Rock In Rio 2024: a rich edition of the festival

The music festival Rock in Rio closed its 2024 edition generating an economic return of over 423 million euros (2.6 billion reais) for the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro.

This was reported by the local authorities, highlighting that in the week of the event the hotel network came close to being ‘sold out’ with an average occupancy of 96%, thanks to a 30% increase in attendance at the festival.

Testifying to the success of the festival are also the numbers of passenger movements at the Rio bus station – 40% higher than normal with around 226 thousand transits – and at the RioGaleao-Tom Jobim international airport, from where on the days of the 47 thousand passengers passed through the event, taking advantage of the approximately 380 extra flights offered by the airlines for the occasion.

The first edition of Rock In Rio dates back to 1985, in ten days of festival in Rio around 1.4 million spectators attended concerts by, among others, Queen, Scorpions, Iron Maiden, George Benson, Rod Stewart, AC/ DC, Al Jarreau, B – 52 and Yes. The two Queen concerts were recorded on TV and when broadcast (only for South America) there were 200 million viewers. The concert also became a VHS/DVD and CD.

This year Rock In Rio, which takes place every two years and which has changed considerably in the meantime, was held on 13, 14, 15, 19, 20, 21 September 2024 at Na Cidade do Rock, in an area of ​​Rio de Janeiro reachable by metro (open 24 hours a day). Among the protagonists Travis Scott, Imagine Dragons, Avenged Sevenfold, Deep Purple, Ed Sheeran, Katy Perry, Angélique Kidjo, Shawn Mendes, Mariah Carey.

In addition to international stars, the festival has always given ample space to local artists, more or less known even outside the Brazilian borders.

Rock in Rio had some “derivations” and was exported to Portugal becoming Rock in Rio Lisbon and Spain. In 2015 it also took place in Los Angeles.

In the history of the festival there is a before and an after, a watershed date. The idea of ​​the event is Roberto Medina, who until the 2017 edition, through his company, managed Rock In Rio in 1985, 1991, 2001, 2013, 2015, 2017. In May 2018 the organizing company passed hand, acquired by the American Live Nation. Medina remained as organizer. In 2020 the festival was not held due to the COVID emergency. It had been postponed to 2021 and subsequently to 2022, effectively canceling one edition.

Here are some numbers in the history of the festival reported on the event’s website: 19 editions since 1985. for a total of 122 days of programming, with 2038 artists who performed, for a total of 9.5 million spectators. Furthermore, the festival donated 73 million trees to defend the Amazon.

In January 2001 the Iron Maiden recorded their performance at the festival and released it in 2002 on the album “Iron Maiden – Rock In Rio”, the band’s fifth live show.

The Brazilians Sepultura also chose, “playing at home”, to record their live album during the festival. In 2014 they published “Metal Veins – Alive in Rock in Rio” with the recordings of the concert of September 19, 2013, a concert which saw the Brazilians share the stage with Les Tambours du Bronx.