Jacare Beach

This is a stretch of the Paraiba river rather than the sea, and the ritual is fixed: as the sun drops behind the far bank, a saxophonist is rowed out on a small boat and plays Ravel's Bolero, timing the piece so that the final crescendo lands as the sun goes. The tradition was started by Jurandy do Sax in the 1990s and has continued after his death, with other players taking it on, and the restaurants along the bank fill every evening for it. Boats run out onto the river during the performance, and catamaran trips go downstream to the sandbanks. It is unashamedly a tourist ritual and it works anyway, largely because the timing is genuinely well done.

What you actually see

• Bolero at sunset - a saxophonist on a boat timing the crescendo to the sun.
• A river sunset, not a sea one - the sun going down behind the far bank.
• Restaurants along the bank - filling every evening for the performance.
• Boats on the water - small craft and catamarans out during the piece.

When to go

All year, arriving an hour before sunset. Two hours.

Honest expectations

It is crowded and thoroughly commercial, and tables need to be taken early. The river is not for swimming. Once the piece ends the crowd leaves at once and transport back is congested. Vendors work the bank throughout.

Nearby

Cabedelo and its fort are north; Joao Pessoa is inland.