Rock in Rio: countdown to a very special edition in partnership with Visit Rio

For more than thirteen years at the helm of one of the largest music festivals in the world, Luis Justo, general director of Rock in Rio, is a prominent name in the Brazilian creative industry, responsible for leading local companies with international projection. In an exclusive interview, the businessman tells us about the historic edition that celebrates, like Visit Rio, its 40th anniversary this 2024. On the occasion of this celebration, both companies have created an alliance to offer discounts on tourist attractions in the city.

Justo also shares his vision on the role of the festival in strengthening tourism and promoting the image of Rio de Janeiro, in addition to revealing new features for this historic edition, such as the commemorative video mapping in Palco Mundo and the debut of Global Village and Dia Brasil.

Visit Rio: This year, Rock in Rio celebrates 40 years and one of the novelties is the partnership with Visit Rio to offer discounts on tourist attractions in the city. How can this initiative enrich the experience of Rock in Rio participants and what are the expectations regarding the impact of the Festival on local tourism?

Luis Justo: Rock in Rio has always carried the name of the city in its brand, even when the editions are held abroad. That is why, over these 40 years, we also had the idea of ​​celebrating the city. And in that context, the partnership with Visit Rio was born, with the proposal to use the festival as a platform to publicize the attractions and possibilities that tourists who visit Rio de Janeiro find: entertainment, nature and fun. Considering that we will receive around 400 thousand people, with a large number of tourists coming from outside the state, and that the travel profile of this visitor is a stay of three to four days, this discount on attractions is an opportunity for the public to get to know the city better beyond Rock in Rio. According to the Getúlio Vargas Foundation, the economic impact should be approximately R$ 3 billion for the Rio economy.

VR: How do you evaluate the impact of Rock in Rio on the international projection of Rio de Janeiro, considering that the Festival bears the name of the city and has established itself as one of the largest events in the world and one of the main events in Rio? How does Rock in Rio help to highlight the city and Brazilian culture to an international audience?

LJ: Over the course of these 40 years, the Festival has had other editions around the world, such as in Portugal, which we have been holding permanently for 20 years, and, more recently, in Madrid and Las Vegas. In this way, we promote the strength of Rock in Rio, which is now considered the largest music festival in the world, among the national and international public. At the same time, we understand that, thanks to this international projection, we were able to associate within the spirit of our brand this representation of Rio de Janeiro as an attractive destination, with natural beauty and full of possibilities that people want to come and discover.

VR: How has Rock in Rio contributed to attracting foreign investment and boosting business opportunities for Rio de Janeiro?

LJ: Rock in Rio is, in fact, a business driver. Being a major event, it has a large chain of suppliers and giant partners. More than 28 thousand direct jobs are created during the days of the event. On the other hand, I think that RiR brings with it the merit and responsibility of promoting the entertainment scene in the state, opening the country's doors to important international tours and demonstrating that the country is capable of making high-level productions.

VR: Rock in Rio has always stood out for offering a unique experience to the public and has expanded globally over the years. Could you share what novelties and innovations we can expect at the next edition of RiR? Also, what are the future plans for the Festival?

LJ: We have several new features for this historic edition. One of them is that we will have two main stages, with Sunset gaining the same size as the World stage, in all technical aspects. The World stage, in particular, will gain more screens and will feature a surprise: the video mapping celebrating these 40 years, presented every night, before the main show. In addition, we will have several new attractions, such as the Global Village, which is an evolution of Rock Street, whose idea is to represent the five continents and not just a specific region. Thus, we will have a large immersive district with lots of scenery, many street attractions and international performances on the stage of this large thematic district. Another very interesting news is that we are also producing a musical that pays tribute to our own history over these 40 years. In Broadway style, it will take place exclusively within the event in the Olympic arenas. And to close this celebration and prepare the best Rock in Rio of all time, we will also have, for the first time, the Day of Brazil, which aims to bring a series of presentations of Brazilian musical styles to the city of Rock.

VR: You were at the helm of Osklen for eleven years, a brand that reflects the essence of what Rio de Janeiro means to the world. Based on this experience with two iconic Brazilian brands, what is your perception of the image of Rio de Janeiro abroad?

LJ: Despite the challenges that all large metropolises have and face, Rio de Janeiro has a great difference that lies in our culture. I followed the importance of this attribute in the two experiences I had, with Brazilian fashion, in my time at Osklen with Brazil Soul, in which we export that culture of urban attitude mixed with nature, just as Rio de Janeiro offers; and with our cultural scene, this visibility that we have of events that have become the city's trademark, such as Carnival, New Year's Eve and Rock in Rio itself, therefore, we have this image of a happy city, where people have the opportunity to live experiences, something increasingly sought after by travelers from all over the world. I think that Rio de Janeiro has everything to continue on the path to consolidate itself as one of the capitals of experiences in the world, since we bring together in a single city attributes of nature, events, hospitality and gastronomy, which is the combo that this public is looking for.

The Rock in Rio festival will take place between September 13 and 22, 2024 in Rio de Janeiro and some of the most anticipated performers include Imagine Dragons, Travis Scott, Ed Sheeran and Katy Perry. 

Source: Visit Rio.