New Year's Eve in Lagoa Santa (GO): seeing in the year at the lagoon

New Year's Eve (Réveillon) closes Lagoa Santa's festival calendar and opens the summer high season. People who choose the town for the turn of the year are looking for the opposite of crowded beaches: a transparent thermal lagoon, the silence of a town of 1,400 inhabitants and the chance to start the year early in the morning in 31 °C water, with mist rising from the surface. This guide explains the two ways to spend the year-end here, what is known about the 2026/2027 celebration and how not to end up without lodging.

Two ways to see in the new year

1. New Year's package at Thermas Lagoa Santa

The hotel of the thermal complex (GO-302, Km 19) sells a 2026/2027 New Year's package in its rate list, alongside packages for Christmas, All Souls' Day, Children's Day and Carnival 2027. It is the option for those who want everything in one place: lodging, meals at the restaurant and 24-hour lagoon access for guests, including in the early hours of January 1. The 32 rooms fill up early. Check the rates at thermaslagoasanta.com.br/tarifario or on (64) 3640-1122 and WhatsApp (64) 99963-7039; the content of the dinner and the party varies each year, so confirm what is included.

2. New Year's Eve in town

Those staying in guesthouses, holiday homes or studios in the town center see in the new year in town. New Year's Eve is part of Lagoa Santa's annual events calendar, in December, and the official program (whether there will be a public party, a concert or fireworks) is announced by the City Hall close to the date. Check at lagoasanta.go.gov.br/noticias/ or on (64) 3640-1303 before you travel. Guesthouses and water parks also organize their own dinners and parties in some years; ask when booking.

When: 2026/2027

The year 2026 ends on a Thursday and January 1, 2027 is a Friday, creating a natural long weekend until Sunday, January 3. Add the school holidays and the result is the busiest week of the summer in Lagoa Santa, together with Christmas (12/25/2026, also a Friday). Many people bridge the two dates and stay from 12/24 to 01/03.

For the following New Year (2027/2028), dates and packages are usually only announced in the second half of 2027: check.

Where it happens

• Thermas Lagoa Santa: hotel, restaurant and thermal lagoon, on the GO-302, Km 19, a few minutes from the center.
• Town center and the Clarito Pereira Campos Municipal Lake: the usual venue for the City Hall's public events, such as Carnalagoa and the Fishing Festival. If there is a public New Year's party, this is the most likely spot; confirm.
• Kin Gin water park (R. João Inácio, Centro; (64) 3640-1171): thermal pools, barbecue areas and a guesthouse, an alternative for families who want to spend the 31st and the 1st in the water.
• Aporé River: for those who prefer to start the year fishing or on a boat trip. Note the piracema (spawning) closed season, which generally includes December and January: fishing is restricted, confirm the rules.

What to expect from the program

Do not expect a beachfront New Year's Eve. The atmosphere is one of family and groups of friends: dinner at the guesthouse or the rented house, a toast at midnight and, the next day, the lagoon. If the City Hall puts on a public event, it usually includes a live concert and fireworks, but this changes from year to year. The best source is the City Hall's news page in the last weeks of December.

The program that never fails is the one on the 1st: wake up early, cross the wooden boardwalk through the woods and get into the lagoon while the mist still covers the water. It is the town's most repeated New Year's photo.

Practical tips

• Arrive early and in daylight. The trip is long (about 430 km from Goiânia, 470 km from Campo Grande, 640 km from Brasília) and December is a month of heavy rain, with animals on the road and stretches with no mobile signal. Plan to arrive by late afternoon.
• Shopping: Lagoa Santa's shops are small. Do the big shop for the dinner in Rio Verde, Quirinópolis, Itajá or Paranaíba, and bring anything specific (drinks, desserts). Have cash and Pix available.
• What to bring: swimwear, towel, flip-flops, insect repellent (humid summer), a raincoat, biodegradable sunscreen and white or light-colored clothes for midnight, if that is your family's tradition.
• Opening hours: the City Hall is open Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., and closes on holidays. Sort out any pending matters beforehand. Emergencies: HPS (64) 3640-1267 and Police (64) 3640-1147.
• Fuel: fill up in Rio Verde, Caçu, Itajá or Paranaíba before arriving.