Last Saturday (13), the Brazilian fans said goodbye to the eleventh edition of the music festival Rock In Rio. This time, the event lasted seven days, from September 4 through September 13. The last day was finished with a diverse lineup, featuring performances of Twenty One Pilots, Zara Larsson, Halsey, Lola Young, and the Brazilian artists, Marina Sena, Ivete Sangalo and Joelma.
THE DIFFERENCE OF ROCK IN RIO
The end of Rock in Rio 2026 means that Brazilian music fans won’t have a big festival again for the next 6 months, when Lollapalooza returns, in March, and then The Town, in September.
The fans are excited with the upcoming events, some of them even with tickets already purchased, but, even with the similarities, nothing compares to Rock in Rio. Its history, impact and structure makes it unique and completely different from other festivals.
What’s the history?
Rock in Rio’s journey began by making history, breaking records, and setting trends. The year was 1985 and Roberto Medina, the festival’s founder, started the first edition of Rio de Janeiro’s festival.
Held in a 250,000 m² venue called “City of Rock”, it lasted 10 days, brought in 1.38 million people, included the biggest stage of the world at that time and featured 15 national attractions and 16 international ones.
Those days were marked by the spectacular artists who took the stage, such as AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Ozzy Osbourne, Ney Matogrosso, Barão Vermelho, and Queen, whose performance of “Love of My Life” went down in the festival’s history and established it as the event it is today.
At that moment, the event symbolized something bigger. A sense of hope and expectation regarding the future of Brazil and redemocratization, after going through a tough period of military dictatorship and censorship. These feelings of celebration, freedom and novelty define the festival to this day.
the SOCIAL IMPACT
Brazil was the first South American country to hold an event such as Rock in Rio. It was a way to show the world what music, and especially rock, meant to Brazilian fans and put the country in the mundial map of music.
The event was a dream coming true for many fans that would never imagine to see their favourite artists so close to them and became an inspiration for many other festivals to come to life.
It created jobs, increased tourism to Rio de Janeiro, and stimulated the local economy. In addition, it has always remained committed to social and environmental causes.
THE STRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT
What started with one big stage, has evolved into something so much bigger. It’s not only about the concerts, buying a ticket means purchasing a whole experience.
The “City of Rock” became an actual city inside Rio de Janeiro. Now, there are a bunch of different stages, rest areas, many types of food, brand promotion places, photo spots and even entertainment attractions such as ferris wheels, rollercoasters, zip lines and drop towers.
MUSICAL EVOLUTION
As the years have gone by, many have said that the festival has changed and it’s not about rock n’roll anymore. This complaint is not completely wrong. At the beginning, the complete focus was on rock music, however, throughout the years that has changed.
The changes in the music industry, the public taste and the new tendencies forced the festival to transform and reinvent itself.
Nowadays, we can see many different types of music on those stages. This last edition has counted with pop, rock, mpb, rap, funk, R&B, electronic music and even k-pop, but rock n’roll will always remain there!
Rock in Rio is different because it’s not just a music festival. It’s a way to bring all generations together in one place, to hear many different types of music in one single day and to entertain yourself in every way you can imagine. It carries a history and cultural significance that goes beyond its lineup and, maybe, it’s no longer centered exclusively on rock, but its ability to evolve through the years is what makes it so relevant and iconic until today!
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The article above was edited by Camilly Vieira.
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