Shakira gave a concert at the Copacabana in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday. Image: keystone
May 3, 2026, 11:01 amMay 3, 2026, 11:01 am
Shakira thrilled an audience of millions with a free concert in Rio de Janeiro. The Colombian performed on Saturday evening (local time) on the legendary Copacabana beach in front of an estimated two million people, as the city administration announced.
Screens for an audience of 2 million – Shakira’s performance attracted an audience of millions.Image: keystone
“I will never forget this performance again,” said Shakira (49) at the end of the almost two and a half hour show. The concert in Rio was announced as the biggest of her career. She performed a number of her greatest hits and presented classics such as “Waka Waka” and “Whenever, Wherever”. Songs like “Hips Don’t Lie”, “La Tortura” and “She Wolf” were also part of the set list and created an exuberant atmosphere among the fans.
Shakira: Copacabana is “a dream” and “magical place”
The concert was part of the “Todo Mundo no Rio” (All the World in Rio) series, with which the city administration brings international stars to the coastal metropolis. Shakira had already emphasized her close connection to Brazil in advance. “If planet Earth had an altar, it would be Copacabana beach,” she said on Brazilian television. For her, Copacabana is “a dream” and a “magical place”.
For the performance, the stage was expanded to around 1,500 square meters, making it larger than previous shows. However, the preparation was overshadowed by a fatal accident: a worker was trapped between two lifting platforms during construction a few days ago and later died in hospital.
Concert series as an important economic factor
The concert series has become an integral part of the city’s events calendar. Last year, US pop star Lady Gaga set a world record for a single concert at the same location with around 2.5 million visitors. As early as 2024, Madonna attracted around 1.6 million people to the beach.
The city sees the mega concerts as an important economic factor. She expects the event to generate revenue of around 800 million reals (around 125 million francs). According to estimates, the majority of the expected visitors came from the metropolitan region, as well as tourists from home and abroad.
In addition to Rio, Shakira has already announced other major projects: In September and October, the Grammy and Latin Grammy-winning artist is scheduled to perform eleven concerts in Madrid, for which over half a million tickets were sold within just a few hours. (sda/dpa)