Flavors of the Orla 2026: gastronomic festival begins in August!

The Rio riverside is once again the scene of a great celebration of gastronomy between the days 1 and 31 August, with the realization of 9th edition of the Flavors of the Orla Award. This year, the festival gathers 150 kiosks spread across the beaches of Rio and presents a new format inspired by the largest football tournament on the planet: Taste Cup. With group phase, mata-mata and great final, the competition promises to involve cariocas and tourists in an experience that unites gastronomy, culture and leisure.

The official opening of the festival takes place on the day 28 July, no Museum of Image and Sound (MIS)In Copacabana.

Since 2018, the Orla Sabores Award celebrates the diversity of cuisine present in the city kiosks. Throughout its editions, recipes ranging from the traditional bayion of two to creations inspired by Italian gastronomy show the richness of Rio cuisine by the sea and reinforce the waterfront as one of the main poles of Rio's gastronomic tourism.

Taste Cup turns kiosks into selections

The great novelty of the 2026 edition is the identity inspired by the World Cup. The kiosks assume the role of real selections, the chefs and their dishes become the players of the competition and the audience participates as the fans responsible for deciding who advances towards the title.

The program was organized as a championship, with group phase, mata-mata and grand final, making the dispute even more engaging.

The competition will be held in six categories:

Star dish;

King of the Snack;

Powder Pastel;

Master's Sanduba;

Dessert of Dreams;

Caipi das Caipis by Smirnoff.

Public and jurors participate in the choice of winners

In categories King of the Snack, Powder Pastel, Master's Sanduba, Dessert of Dreams and Caipi das Caipis by Smirnoff, the first phase will have a popular vote. Visitors will be able to experience the participating dishes and register their reviews, electing the top five of each category.

In the next step, in an elimination format, the technical jury of the Diamonds in the Kitchen, led by chef John Diamond, official ambassador of the festival, will visit the finalists kiosks to define the winners of the first, second and third places.

Category Star dish It will be uniquely shaped. Between the days August 5 and 7, all inscribed dishes will be technically evaluated by Le Cordon Bleu, considered the largest and most renowned network of culinary schools and hospitality in the world. The judges will select the five finalists based on criteria such as taste, presentation, creativity, history and concept.

Sustainability gains leading role

Sustainability gains even more space in the 2026 edition. After integrating the evaluation of the previous edition as a criterion of good practice, it becomes a mandatory requirement in the main category of the festival.

All participants in Star dish should use at least one ingredient from a small producer in the state of Rio de Janeiro. The initiative seeks to strengthen the local economy, encourage a more sustainable food chain and strengthen the commitment of Orla Rio, a signatory to the UN Global Pact, with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Award recognizes creativity and performance

The winners of each category will receive an exclusive course from Le Cordon Bleu. Besides, there'll be cash awards.

In category Star dish The prizes will be:

First place: R$ 25 thousand;

Second place: R$ 5,000;

3rd place: R$ 3000.

In the other categories, the winners will receive:

First place: R$ 5,000;

Second place: R$ 1,500;

3rd place: R$ 1 thousand.

Another novelty is the creation of the prize Best Attack, inspired by the language of football to recognize the kiosks that turn the biggest demand into sales. Each item traded equals a goal, and the winner will be defined by the highest average volume of sales within each participating category. The proposal values the proportional performance of each establishment.

Winners of all categories, including the award Best Attack will be announced on the day October 8, during the official award ceremony of the Cup of Tastes 2026.

Digital platform expands public experience

With a democratic character, each participating kiosk develops unprecedented recipes especially for the festival and chooses which categories to compete in.

To make the experience even more complete, Orla's Sabores has a digital platform that gathers all the competition information in one place. The official website presents the participating kiosks, the dishes registered in each category, an interactive map of the dispute and the voting system by QR Code, facilitating public participation.

One of the main highlights is functionality Mount Your Route, which allows you to create custom gastronomic routes by beach or by category. After setting up the route, visitors can share it with friends and family, encouraging group tours and discovering new flavors along the Rio riverside.

Service:

9th Flavors of the Orla Award

Period: 1 to 31 August

Location: participating kiosks of Orla Rio

Winners' announcement: October 8

Social network: @

Learn more and set your route: flavorsdaorla.com.br