday 15 October through Meu Bilhete, a Brazilian ticket seller, according to Correio.

Each day has three ticket types: full price, half price and a solidarity ticket that needs a 2-kilogram food donation. The seller’s page marks every price as a first-lot price, so later lots may cost more.

The priciest night is Thursday 31 December, when a full-price ticket costs R$1,840 (about US$364). Half price is R$920 (about US$182), and the solidarity ticket is R$970 (about US$192).

The Thursday 31 December tickets carry an 18-and-over label on the seller’s page. Aratu On reported that the lounge offers an open bar that night with water, beer, soft drinks, vodka, gin, 12-year-old whisky and sparkling wine.

Wednesday 30 December and Saturday 2 January each cost R$420 (about US$83) at full price. Half price is R$210 (about US$42), and the solidarity ticket is R$230 (about US$46).

Friday 1 January costs R$360 (about US$71) at full price, R$180 (about US$36) at half price and R$200 (about US$40) as a solidarity ticket. Sunday 3 January is the cheapest, at R$340 (about US$67), R$170 (about US$34) and R$190 (about US$38).

A passport for all five days costs R$3,143.40 (about US$622) at full price. The half-price passport is R$1,571.70 (about US$311), and the solidarity passport is R$1,692.60 (about US$335).

The seller adds a service fee of 12 percent, which is R$220.80 (about US$44) on a full-price ticket for 31 December. Check the final total at checkout before you pay.

Dollar figures in this guide use 5.05 reais to the US dollar, the market rate on Tuesday 20 October 2026. Your card issuer will apply its own rate and may add a foreign transaction fee.

You do not need a lounge ticket to see the Virada Salvador shows, because the festival itself is free and open to the public. Buy lounge tickets only through the seller the organizers name, since tickets from strangers on social media may be fake.

The Venue and How to Get There

The Virada Salvador takes place at Arena O Canto da Cidade, on the Orla da Boca do Rio seafront. The same grounds were known until recently as Arena Daniela Mercury, Bahia Notícias noted in 2025.

The 2027 transport plan has not been published, so last year’s plan is the best guide. The city ran three special lines to the festival from 5:40 p.m. to midnight, from Terminal Acesso Norte, Estação Pirajá and Pituaçu metro station.

Regular lines also ran later, including line 1001 between the airport and Praça da Sé. Some regular bus routes were detoured along the Orla Atlântica and the Boca do Rio access roads.

Festival-only bus stops sat near the main entrance and near Restaurante Yemanjá, Bahia Notícias reported on 28 December 2025. Taxis and motorcycle taxis waited near Imeja, toward Itapuã.

Ride-hailing apps used a pickup zone on Avenida Octávio Mangabeira, near the Convention Center, in both directions. Agree on a pickup point with your group before the show starts, because crowds are huge at the end of the night.

On New Year’s Eve last year, one line from the Base Naval and São Thomé to Lapa ran until 5:59 a.m. on 1 January. Extra buses also served the Mussurunga and Pirajá metro stations.

Book your Virada Salvador stay early, since hotels around New Year are in high demand. Our Salvador city guide lists neighborhoods and living costs, and the Brazil events calendar covers other year-end parties.

Tips for US and Foreign Visitors

US citizens need a visa to visit Brazil for any purpose, the State Department says, and an e-visa is accepted as an alternative. Apply well before you fly, and see our guide to the Brazil e-visa for the steps.

Your US passport must be valid on your date of entry and have at least one blank page for the entry stamp. Proof of yellow fever vaccination is not required to enter Brazil, but the State Department recommends the vaccine.

The State Department rates Brazil at Level 2, exercise increased caution, because of crime. It reports drink-spiking and robbery of foreigners, and it advises against walking on beaches after dark.

Its general advice also includes avoiding public buses at night. Plan your ride home with a ride-hailing app or a registered taxi before you go in.

The US Consular Agency in Salvador falls under the consulate in Rio de Janeiro, and after-hours emergency calls go to Rio. Save the number before you travel.

Salvador is on UTC-3 all year, because Brazil has no daylight saving time. Midnight at the festival is therefore 10 p.m. on 31 December in New York.

Security was tight last year, with about 4,500 police and firefighters deployed. Cameras used facial recognition, and police monitored the entry gates, Bahia Notícias reported.

Expect similar monitoring at the Virada Salvador gates this time, but no 2027 security plan has been published. Carry a copy of your passport, keep your phone in a front pocket and leave valuables at the hotel.

What Is Not Confirmed Yet

On Tuesday 20 October, only two Virada Salvador acts are named, Ivete Sangalo and Bell Marques on Thursday 31 December. The acts for 30 December and for 1, 2 and 3 January, and all stage times, are not yet published.

The city’s official festival site still shows last year’s dates, 27 to 31 December, on Tuesday 20 October. Treat the news reports of 30 December to 3 January as current until the site is updated.

Boca do Rio Magazine reported on 7 October that the producer would detail food and drinks later. Only the 31 December open bar has been described, and the lounge’s place inside the arena has not been given.

No 2027 bus plan, street closures or fireworks details for the Virada Salvador have been published. The number of stages and extras such as the Ferris wheel are also unannounced.

More: Latin America news in English, every day from The Rio Times.

Frequently Asked Questions

When and where is the Virada Salvador festival?

It runs from Wednesday 30 December 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027 at Arena O Canto da Cidade in Boca do Rio, Salvador. Ivete Sangalo and Bell Marques play on Thursday 31 December.

Is the Virada Salvador festival free?

Yes, the festival is free and open to the public. A separate private lounge costs from R$170 (about US$34) to R$1,840 (about US$364) a day.

Do US citizens need a visa for Brazil?

Yes, a visa is required for US citizens for any purpose, and an e-visa is accepted. Your passport must be valid on arrival and have one blank page.

Sources: Correio, Camarote da Virada Salvador 2027 abre vendas de ingressos; veja valores, 15 October 2026; Aratu On, Festival Virada Salvador 2027: camarote abre vendas com ingressos de até 3 mil reais, 15 October 2026; Boca do Rio Magazine, Festival Virada Salvador altera calendário de shows e terá programação até 3 de janeiro, 27 September 2026; Boca do Rio Magazine, Virada Salvador 2027: Lounge começa vendas de ingressos para cinco dias de festa, 7 October 2026; Alô Alô Bahia, Ivete Sangalo e Bell Marques são confirmados no Réveillon de Salvador, 21 September 2026; Itatiaia, Réveillon 2027: veja destinos e shows já confirmados no Brasil, 15 October 2026; Prefeitura de Salvador, Virada Salvador (official festival site), 20 October 2026; Bahia Notícias, Festival Virada Salvador 2026 programação (previous edition), 18 September 2025; Bahia Notícias, operação especial de transporte (previous edition), 28 December 2025; Bahia Notícias, SSP emprega 4.500 policiais e bombeiros (previous edition), 27 December 2025; A Tarde, Bruno Reis diz que Festival da Virada 2026 foi um verdadeiro sucesso, 1 January 2026; US State Department, Brazil country information, 20 October 2026.

This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief