Thousands flocked to the famous Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to attend a free outdoor concert by American pop singer Madonna, which is expected to attract around 1.5 million people. This concert marks the conclusion of Madonna's most successful world tour, known as "The Celebration," which she began in late 2023. The government of Rio City announced that it would deploy thousands of police officers around the concert area, using a strategy similar to its plan for the city’s famous New Year’s Eve celebrations.
With temperatures reaching 28 degrees Celsius, firefighters sprayed water on Saturday to cool down some fans who had already gathered next to the stage set up for Madonna, the singer of "Material Girl." Police distributed free water bottles to fans. This initiative comes as Brazilian authorities increase awareness of the implications of rising temperatures following the death of a young Brazilian fan at a Taylor Swift concert last year due to heat exhaustion.
City authorities expect about 1.5 million people to attend the concert at the iconic beach, where crowd numbers have previously surpassed one million for concerts by the rock band Rolling Stones and British singer Rod Stewart. Madonna arrived in the city several days ago, and fans gathered around the hotel where she is staying. The governments of the state and city of Rio reported that they spent 20 million Brazilian reais (3.9 million dollars) on the concert, while the remaining funding was provided by private sponsors. Authorities estimate that the concert could generate approximately 300 million Brazilian reais for Rio’s economy.
