Rock in Rio (RIR) is back in Portugal this year and they are celebrating 20 years of Rock in Rio Lisboa! The music festival will happen over two weekends, June 15th – 16th and 22nd – 23rd. To commemorate 20 years, RIR Lisboa will take place at a new, larger venue at Parque Tejo, Lisboa. To celebrate 20 years of RIR, let’s talk about its history and this year’s lineup.
The history
Rock in Rio was founded in 1985 by Roberto Medina in Brazil. It was the first festival of its kind to be hosted in South America. The original Cidade do Rock (Rock City) was built in Rio for the first edition of the festival and although the original site in Rio no longer exists, the phrase “Cidade do Rock” continues to be used to reference the Rock in Rio festival grounds. After Brazil hosted their first 3 editions of RIR in 1985, 1991, and 2001, Roberto brought RIR to Lisbon in 2004. Madrid and Las Vegas have also had their own edition(s) of RIR over the years. RIR continues to take place in Rio and Lisbon, both hosting their 10th edition of the festival this year.
As RIR continues to grow and entertain festivalgoers, they strive to support surrounding communities and be a climate-conscious music festival. Some notable efforts include planting 3.9 million trees for reforestation projects, installing 760 solar panels across 38 schools in Portugal, and constructing 100 classrooms in Brazil. To learn more about RIR’s efforts, you can read their 2022 sustainability report here.
The 2024 Line Up
June 15th
Scorpions
Evanescence
Extreme
Xutos e Pontapés
Europe
hybrid theory
pluto
Rival Sons
June 16th
Ed Sheeran
Calum Scott
Jão
Fernando Daniel
Lukas Graham
hybrid theory
Jake Bugg
Carolina de Deus
Diego Miranda
June 22nd
Jonas Brothers
Macklemore
Ivete Sangalo
Carolina Deslandes
James
Filipe Karlsson
Kura
June 23rd
Doja Cat
Camila Cabello
Ne-yo
Aitana
Luísa Sonza
Pedro Sampaio
Anselmo Ralph
Soraia Ramos
You can find the updated line-up here.
In addition to the many stages where you can listen to music and watch performers, this year’s Cidade do Rock will also feature a Ferris wheel and a large slide. Other features of Rock City will include Rock Street, Chef’s Garden, and a sports bar (perfect if you need to catch a Euro Cup game in between performances).
Happy Travels!
Vanessa
