Ed Sheeran was unveiled as the first rock music headliner at Rio Lisbon’s 20th anniversary party.
The festival, first held once in 2004, returns to Portugal for two weekends: 15–16 and 22–23 June 2024. Sheeran, who previously performed at the event in 2014, will headline the main stage on June 16.
The festival will take place in a new venue in Lisbon’s Tagus Park, with a capacity of 80,000 people, and will include a new stage and a daily audiovisual show to celebrate the anniversary. Meanwhile, a new Route 85 area will allow the public to learn more about the history of the event.
“Looking back and seeing the journey of Rock in Rio since arriving in Portugal in 2004, we see how much the festival and the market have changed, the challenges we have overcome, the legacy we have already left behind, all the people we have marketing, and It’s also the projects we’ve created and supported over the years that will allow us to help change lives—that’s what makes it worthwhile,” says Roberto Medina, Vice President of Brand Reputation at Rock World. “And that’s what we want to celebrate with all those who made these 20 years possible.
“With Ed Sheeran returning to Rock City, we couldn’t have had a better start! This will undoubtedly be a historic publication.”
“Since it’s not every day you turn 20, we’re going to do what we do best – have fun! With Ed Sheeran back in Rock City, we couldn’t be off to a better start! This will undoubtedly be a historic publication.”
In addition to Rock in Rio Lisbon, festivals have previously been held under this banner in Madrid (Spain) and Las Vegas (USA).
The Rock in Rio event, celebrating the festival’s 40th anniversary in Brazil, where the festival began in 1985, is also scheduled for next year from September 13 to 15 and 19 to 21. The 100,000-person festival attracted 700,000 fans over seven days in 2022, with Iron Maiden, Post Malone, Justin Bieber, Guns N’ Roses, Green Day, Coldplay and Dua Lipa headlining.
Medina’s Rock in Rio spin-off The Town debuted in Sao Paulo last month at Interlagos Speedway, drawing 500,000 fans over five days to see the likes of Post Malone, Foo Fighters, Maroon 5 and Bruno Mars.
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