Roxy Dinner Show dress code and tips

What to wear

There's no strict dress code. The Roxy recommends smart casual or elegant clothes that you're comfortable in, and suggests dressing up a little more if you've booked the Rio de Janeiro dinner package. Think of it as dinner at a good restaurant rather than a night at a beach bar, even though the beach is close. Bare feet aren't allowed. Comfortable shoes help, because the foyer has a grand staircase and you may sit for several hours.

• Smart casual or elegant, and comfortable
• A little dressier for the Rio de Janeiro package
• Shoes on: bare feet aren't allowed
• A light jacket or sweater for the air conditioning

Bring a layer: the air conditioning

The Roxy keeps its hall at 20 to 22°C and recommends a light jacket. That sounds mild, but after a hot, humid Rio day it can feel cool, especially if you're sitting still through dinner and the show. Rio's summers are hot, and heavy rain is common between December and March, so a light layer that also handles a shower is a sensible choice. Leave it on the back of your chair until you need it.

When to arrive

The Roxy runs one fixed evening schedule. Doors open at 18:30, dinner starts at 19:00, Banda Roxy plays the opening act at 19:30 and the main show starts at 21:00. The Roxy recommends arriving when doors open, so you can eat at your own pace and see the room before the lights change. If you have the GetYourGuide show ticket, your booking shows your arrival time; go to the Roxy's ticket office, where staff check you in.

• 18:30: doors open
• 19:00: dinner starts
• 19:30: opening act
• 21:00: Aquele Abraço
• Show-only ticket: be seated before the main show

Getting there and back

The Roxy is at Rua Bolívar 45, in Copacabana, in Rio's South Zone. The venue recommends coming by taxi or ride-hail, and that's the easiest way back too, because the night ends late. If you drive, valet parking is available at the same address, and there's street parking nearby. By metro, the Roxy names Siqueira Campos and Cardeal Arcoverde as the stations for Copacabana. Give your driver the street address, Rua Bolívar 45, as well as the name.

• Address: Rua Bolívar 45, Copacabana
• Taxi or ride-hail: the venue's own advice
• Valet parking at the entrance
• Metro: Siqueira Campos or Cardeal Arcoverde

What you see and hear

Aquele Abraço was created and directed by Abel Gomes, who was part of the production team behind the opening and closing ceremonies of the Rio 2016 Olympics. The show travels through Brazil's five geographic regions in music and dance. Its soundtrack mixes bossa nova, forró, samba and funk, and the Roxy describes it as moving from the sertão, the dry northeastern backlands, to funk, from MPB, Brazilian popular music, to percussion. The Amazon has its own place on stage.

• Five regions: North, Northeast, Central-West, Southeast and South
• Music from bossa nova and samba to forró and funk
• The Amazon, with its own place on stage
• Plenty of live percussion

Read next: 'Aquele Abraço': the Brazil the Roxy's show is about

Where the name comes from

Aquele Abraço means that hug, or that embrace. It's the title of a 1969 samba by Gilberto Gil, which came to him on Ash Wednesday that year, his last day in Rio, shortly after his release from detention in a military prison. Its lyrics salute Rio's neighbourhoods, samba schools and popular figures. The song became a hit, and decades later Marisa Monte and Seu Jorge sang it at the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics, in the handover to Rio. Knowing that history makes the show's title make sense: it's a warm salute to the whole country.

The building: Cine Roxy, 1938

The Roxy opened as a cinema on 3 September 1938, and Rio's city government recognised it as a landmark of the city's film culture. In the early 1990s it was split into three smaller screens, and it closed as a cinema in 2021. It has since been restored and reopened as the Roxy Dinner Show. Look for the dome, the golden stage curtain and the ceiling, which the Roxy itself points out as worth arriving early for, and the foyer staircase with its spiral Art Deco handrails.

Read next: From Cine Roxy to dinner show: the 1938 cinema on Copacabana

Language, length and access

The show is told through music and dance, and the Roxy's team supports guests in English and Spanish. The GetYourGuide show ticket lasts about 1.5 hours. A dinner package fills the whole evening, from doors at 18:30 until late. The venue is listed as wheelchair accessible; tell the Roxy about any access needs when you book, so staff can plan your arrival and seating. The same goes for dietary needs: vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and lactose-free diets and allergies can be catered for with notice.

Children

Children of all ages are welcome, but minors must come with a parent or guardian. A kids' rate applies from 4 to 11 on the Roxy's own site, a photo ID is needed to check a child's age, and dinner packages have a kids' menu. Think about the hour, though: the main show starts at 21:00, which is late for small children. The show is also big and full of percussion.

Photos and phones

You can take photos and short videos on your phone for personal, non-commercial use, as long as you don't disturb other guests or the performance. Professional and semi-professional gear isn't allowed: that includes professional cameras, interchangeable lenses, tripods, monopods, gimbals, stabilisers, GoPros, drones and extra lighting. Staff can ask you to stop filming, and guests who refuse can be removed without a refund. If you want professional photos of your night, the Brasil package includes them.

Who this isn't for

If you're sensitive to flashing or changing light, ask the Roxy before booking, because the show relies on stage lighting and technology. If you're travelling with young children who need an early night, the late finish will be hard. If you only have a Monday or Tuesday free in Rio, there's no show. And if your idea of a night out is beachwear and flip-flops, this isn't the place for it.