December is when Rio switches into summer. The days get long and hot, the sea warms up, the Christmas tree lights up on the Lagoa, and the whole month builds up to the biggest party of the year on Copacabana beach. If you're coming to Rio de Janeiro in December, here's what the weather is really like, what's on, and the best things to do while you're here.
Is December a Good Time to Visit Rio?
Yes, especially if you love the beach. It's the start of summer, the sea is warm, it stays light until well after 6pm and the whole city is in a holiday mood. The trade-offs are the heat, some afternoon rain and, at the end of the month, big crowds and high prices.
The first half of December is the sweet spot. You get summer weather before the Brazilian school holidays and the Christmas trips kick in, and before hotel prices climb for New Year's Eve. From around the 20th, the city fills up fast.
The Weather in December
Hot and humid. Daytime highs usually sit around 29–31°C (84–88°F), nights stay warm at around 23°C (73°F), and a summer heat wave can push it well past that. Summer officially starts with the solstice on 21 December.
December is also one of the rainier months, but the rain usually comes as a short, heavy storm in the late afternoon. It clears in an hour or two, cools the city down, and the evening is lovely again. Plan your beach time and the big sights for the morning.
The days are long: the sun rises around 5am and sets between about 6:20 and 6:40pm. The sea is around 24°C (75°F), perfect for long swims.
Tip: The summer sun burns fast, even on cloudy days. Wear SPF 50, reapply after every swim and drink more water than you think you need. Coconut water from the beach kiosks counts.
What's On in December
- Christmas lights: the giant Christmas tree on the Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas usually lights up in early December and stays until Three Kings' Day on 6 January.
- National Samba Day (2 December): the big celebration is the Trem do Samba, a samba train from Central do Brasil station to Oswaldo Cruz, in the north zone, followed by a street party with live samba. It's usually on or around the 2nd, so check the date closer to the time.
- Samba school rehearsals: the samba schools are getting ready for Carnival, and many open their weekend rehearsals to visitors. It's the best way to feel Carnival months before Carnival.
- Make your own bikini: a workshop in Botafogo, on your own or with your friends, on any open date. More on that below.
- Christmas (24 and 25 December): the big family dinner is on the night of the 24th. The 25th is a public holiday, many shops and restaurants close, and half the city goes to the beach.
- New Year's Eve (31 December): Réveillon, the free party on Copacabana beach, with millions of people dressed in white, stages along the sand and fireworks over the sea at midnight. Read our first-timer's guide to Réveillon before you go.
Things to Do in Rio in December
Make your own bikini in Botafogo
Book a bikini workshop in Botafogo on a date that suits you, on your own or with up to three friends: two hours, a table full of fabrics, straps, beads and charms, and a view of Cristo. You choose everything that makes your bikini yours, we guide you through every step, and you leave with a one-of-a-kind piece in time for Christmas, New Year's Eve and every beach day after. No sewing experience needed.
Pick any open date, from 11:00 to 13:00. Want to meet other girls? Join our next group workshop, with 12 spots, a little brunch buffet and a photographer. Pick your date →
Spend long mornings on the beach
December beach days are some of the best of the year. Go early, before 10am, when the sand is quieter and the sun is kinder, then hide in the shade at lunchtime. Ipanema and Leblon are the classics, Copacabana is the liveliest, and our guide to the best beaches in Rio has the quieter ones too.
Watch the sunset at Arpoador
Late sunsets make December perfect for this. Around 6:30pm, the rocks at Arpoador fill up with locals and travelers, and when the sun goes down, everyone claps. For more spots, read our guide to the best places to watch the sunset in Rio.
See the Christmas tree on the Lagoa
Walk or cycle around the Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas at dusk, when the tree lights up and families come out to take photos. It's an easy evening plan after a beach day, with lakeside kiosks for a drink along the way.
Feel Carnival early at a samba school rehearsal
Many of Rio's samba schools open their rehearsals to visitors in the months before Carnival. Entry is usually cheap, the drums are loud, and nobody minds if you can't samba yet. Check each school's Instagram for dates.
Shop for Christmas at the SAARA
The SAARA, the huge street market in Centro, is hectic and brilliant before Christmas, full of decorations, fabrics, costumes and things you didn't know you needed. Go on a weekday morning and hold on to your bag.
Take a day trip before the crowds
Early December is a good time to escape the city for a day, before the Christmas crowds arrive. Arraial do Cabo has turquoise water and white sand, and Petrópolis, up in the mountains, is a few degrees cooler.
Have a plan for rainy afternoons
When a storm rolls in, head inside. The Museu do Amanhã and the MAR art museum sit side by side on Praça Mauá, Confeitaria Colombo in Centro is perfect for a coffee and a pastry, and Botafogo has some of the city's best cinemas.
How Busy Does It Get?
It depends on the week. The first two weeks of December feel like normal summer: warm, busy at weekends, but easy. From mid-December, Brazilian families start their summer holidays and visitors arrive for Christmas and New Year's, and by the last week of the month Rio is as full as it gets.
- Book New Year's early. Many beachfront hotels only sell multi-night packages for Réveillon, and prices climb steeply.
- Do the big sights on weekdays. Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf have shorter queues Monday to Thursday, especially first thing.
- Reserve dinner for the 24th and the 31st. Many restaurants serve set menus those nights, and some close on the 25th and the 1st.
- Book workshops and tours before you fly. Small-group experiences sell out in December.
What to Pack for Rio in December
Two or three bikinis (so one is always dry), a canga, a hat, sunglasses, SPF 50, light linen and cotton clothes, comfortable sandals and a small umbrella for the afternoon storms. For New Year's Eve, pack something white. Our full Rio packing list covers the rest. And leave a little space in your suitcase: you can make your next bikini at the workshop.
December in Rio is hot, festive and full of life. Get up early, swim a lot, hide from the midday sun and save some energy for the 31st. And save a morning to make a bikini with us. Pick your date.
— Mel
