This Sunday, 1 March, the Marvelous City celebrates its 444th anniversary. To mark this date, the state and city governments of Rio have organized various shows on Botafogo Beach, which looks out to one of the city’s most beautiful icons, the Sugar Loaf. The location is close to Flamengo Beach and the Marina da Glória, which will host Olympic competitions if Rio is selected to hold the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Famous names such as Caetano Veloso, Dudu Nobre, Mart’nália, MV Bill and Angolano will perform their greatest hits to thousands of cariocas, who will watch the shows for free. Around 200,000 people are expected on Botafogo Beach. The city’s police force will deploy 400 officers at the location. There will also be shows at the City of God (Cidade de Deus) neighborhood.

As at all large-scale events that take place in the city, the Municipal Transport Secretariat has prepared special traffic arrangements, with restrictions starting at 3pm.

Today, Mayor Eduardo Paes participated in a traditional celebration at the historic street, Rua da Carioca, in which a 15-meter cake was cut and shared.