Several Olympic attractions will be concentrated in Rio’s city centre: the flame in Candelária, the stages and events in the Olympic Boulevard, and an excellent art circuit especially made for this season. The National Houses and themed houses are also part of the route, with exhibitions, shows and gastronomic specialties.
This green and yellow space will be one of the biggest ones, taking up two gigantic warehouses in Pier Mauá and offering 45 days of activities. Cultural presentations of Brazilian artists will happen daily, always from 7pm to 10pm. The public will be able to see contemporary Brazilian art exhibitions, sports, touristic sites of Rio, and taste regional coffees prepared by baristas. One of the highlights being the interactive activities, such as virtual reality glasses, and the motion sphere: visitors will have the opportunity to fly a stunt plane, feeling the sensations and G force of a real plane, above the city holding the Olympic Games 2016. There will also be blindfold football, bowls, athletics, wheelchair basketball, table tennis, and other games. Daily timetable is on the website.
Casa Brasil
From Aug 4th to Aug 18th
Praça Mauá - Armazém 1 and 2, Pier Mauá
Every day, from 10am to 8pm during the Games and from 2pm to 8pm between
The NRP Sagres travelled 43 days from Lisbon, until porting between Praça Mauá and Praça XV, where the Olympic Boulevard, the cultural epicentre of Rio 2016, is. The 89.5 metre ship will offer wine tasting, with wines from Douro and Alentejo, besides traditional recipes, like pastel de nata (egg tart pastry), caldo verde (green broth), bacalhau à bras (codfish), and cheese from Serra da Estrela (Star Mountain Range).
Casa de Portugal (Portugal House)
From Aug 3rd to Aug 21st
Praça Barão de Ladario, - Centro
From 10am to 11pm
*Vans and buses will make it easier for visitors to go to the ship.
Arriba! The Mexican HQ will be in the Museu Histórico Nacional (National History Museum) holding many exhibitions about the country’s culture: the interactive exhibit for children “Frida e Eu” (Frida and I) about the painter Frida Kahlo; “América Latina, Jogos Olímpicos México 68 – Rio 2016” (Latin America, Olympic Games Mexico 68 – Rio 2016), presenting a comparative exhibition of graphic design applied in Mexico 1968 and in Rio Olympic Games 2016; and “Magia do Sorriso no Golfo do México” (The magic of smiles in the Mexican Gulf), an archeological exhibition that will take place until October 2 nd . There will also be an exhibition of original Mexican hand crafts.
Casa do México
From Aug 03rd to Aug 22nd
Museu Histórico Nacional – Praça Marechal Âncora, s/n – Centro
Tuesday to Friday, from 10am to 5:30pm.
Saturday and Sunday, from 2pm to 6pm.
Free entry, for the common areas.
Museum prices for the exhibitions: R$ 8.00 from Tuesday to Saturday.
The gastronomic attractions of the house include: tasting of Juan Valdez coffee, the most famous Colombian coffee, also tasting of typical Colombian fruits, such as granadilla (a variety of passion fruit), pitaya (dragon fruit), and uchuva (physalis). An exhibition about the geographical features of the country will make it possible to travel through thermal floors, which is how all the different climates in Colombia are known. Each floor has their own topographic, cultural, gastronomic, and touristic attractions. The space allows you to get to know all the rich national artisanal work from Colombia.
Casa Colômbia (Colombia House)
From Aug 6th to Aug 21st
Praça Marechal Âncora, (between Praça XV and Santos Dumont airport).
This is the North-American basketball league house and they hope to receive over 50 thousand people during the games. Basketball fans will find dancers, mascots, athletes, and NBA “Legends” there, besides seeing up close the Larry O’Brien Trophy (the cup which is given to the NBA champions). The timetable includes basketball workshops, autograph sessions, videogame matches, and music. All going on in a huge interactive area, where the public will also take part in games and challenges that will be worth NBA exclusive prizes and gifts.
