# Rio October Events Guide > Rio's October 2026: Festival do Rio, bossa nova, and Tom Zé's 90th birthday. - Title: Rio October Events Guide · The Rio Times | Shortify - Summary: Rio's October 2026: Festival do Rio, bossa nova, and Tom Zé's 90th birthday. Rio de Janeiro hosts its 28th Festival do Rio from October 1-11, five weeks of… - Keywords: rio de janeiro, festival do rio, bossa nova, tom ze, circo voador, nossa senhora aparecida, childrens day, leblon, qualistage, cor purpura, jazz room, ccbb - Source: The Rio Times — https://riotimesonline.com/what-to-do-in-rio-in-october-2026 - Author: Lachlan Williams - Published: 2026-10-04T11:09:20+00:00 - Read time: 3 min - Topics: rio de janeiro, festival do rio, bossa nova, tom ze, circo voador, nossa senhora aparecida, childrens day, leblon, qualistage, cor purpura, jazz room, ccbb ## October 1-11: Festival do Rio The city’s 28th Festival do Rio runs from October 1 to 11, with Brazilian and international films, retrospectives, and free outdoor screenings across cinemas from Copacabana to Niterói. > The city’s own festival is the one that matters most to people who live here: eleven days of Brazilian and international premieres, retrospectives and free outdoor screenings, with the industry market RioMarket running 1 to 10 October alongside it. ## Leblon Bossa Nova Sessions Teatro Café Pequeno in Leblon hosts eighteen bossa nova concerts over five weeks from October 2 to 8 November, featuring artists like Maurício Einhorn and Victor Biglione. > Eighteen concerts over five weekends in the neighbourhood where the genre was born. ## Tom Zé at Circo Voador Tom Zé plays the Circo Voador on October 9, two days before his ninetieth birthday, with tickets priced from R$80, 100. > The great eccentric of the tropicália generation plays the Lapa tent on 9 October and turns ninety on the 11th. ## AC/DC Tribute at Qualistage AC/DC UK plays a tribute band at Qualistage on October 10, with tickets priced from the venue. > A tribute band that plays the classics of AC/DC, one of the biggest rock bands in the world. ## Jorge Vercillo at Qualistage Jorge Vercillo performs at Qualistage on October 10, revisiting different moments of his career. > The singer-songwriter brings a tour that revisits different moments of his career, which makes it a fair introduction to his catalogue. ## Elymar Santos Anniversary Elymar Santos celebrates forty years of career at Qualistage on October 11 with the show 'Estrela Luminosa'. > The singer celebrates forty years of career with the show 'Estrela Luminosa', a Sunday-night anniversary concert. ## Children’s Day on October 12 Monday 12 October is a national holiday, Nossa Senhora Aparecida, celebrated as Children’s Day, with many venues and museums adjusting hours. > Monday 12 October is a national holiday, Nossa Senhora Aparecida, celebrated as Children’s Day, so plan around closed shops and full cinemas. ## A Cor Púrpura Musical A Cor Púrpura returns for a short run at Teatro Multiplan in Barra from October 14 to 25, with English-speaking audiences able to follow the story. > Fourteen performances only of the Brazilian production of the Alice Walker musical, with Suzana Santana again as Celie and Tadeu Aguiar directing. ## Ira! 20th Anniversary Ira! marks twenty years of Acústico MTV at the Circo Voador on October 16, with close to a million copies sold. > São Paulo’s long-running rock band marks twenty years of its acoustic live record, close to a million copies sold, under the Arcos da Lapa. ## Victor & Leo Tour Victor & Leo perform their 'Essência' tour at Qualistage on October 16, playing songs that marked the genre and several generations of Brazilians. > The sertanejo brothers play songs that marked the genre and several generations of Brazilians, in a tour called 'Essência'. ## Ana Carolina 25th Anniversary Ana Carolina marks twenty-five years of career with the '25 Anas' tour at Qualistage on October 17. > The singer-songwriter marks twenty-five years of career with the tour '25 Anas'. ## Vanessa da Mata at Vivo Rio Vanessa da Mata performs at Vivo Rio on October 18, one of Brazil’s defining pop voices of the last two decades. > One of the defining voices of Brazilian pop of the last two decades, in the big auditorium inside the Flamengo park. ## John Pizzarelli at Vivo Rio John Pizzarelli plays at Vivo Rio on October 23, with a songbook between Nat King Cole and bossa nova. > The American jazz guitarist and singer, a regular visitor to Brazil, with the songbook between Nat King Cole and bossa nova. ## Black Pantera Tour Black Pantera opens their Brazil tour at the Circo Voador on October 24, with hard, political rock from Minas Gerais. > The trio from Uberaba, Rock Artist of the Year 2025, starts its Continental tour in Rio. Hard, political rock from the interior of Minas Gerais. ## Oswaldo Montenegro at Qualistage Oswaldo Montenegro performs at Qualistage on October 24, with a melodic catalogue that half of Brazil grew up on. > The songwriter and filmmaker with the melodic catalogue that half of Brazil grew up on. ## Free CCBB Events Vik Muniz’s exhibition ends at CCBB on October 12, and Soy Loco por Ti runs free until October 19. > Vik Muniz, last days at Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil, ending on the holiday Monday. ## Amazônicas Exhibition Amazônicas, Poéticas Femininas runs free until November 16, featuring women artists from North Brazil with Afro-indigenous ancestry. > Women artists from the North of Brazil, curated by Sissa Aneleh, with Afro-indigenous ancestry at the centre and virtual- and augmented-reality elements. ## Café, Almoço, Jantar Café, Almoço, Jantar runs at Casa de Cultura Laura Alvim from October 10 to 25, following one family through 1987, 1994 and 2018. > A comedy of manners that follows one family through 1987, 1994 and 2018, three breakfast, lunch and dinner scenes in a boarding house. ## Bukowski Rock-Blues Rock-blues at Bar Bukowski runs every Saturday from midnight to 5am, with R$39.90 at the door and free entry for guests on the list after 1am. > The Saturday-night residency continues through October: the Charles Zanol Trio from midnight, with Pedro Leão on guitar and Dawton Mendes on drums and cajón. ## Jazz Room Tribute The Jazz Room runs a Sinatra and Armstrong tribute at Teatro Rival Petrobras from October 10 to 31, priced from R$100. > The Rival’s long-running tribute evening, the American songbook with a live band in the Art Deco theatre off Cinelândia. ## Key takeaway Rio de Janeiro hosts its 28th Festival do Rio from October 1-11, five weeks of bossa nova in Leblon, and Tom Zé performs at Circo Voador two days before his 90th birthday.