Have you ever heard of the biggest festival in the world? Well this is it. Rock in Rio. It started in 1985 in its original form in the beautiful city of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. In 2004 they made it international and started the Lisbon edition that happens every other year in central Lisbon and then spread to Madrid and now it’s going to USA starting in Las Vegas in 2015!
I’ve had the pleasure to be in over 7 Rock in Rio editions in Portugal, Spain and Brazil and it is without a doubt the largest festival in the world, not just because of the artists that it attracts, for example everyone remembers a very iconic Queen show in Rio called “Queen: Live in Rio,” which happened in Rock in Rio first edition of the festival with over 1.5million people.
This is not your usual festival with a stage, some rollercoasters and some bars for entertainment, this is a festival that makes the “city of rock” come to life. The city of rock is a city they build just for this festival with entertainment centers, huge VIP tent, art and crafts and a lot of stages across an area of 250,000 m².
What makes this festival so special and iconic is not just the millions of people that attend or the artists, but the architecture and scenery where these festivals are located. As you can see with this picture, the stages are designing like no others giving you a completely out of this world experience. And when you make a trip to Rock in Rio location you not only go to an amazing festival with guaranteed great music but you also get to visit some of the most beautiful cities in the world.
Let’s start with Rio de Janeiro, this is by far the most beautiful cities in the world in my opinion, you have the forest, the beach, the beautiful people, the favelas, the surf, the music, the nightlife, the food, the caipirinhas (don’t leave Brazil without drinking one of those!!), the mountains and so on.. Literally you will leave Rio thinking about how you can move there permanently. Buy your tickets well in advance.. Remember this is a day ticket only festival, you can’t buy camping or weekend tickets, you need to book accommodation and I recommend staying around Recreio area which is by the beach and outside the main center (Copacabana etc) and that way you can have a relaxed holiday by the beach and avoid the huge traffic jam that happens in Rio.
Lisbon location. Are you a Europe fan? Well Lisbon has it all, the sun, the drinks, the history, the museums, the monuments, the custard cakes, the beer and fish dishes (try Sardines!)
Lisbon has one of the most central city airports, you can fly in really cheaply from most places in Europe or major destinations from USA and just arrive in the center of the city and get yourself the underground to anywhere you want. The public transport in Lisbon is great and cheap compared to the rest of Europe. You can still buy a beer for 50 cents (euro) in the bars in Bairro Alto. This is the place to stay and go to for a night out! Lisbon has a lot to offer with a mix of old and modern you can pick and choose. The festival location is also very central and you can get the underground (Bela Vista station) or a taxi for 10 euros to anywhere central.
Enjoy either of these cities and make sure you speak Portuguese and not Spanish!
Now on to Las Vegas!
Written by FestPop Senior Editor
Eva Criner da Cunha
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