Rio 2016 will celebrate one year until the Paralympic Games by staging a sports and culture festival alongside Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas on 7 September 2015 and launching the start of ticket sales. The announcement was made following the conclusion of the seventh International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Project Review, which took place in the city on 5-6 May.

It was also announced that more than three million tickets will be made available for the Paralympic Games, with Rio 2016 hoping to surpass the record 2.8 million tickets sold for the London 2012 Games. Ticket prices for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games will be announced on 14 May.

Andrew Parsons, President of the Brazilian Paralympic Committee, Vice-President of the International Paralympic Committee and Chairman of the Rio 2016 Paralympic Integration Committee, said: “Many world records will be set by athletes during the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, but the first one we hope will be broken by the public. The Brazilian people will play a major role in breaking the record for Paralympic Games ticket sales, but we are also counting on international fans to achieve this fantastic target.”

Rio 2016 will take the spirit of the Games to the public on 7 September with a special celebration in Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, the site of the venue for Olympic and Paralympic rowing and canoeing.

Xavier Gonzalez, the IPC’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “With less than 500 days to go to South America’s first Paralympic Games, this Project Review focused heavily on how the organising committee, its partners and the IPC can engage the Rio and Brazilian public ahead of the launch of ticket sales on 7 September.

“Rio 2016 is aiming to sell the most tickets ever for a Paralympic Games and it is important that sales get off to a good start. The one-year-to-go event will take place three weeks after the Toronto 2015 Parapan American Games and will give the Brazilian public an opportunity to meet not just their medal winning heroes but also a number of the world’s best para-athletes.”

Other subjects covered during the Project Review included updates on workforce, accommodation, finance, sport, broadcasting, commercial and marketing, and communications. The federal, state and city governments also gave presentations on the latest developments in accessibility in terms of transport and venues.

Gonzalez added: “Overall it was a very positive meeting with the Rio 2016 Organising Committee, who continue to show great enthusiasm for delivering a hugely successful Paralympic Games next year. Plans which have been years in the making are now coming to fruition and we are confident that Rio will build on the success of London 2012.”

The Rio 2016 Paralympic Games will take place between 7-18 September.  Around 4,350 athletes from more than 170 countries will compete in 23 sport disciplines.

This story was updated on 28 August 2015 to reflect a change of plans for the one-year-to-go celebrations. The event was previously planned to to take place on Copacabana beach, but has been moved to Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas. Click here for more details.