Shakira turned Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro into a late-night celebration on Saturday, performing a free concert that the city’s mayor said drew about 2 million people. The show came as part of her “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran” world tour, named after her 2024 album, and followed similarly massive free-air performances by other pop stars in recent years.
Mayor Eduardo Cavaliere said on X that the crowd count reached 2 million, calling the performance a historic moment for Rio. The concert itself kicked off around 11 p.m., more than an hour after the scheduled slot, as the audience chanted and applauded and skywriting drones flew overhead spelling “I love you Brazil” in Portuguese.
During the set, Shakira told the crowd, “I arrived here when I was 18 years old, dreaming about singing for you,” and added, “And now look at this. Life is magical.” She sang fan favorites including “Hips Don’t Lie,” “La Tortura” and “La Bicicleta,” then closed with “BZRP Music Sessions #53/66,” a track that followed her public separation from Spanish soccer player Gerard Piqué.
The show also included remarks about resilience. Shakira said, “Us women, every time we fall we get up a little wiser,” framing the performance as more than a music showcase while it played out on the city’s iconic waterfront.
Cavaliere and the city’s organizers portrayed the concert as part of an economic strategy meant to sustain activity after Carnival and New Year’s Eve, and before the monthlong Saint John’s Day celebrations in June. In remarks made as he presented the city’s operational plan, Cavaliere said, “For us, parties are serious business,” and argued the show would produce a financial return “40 times greater,” according to the report.
A study involving City Hall and Riotur, the municipality’s tourism company, estimated Shakira’s performance could generate about 777 million reais (around $155 million). The estimate, as described by the report, attributed the expected impact to the influx of tourists and cash spent in restaurants, hotels and shops.
City Hall data also showed May travel growth in years when major shows took place, citing increases in 2024 and 2025 compared with 2023. In 2024, the growth was 34.2% on May 1, just ahead of the concerts, and in 2025 the increase was 90.5% compared with 2023, the report said.
The lead-up to Saturday’s show drew attention from travelers as well. Ahead of the concert, Airbnb said in an April 22 statement that it was seeing an increase in guests expected to travel from different parts of Brazil and Latin America and from European capitals including Paris and London. Wanderson Andrade, an architect who flew in for the concert from the city of Goiana, said, “Today is a dream come true,” adding that he had tried to get tickets the year before.
At the beach, vendors and attendees described the event as both a major cultural moment and a Latin identity marker. Erica Monteiro, a 38-year-old accountant, said Shakira represents the strength of Brazil’s Latino community, and street vendors sold snacks, drinks and other items while making plans around the crowds.
Other attendees linked the concerts to a broader regional message. Hellem Souza da Silva said the performances, including those by Bad Bunny in Sao Paulo in February, helped consolidate Brazil’s Latino identity, describing them as making clear that “Brazil, Puerto Rico, Colombia and other countries are part of Latin America” and that “America is not the United States,” according to the report.