with the weekend on the horizon, thursday nights in rio de janeiro have a uniquely enthusiastic feel - to accompany the exuberance of the evening crowds, rock and pop music replaces the usual samba vibes, in some of the cities leading nightclubs, and lapa starts to get crowded.

after many successful years, veneno, at casa da matriz, is rio's most famous thursday night rock extravaganza, playing rock and pop anthems from the last century, the venue offers visitors a distinctive night in one of south america's samba capitals.