Roxy, a True Embrace from Brazil in the Heart of Rio de Janeiro
Photos courtesy of the press office
Gastronomy, music, memory and technology come together in an experience that presents Brazil’s diversity with emotion, sophistication and theatrical power.
Some experiences are admired from a distance. Others draw us in completely. At the Roxy Dinner Show, the audience does not simply sit before the performance: it becomes part of it.
Located in Copacabana, the neighbourhood that perhaps best reflects Rio de Janeiro’s versatility, Roxy transforms an evening into a sensory journey through Brazil. A country told through its voices, rhythms, beliefs, landscapes and extraordinary ability to turn memory into art.
The experience begins at the table, yet there is already a sense that something is about to happen. Dinner is accompanied by the Roxy Band, performing classics of Bossa Nova and Brazilian Popular Music while guests discover the chefs’ recommendations and choose from dishes prepared with Brazilian ingredients.
Photos courtesy of the press office
The drinks menu follows the same concept, with cocktails, wines and sparkling wines, creating an evening in which gastronomy and entertainment do not compete for attention. One gently prepares the way for the other.
At the invitation of Bibi, from BTC Comunicação, and businessman Alexandre Accioly, I had the pleasure of experiencing Roxy with my family. From the moment we arrived, I noticed a level of care that went beyond the scale of the production. It was present in the welcome, the service, the music, the presentation of each dish and the unhurried way in which anticipation was gradually built.
The performance begins almost without us noticing.
Among the audience, different performers start creating sounds, initially so subtly that they seem to arise spontaneously from between the tables. Gradually, other voices join them. Performances emerge from unexpected corners, rhythms come together and, before we realise it, there is no longer a clear separation between stage and audience.
It is a breathtaking beginning.
Then one of Roxy’s most remarkable features comes into view: the monumental golden curtain, a structure weighing three tonnes. Its weight is impressive, yet as it begins to open, everything suddenly seems lighter.
The music rises, the stage is revealed and Brazil comes to life.
Photos courtesy of the press office
The curtain acts as a portal. Beyond it appear forests, beaches, historic cities, popular festivities, spirituality, Carnival and the many traditions that shape the country’s cultural identity.
The resident production, Aquele Abraço, brings together around 60 performers, including singers, musicians, actors and dancers. Over approximately an hour and a half, the show travels through the Amazon, Pará, Bahia, Pernambuco, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, weaving together samba, frevo, maracatu, forró, Bossa Nova, MPB and other expressions of Brazilian music.
The Brazil presented on stage cannot be contained within a single image. It is ancestral and contemporary, popular and sophisticated, spiritual and celebratory. It carries strength, beauty, poetry, resilience and joy.
The production is equally impressive in scale. On a stage of approximately 400 square metres, a 210-square-metre concave LED screen, immersive 180-degree projections and 4D technology continually transform the space.
Photos courtesy of the press office
The images do not remain in the background. They become part of the narrative, surrounding the performers and carrying the audience from one region to another. Within moments, we are transported across Amazonian waters, historic streets, Brazilian beaches and the electrifying energy of Carnival.
Around 350 bespoke costumes also tell their own stories. Colours, shapes, textures and movement reveal a new facet of the country in every scene. More than 50 songs run through the production, awakening memories even in those who have never visited the places portrayed.
One of the most delicate moments is De Trilhos e Poesia, a chapter dedicated to Minas Gerais. The sound of a steam train carries the audience through historic towns, references to Baroque art and the work of Aleijadinho, before arriving at the poetic music of Clube da Esquina.
When Milton Nascimento’s Maria, Maria fills the stage, the emotion reaches another level. As someone from Minas Gerais, it was impossible for me not to experience that moment even more deeply.
Photos courtesy of the press office
Behind Roxy is the vision of Alexandre Accioly, a businessman passionate about Rio de Janeiro, entrepreneurship and the city’s ability to reinvent itself.
Accioly understood that reviving a historic address could mean far more than restoring its architecture. By transforming the former Cine Roxy into a contemporary entertainment experience, he created a new showcase for Brazilian culture, capable of boosting tourism, celebrating artists and connecting with audiences from around the world.
There is boldness in the project, but also sensitivity. The technology is striking, yet it always remains at the service of emotion. The grandeur may be found in the numbers, the costumes and the structure, but the true power of the performance lies in what it awakens in those watching.
Photos courtesy of the press office
In less than two years, Roxy has already achieved international recognition. It was named by TIME magazine as one of the World’s Greatest Places 2025 and went on to receive a Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Award 2026, placing it among the attractions most highly rated by visitors from different countries.
The awards confirm its importance, but they do not fully explain the experience.
Roxy has to be felt.
Throughout the evening, I had the sensation of travelling across different parts of the country without ever leaving my seat. In every song, choreography and image, I recognised fragments of Brazil, some familiar, others surprising, all connected by the same emotion.
I felt embraced.
Photos courtesy of the press office
Embraced by the music, the stories, the diversity, the memories and by a performance that presents Brazil with pride, beauty and an ambition worthy of its cultural richness.
When the golden curtain closes, the performance comes to an end. The embrace, however, remains.
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