Rock in Rio sells out four days in two hours

Brazil’s Rock in Rio sold out four of the seven days of its 40th anniversary edition within around two hours of going on sale at the start of this week.

The biennial 100,000-cap festival returns over two weekends from 13-15 & 19-22 September 2024 at the Olympic Park in Rio de Janeiro.

Organisers say hundreds of thousands of tickets have already been snapped up for the event, with days headlined by Travis Scott, Imagine Dragons, Katy Perry and Shawn Mendes completely selling out. Fans from more than 31 countries have already bought tickets.

“This week was very special for us,” says Ana Deccache, marketing director at Rock World, the company behind Rock in Rio. “Since Monday, we have been following the public’s excitement for general ticket sales and we have witnessed a presale sell out in record time.

“On social media and on the festival website, the numbers were impressive, with very engaged and eager fans. On TikTok we reached more than a billion views. Finally, with sales open, in less than two hours four of the seven days of the festival were already sold out.”

The Portuguese edition, Rock in Rio Lisboa, celebrates its 20th anniversary from 15-16 & 22-23 June

Tickets are still available for performances by Avenged Sevenfold, Evanescence and Deep Purple (15 September), Ed Sheeran, Charlie Puth and Gloria Groove (19 September) and the Brazil Day celebrations (21 September), which will feature domestic artists such as Capital Inicial, Detonautas, NX Zero, Pitty, Rogério Flausino, Toni Garrido and Ana Castela. Full price tickets cost R$795 (€141).

This year marks 40 years since the beginning of preparations for the festival’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.

A series of events have been held in the run up to the 2024 festival, starting with a tribute from the city as part of its New Year’s Eve celebrations in Copacabana.

Rock in Rio spin-off The Town debuted in São Paulo, Brazil last September 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.

Festivals have also been held under the Rock in Rio banner in Lisbon, Portugal, Madrid, Spain and Las Vegas, USA. The Portuguese edition, Rock in Rio Lisboa, celebrates its 20th anniversary from 15-16 & 22-23 June, headlined by Scorpions, Ed Sheeran, Jonas Brothers and Doja Cat.

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