Music and Dance

Some of the best bars and pubs in Rio are in the Ipanema and Leblon areas. There you’ll find all types of establishments, from elegant lounge-style bars to Irish pubs to Brazilian choperias to underground spin clubs. One of the clusters is on Rua Dias Ferreira at the far end of Leblon. Another is the vicinity of Praça Nossa Sra. da Paz. The city’s most active area for music and dance is in Lapa, where the scene is a bit more eclectic and wild. The action spills out of the establishments and into the streets. Just go out to the Arcos da Lapa and start walking around. Get there around 11 p.m. and keep your eyes open and your wallet in a safe place (better yet, don’t bring your wallet). The same is true if you visit the Santa Teresa area, which has plenty of bars and live music around the Largo de Guimarães and the Largo das Neves.

Downtown
You can catch some jazz and bossa nova over the weekend at Bar do Oriente (Rua Visconde de Itaboraí 8, Centro). Check it out around 8 p.m. Also, the happy hour at Cinelândia usually continues well into the evening, so check out that area. An interesting club in the downtown area is inside the Cine Iris (Rua da Carioca 49, tel. 21/2266-1014), which is an adult theater, but they host a radical party once a month. Call for information.

Lapa, Botafogo, and Flamengo
A favorite place for music and crowd-diving is the Rio Scenarium (Rua do Lavradio 20, tel. 21/3852-5516) in Lapa, where you’ll find interesting interior decoration, live music, dancing, and plenty of sofas and places to relax and watch the crowd or the films that are constantly showing. They have three floors with all types of music, from Brazilian pop to samba and rock, and they are very GLBT-friendly. Call for the schedule of events. The bar Mangue Seco (Rua do Lavardio) is right in the heart of the action under the Arcos and has live music, seafood, and tables outside. During the week, they have live samba. Likewise, the Emporium 100 and Carioca da Gema, both on Rua Mem de Sá in Lapa, offer a taste of samba. The Asa Branca bar has Brazilian pop music (MPB) and dancing right under the arches. For a helping of Brazilian roots music, try Bar do Ernesto in Lapa for some music known as chorinho. At the end of the night, there’s Nova Capela (Mem de Sá 96), where artists go to pass the final hours of the night with more drinks and conversation.

The Circo Voador (Arcos da Lapa, tel. 21/2533-5873), or Flying Circus, has rock and funk concerts with some national names appearing from time to time. You should call ahead for tickets and to see who is playing.

With a few different environments, the Cada da Matriz (Rua Henrique de Novaes 107, tel. 21/2266-1014, Botafogo) keeps its music in the rock/pop flavors—both Brazilian and international. They have several DJs spinning their tunes and are generally open only on weekends.

Copacabana
For a rock/underground scene, there’s the Fosfobox (Rua Siqueira Campos 143); drum-n-bass and electronica night happens at Sybno Music Club (Av. Francisco Otaviano 20). There’s also the famous Help dance club, which is as much a meat market as a dance club. Sex for sale is usually what’s spinning there. It can be an interesting look into the modern Copacabana night scene, but if you venture in for a look, keep an eye on your pockets and don’t accept a drink from anyone’s cup or leave yours on the table unwatched. If someone tosses some boa noite Cinderella into your drink, you’ll wake up the next day with no money and no good memories of the previous night.

Ipanema and Leblon
Melt (Rua Rita Ludolf 47) has two levels and two different vibes. Music varies from electronic to samba-beat. You can also try the Caroline Café (Rua J.J. Seabra 10, Jardim Botânico, www.carolinecafe.com) for a similar experience (run by the same group). The crowd at these two is generally the well-dressed Rio youth.