This article was also published in issue 153 of Marina World magazine. Click here to read the online version.
Ever since a renovation in time for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016, Marina da Glória has become a hive of events and entertainment in a city renowned for knowing how to have a good time.
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With more than 7,000 kilometres of Atlantic coastline, Brazil boasts a huge number of protected bays, coves and islands, as well as historic cities and major urban centres. The warm climate makes it ideal for year-round outdoor activities and our relationship with the sea is part of our national DNA. Even so, the development of the nautical economy is relatively new.
BR Marinas, the largest marina network in Latin America, operates ten units across the state of Rio de Janeiro, a region internationally renowned for its natural beauty, tourist attractions and lifestyle. Aside from hosting more than 2,300 boats, BR Marinas also hosts nautical services, tourists and a wide variety of events, demonstrating that contemporary marinas can and should operate as destinations rather than being limited to boat storage infrastructure.
Marina da Glória is one of the best examples of this new approach. Located in one of the most beautiful parts of Rio de Janeiro on the shores of Guanabara Bay - surrounded by tourist attractions such as Sugarloaf Mountain and Christ the Redeemer, and set in a listed public park by the sea - the marina occupies an increasingly prominent position in the city's daily life as the venue of a number of standout local and international events. Furthermore, the fact that it is close to one of the country's most important airports, Santos Dumont, makes it a hub of continuous movement with a steady flow of visitors coming and going.
Ten years ago, Marina da Glória underwent a complete renovation financed entirely with private funds to host the sailing events of the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. This transformation of the marina and modernisation of its nautical facilities gave it a renewed and redefined sense of purpose. Since 2016, the marina has served as a convergence point for a wide variety of experiences and can be a blueprint for how other marinas can be vibrant events spaces in dynamic and diverse cities like Rio de Janeiro.
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Art exhibitions
The calendar of cultural, sporting, business and sustainability events is intense and constantly expanding. One of the leading annual art fairs in Latin America, ArtRio, takes place at Marina da Glória every year and provides an environment where contemporary art and the maritime landscape can interact naturally. International representatives, artists, collectors or simply people who are passionate about art occupy the shores of Guanabara Bay for days on end, transforming the marina and its surroundings into a dynamic outdoor gallery in a truly unique location.
In January 2026, the space became a stage for art with the first Brazilian edition of Voile/Toile – Toile/Voile by the French artist Daniel Buren, a project that transforms boat sails into moving artistic surfaces. The initiative involved a performance regatta with Optimist class sailboats, coloured with Buren's characteristic stripes, departing from Marina da Glória towards Guanabara Bay. Afterwards the boats were exhibited at the Rio de Janeiro Museum of Modern Art.
Sporting events and the Rio Boat Show
International sports have also become a part of this dynamic connecting the sea to the city, with the marina as a focal point. Every year, major marathons and triathlons use the marina as a strategic starting and finishing location and as a support base for athletes. The advantage of the marina’s position on the boundary of land and water is not limited to leisure, therefore. The combination of sports, nature and the city clearly shows how nautical areas like Marina da Glória can support large-scale sporting events and add another dimension to a city already famous for knowing how to have a good time.
It is no coincidence that Marina da Glória also hosts the headquarters of Brazil’s sailing confederation. The piers and boardwalks provide a space to train new athletes and celebrate the sport as a whole. Related events here include the CL Vela | BR Marinas Regatta, which will celebrate its 10th edition in 2026, as well as the Star Sailors League Sailing World Championship, attracting Olympic sailors and teams from five continents.
The importance of Marina da Glória as Brazil's main nautical venue is evident as the home of the Rio Boat Show, the largest of its kind in Latin America. The show brings together shipyards, manufacturers and international brands in an event that strengthens industry relationships and reaffirms Rio de Janeiro as a market benchmark. The last edition attracted more than 30,000 visitors who came to see new boat launches, accessories and services. Outside the Rio Boat Show, however, Marina da Glória also hosts trade fairs, business meetings and corporate events.
This transformation of Marina da Glória as a popular events hub runs deeper than individual moments. You see it and feel it every day. Over the last decade, Marina da Glória has attracted more and more visitors who come to enjoy its combination of beauty, dynamism and services just a few minutes from downtown Rio. Public areas, restaurants and the variety of different sports on offer such as sailing and Polynesian canoeing have increased the number of visitors to the marina.
It has started to truly reflect the famous Rio lifestyle, a way of living that values the outdoors, excellent cuisine and the total integration between nature and the city. When evening falls, Marina da Glória hosts concerts of different musical genres, from samba to electronic music, bringing together thousands of people for open-air nights of entertainment by the sea. The advantage of hosting these events at a marina is that the boats, the sea air, the stars and the warm breeze become part of the experience.
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Environmental initiatives
Marina da Glória supports a series of coastal clean-up efforts throughout the year, including a clean-up day and community initiatives involving employees, partners and volunteers. Two other similar initiatives supported by BR Marinas concern monitoring and caring for green turtles living in the waters of Guanabara Bay as well as supporting lectures and workshops in public schools about protecting the marine environment.
These all form part of the portfolio of events that BR Marinas supports or directly organises, because we believe it is important that a marina becomes an agent of preservation just as much as generation. To this end, we are proud that Marina da Glória was recognised at the 5th Smart & Sustainable Marinas Rendezvous in Monaco in 2025 for its commitment to environmental practices and its model of integration between the city and the sea.
These examples reflect the lifestyle that is increasingly taking hold along the Brazilian coast and the growth of nautical tourism reinforces this vocation. More than half of the boats currently moored at Marina da Glória have started doubling up as tourist vessels to cater to visitors wanting to discover the beauty of Guanabara Bay and the larger Rio coastline.
This logic is repeated at other BR Marinas facilities. In Itacuruçá, in an area known as Costa Verde, or “Green Coast”, events focused on the pre-owned boat market serve as a barometer of national demand. In Paraty, events combine sailing and cultural tourism in one of South America's best-preserved colonial destinations. Each marina of course maintains their own identity, but all share a nautical lifestyle and the understanding that marinas can be unique generators of experiences and business.
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A blueprint for the future
Our experience at Marina da Glória and BR Marinas units shows that marinas can be outstanding locations for diverse events when operational excellence, necessary infrastructure, urban integration and ideal natural surroundings all combine.
The sea has always been part of our Brazilian national identity and BR Marinas are proud to play our part in celebrating this. After all, events can translate the coastline into really vibrant lifestyle destinations that generate a sense of belonging among diverse individuals. Creating this destination has been one of Marina da Glória’s biggest successes over the last 10 years and we hope that it can serve as a blueprint or inspiration for other marinas too.
