CopaCabana Brazil-inspired beach comes to South Bank

Londoners wishing for a taste of Rio ahead of this summer’s Olympic Games can now head to a Brazil-inspired beach on the South Bank.

Organisers of the CopaCabana Brazilian beach are hoping the pop-up eating and drinking venue will bring the “spirit and optimism” of the city to London while also celebrating “everything that is great” about it.

More than 85 tonnes of sand have gone into creating the attraction — which is 80 metres long and located by the Southbank Centre. Rio’s famous lifeguard tower “postos” have also been recreated and turned into a bar serving £6 cocktails such as the Caipirinha, a mix of the spirit cachaça, sugar and lime which is often hailed as the national drink of Brazil. A selection of street food such as £4 chicken Coxinhas — a dough snack shaped like a drumstick — spicy Malagueta chicken skewers, pork and papaya sausage and grilled halloumi will be on offer.

Organiser and co-founder of the Cabana Restaurant chain David Ponte said: “Rio always has this amazing spirit and energy and we are hoping to bring that to London.”