Fans who attended Rock in Rio 2026 on Friday night avoided the rain that was falling across much of Brazil because the Fundação Cacique Cobra Coral, an esoteric foundation dedicated to weather intervention, responded to an emergency request to keep the festival dry, according to the foundation.
Osmar Tunikito Santos, spokesman for the foundation, told CNN Brasil that the request did not come from Roberto Medina, the creator of Rock in Rio. He said that despite the foundation's affection and respect for Medina, the request came from another interested party, a legal entity that included a confidentiality clause in its contract, which the foundation was respecting.
The performers who benefited most were the acts who took the stage that night, including the South Korean groups Stray Kids, Hwasa and Nexz, as well as Brazilian DJ Alok, and musicians Jamiroquai and PJ Morton.
Confusion over who made the request
Other outlets had reported that Rio de Janeiro's city hall was also behind a request to Cacique Cobra Coral to ease the rain across the city over the weekend. Santos told CNN Brasil that was not the case. He said the client was a private company that the foundation has served for years on climate matters, and that the company made the request and the foundation responded to it.
The rainy weather affecting Brazil over the weekend had raised concerns for outdoor events, and the dry conditions during Friday's lineup at Rock in Rio drew attention on social media, where users joked about the foundation's involvement.
One person wrote online that Stray Kids member Bang Chan must have paid Cacique Cobra Coral so it would not rain during the show, adding that they could hardly believe it. Another user joked that Alok must have hired the foundation to protect his drone display from the weather.
What is the Cacique Cobra Coral Foundation?
The Fundação Cacique Cobra Coral is an esoteric institution based in Guarulhos, in the state of São Paulo. It was founded in 1931 with the stated goal of intervening in natural imbalances caused by human activity.
The organisation is led by Adelaide Scritori, a medium who says she channels the spirit of Cacique Cobra Coral, an entity that, according to the foundation's beliefs, has inhabited past lives including those of the astronomer Galileo Galilei and former U.S. president Abraham Lincoln.
The foundation's main activity is carrying out mystical operations intended to influence the weather, such as drawing rain toward river basins or steering storms away from specific locations on chosen dates. It has been invoked in Brazil for decades around major outdoor events, and its claims remain unverified by scientific means.
Rock in Rio, the festival where Friday's shows took place, is one of the largest music festivals in the world and has been staged in Rio de Janeiro since it was founded by Roberto Medina.
