Rock In Rio is enormous. Held 27 – 29 September and 3 – 6 October at the Olympic Park, the 385,000 m2 site is an eye-popping feast for the senses when the fest is in full swing. In addition to a spectacular array of stages – including the biggest main stage in the world – they’ve woven into what would otherwise be a straight up music festival attractions more synonymous with a theme park. For instance, there’s a rollercoaster, a gaming area, a zipline, New Years Eve-worthy firework displays reacting to the beat of the famous Rock In Rio theme tune happening nightly. To top it all off, the festival’s backdrop is a verdant, mountainous rainforest to make you feel truly far from home and landed somewhere special.
Above and beyond any physical construction, however, it’s the famously passionate Brazilian crowd that makes Rock In Rio an event to remember for a lifetime and history plays a big role in this.
Conceived by Brazilian businessman Roberto Medina, Rock In Rio began in 1985, the biggest rock concert in the Americas at the time and held just down the road from where it is now. It was held at a time when Brazil was emerging from a period of military rule, marking a time of liberation. Subsequent editions, including a reciprocal event in Lisbon, extend this deeper role as more than simply a music event.
It faced a big backlash in its attempt to continue business. The more lax but still conservative authorities were afraid of the empowerment it would give ordinary citizens, so it was stunted; this is according to Roberto’s daughter and vice president Roberta Medina.
But it’s held strong – to the delight of most Brazilians – after numerous teething problems. And it is still carrying the booking weight it did in ’85 now, too. The prerequisite for booking is bold: it wants the biggest bands in the world; and it gets the biggest bands in the world.
