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The biennial 100,000-cap spectacular will return to Brazil over two weekends from 13-15 & 19-22 September 2024
By James Hanley on 31 Oct 2023
Organisers of Rock in Rio (RiR) have revealed plans to celebrate the Brazilian festival’s 40th anniversary.
Next year marks 40 years since the beginning of preparations for RiR’s first edition, designed by Roberto Medina, which debuted in January 1985 with acts such as Queen, AC/DC, Tina Turner, Iron Maiden and Rod Stewart.
The biennial 100,000-cap spectacular will return over two weekends from 13-15 & 19-22 September 2024 at the Olympic Park, Rio de Janeiro. A series of events will be held in the run up to the festival, starting with a tribute from the city as part of its New Year’s Eve celebrations in Copacabana.
“It will be a magical edition,” says Medina, creator of Rock in Rio and president of Rock World. “We are preparing many new features and they will start at the turn of 2024, when our Rock in Rio will be honoured in one of the most emblematic New Year’s Eve celebrations in the world. It will be an edition of new experiences and stories, like the ones I hear in each new edition. We are part of the lives of thousands of people, just as the public is part of the festival.
“With each edition, the party gets better and in 2024 we will celebrate these four decades inside and outside the City of Rock . And we will celebrate alongside those who helped us write each chapter of this story, our fans, who continue to vibrate in the same way as in 1985, now bringing their children and grandchildren, making the City of Rock an even more special place.”
“It’s four decades of a story that began when we believed in a dream”
In addition, the 2024 edition will see a bigger Sunset Stage, replicating the scale of the iconic Palco Mundo main stage. RiR has also announced an interactive and immersive exhibition counting its 40 years, in addition to a new book and musical.
Festivals have also been held under the RiR banner in Lisbon, Portugal, Madrid, Spain and Las Vegas, USA.
“It’s four decades of a story that began when we believed in a dream,” adds Medina. “It wasn’t easy, there were days when we wanted to give up, but we believed, we kept going and it was worth it. We went far, 22 editions totalling four countries, we grew a lot without losing the magic. We showed the world the Brazilians’ competence in organising events and put the country on the route of international shows.”
Promoters said that RiR 2022 generated 2 billion reals (€387.4 million) in economic impact for its host city after welcoming 700,000 fans across seven days. The festival attracted 420,000 people from outside Rio, plus 10,000 international visitors from 31 countries, to see headliners Iron Maiden, Post Malone, Justin Bieber, Guns N’ Roses, Green Day, Coldplay and Dua Lipa. Due to the pandemic, it was the first Brazilian edition since 2019.
Meanwhile, Portuguese spin-off Rock in Rio Lisbon celebrates its 20th anniversary from 15-16 & 22-23 June 2024. Ed Sheeran was unveiled as the 80,000-cap double weekender’s first headliner earlier this month.
Medina’s latest project The Town debuted in São Paulo, Brazil last month at the Interlagos race track, attracting 500,000 fans over five days for artists such as Post Malone, Foo Fighters, Maroon 5 and Bruno Mars.
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