rio de janeiro is host to various cherished celebrations and events, many of which have gained a lot of internationl attention, attracting thousand of visitors to the city to witness and be part of the festivities. on dear carioca tradition that is a favourite of the locals, but mostly unknown by international visitors, is the spectacle of the lighting of the christmas tree on the rodrigo de freitas lagoon in the neighbrhood of lagoa.

the record breaking tree, adorned with thousadns of lights and decorations, mirrored on the clam surface of the lagoon offers stunning visuals. in order to capture the magic of this event we rented a pedal boat in search of the perfect angle from of the tree - the result can be seen on the following pages.