No more samba on the strand? Rio de Janeiro goals to curb unauthorised vendors and noise on beaches

By ELÉONORE HUGHES with AP

Published on
27/05/2025 – 13:13 GMT+2

ADVERTISEMENT

If you’ve gotten been to Rio de Janeiro’ beaches, this probably sounds familiar: samba music drifting from a close-by kiosk, caipirinha cocktails sold by hawkers, chairs sprawled across the sand.

Now which will grow to be harder to search out, unless the vendors have the appropriate permits.

Mayor Eduardo Paes issued a decree in mid-May establishing recent rules for the town’s waterfront saying he desires to preserve urban order, public safety and the environment, in addition to promote peaceful relations between tourists and residents.

The brand new measures are resulting from come into force on 1 June, and so they outlaw foods and drinks sales, chair rentals, loudspeakers and even live music in kiosks without official permits.

Beach huts will only be allowed to have a number slightly than the often-creative names many are currently known by.

Vendors say crackdown ‘silences the soul’ of Rio’s beach culture

Some have welcomed the move to tackle what they perceive as chaotic activity on the beach, but others say the decree threatens Rio’s dynamic beach culture and the livelihoods of many musicians and native vendors who may find it difficult or unattainable to get permits.

The move to manage music on Rio’s beachfronts has struck a selected nerve.

“It’s difficult to assume Rio de Janeiro without bossa nova, without samba on the beach,” said Julio Trindade, who works as a DJ within the kiosks. “While the world sings the Girl from Ipanema, we won’t have the opportunity to play it on the beach.”

The restrictions on music amounts to “silencing the soul of the waterfront. It compromises the spirit of a democratic, musical, vibrant, and authentic Rio,” Orla Rio, a concessionaire who manages greater than 300 kiosks, said in an announcement.

Can the brand new rules be stopped or modified?

Some are searching for ways to stop the implementation of the decree or a minimum of modify it to permit live music and not using a permit. But thus far to little avail.

The nonprofit Brazilian Institute of Citizenship, which defends social and consumer rights, filed a lawsuit last week requesting the suspension of the articles restricting live music, claiming that the measure compromises the free exercise of economic activity.

A judge ruled that the group is just not a legitimate party to present a criticism, and the nonprofit is appealing the choice.

Last week, Rio’s municipal assembly discussed a bill that goals to manage using the coastline, including beaches and boardwalks. It backs some facets of the decree reminiscent of restricting amplified music on the sand but not the requirement that kiosks have permits for live musicians.

The proposal still must formally be voted on, and it isn’t clear if that can occur before 1 June.

If approved, the bill will take precedence over the decree.

Economic activity on Rio’s beaches, excluding kiosks, bars and restaurants, generates an estimated 4 billion reais (around €621 million) annually, in line with a 2022 report by Rio’s City Hall.

Tens of millions of foreigners and locals hit Rio’s beaches every 12 months and lots of take pleasure in sweet corn, grilled cheese or perhaps a bikini or electronic devices sold by vendors on the sprawling sands.

Local councilwoman Dani Balbi lashed out against the bill on social media.

“What’s the purpose of holding big events with international artists and neglecting the individuals who create culture on daily basis in the town?” she said last week on Instagram, in reference to the large concert events by Lady Gaga earlier this month and Madonna last 12 months.

“Forcing stallholders to remove the name of their businesses and replace it with numbers compromises the brand identity and the loyalty of consumers, who use that location as a reference,” Balbi added.

Anger, fear and sadness from vendors

News of the decree searching for to crack down on unregistered hawkers provoked ripples of anger and fear amongst peddlers.

“It’s tragic,” said Juan Marcos, a 24-year-old who sells prawns on sticks on Copacabana beach and lives in a close-by favela, or low-income urban community. “We rush around madly, all to bring somewhat income into the home. What are we going to do now?”

City Hall doesn’t give enough permits to hawkers on the beach, said Maria de Lourdes do Carmo, 50, who heads the United Street Vendors’ Movement — known by its acronym MUCA.

“We’d like authorisations, but they’re not given,” said Lourdes do Carmo, who’s often known as Maria of the Street Vendors. The town government didn’t reply to a request for the variety of authorisations given last 12 months.

Following the outcry, the town government emphasised that some rules were already in place in a 21 May statement. The town hall added that it’s talking to all affected parties to know their demands and is considering adjustments.

Maria Lucia Silva, a 65-year-old resident of Copacabana who was walking back from the seafront with a pink beach chair under her arm, said she had been expecting City Hall to act.

“Copacabana is a neighbourhood for elderly people (… ). No person pays a really high property tax or absurd rents to have such an enormous mess,” Silva said, slamming the noise and pollution on the beach.

For Rebecca Thompson, 53, who hails from Wales and was visiting Rio again after a five-week trip last 12 months, the frenzy is an element of the charm.

“There’s vibrancy, there’s energy. For me, there’s all the time been a robust sense of community and acceptance. I feel it might be very sad if that were to go,” she said.