According to Luis Justo, of Rock World, the reduction of the audience will be necessary to correct the problems of moving between stages in the debut edition of the festival, in 2023.
In an interview behind the scenes at Rock in Rio Lisboa, on Saturday 15th, the CEO of Rock World, Luis Justo, underlined an important change in the second edition of the The city, scheduled for September 2025. Contrary to what happened at the first, in 2023, when it received 100 thousand people a day – there were 5 days in total -, the festival will suffer a small reduction in attendance. “We are studying how much this reduction will be, but it will happen,” Justo said.
According to the manager, this will be necessary to correct some problems that occurred within the Autódromo during the first edition. One of the points of greatest tension in the five days of the event was the movement of the audience between the Skyline and The One stages, which concentrated the main attractions of the festival and were set up in the same area of the Autódromo, almost in a straight line.
With the shows alternating between one and the other, the audience had to move between the stages, causing real human congestion, with quite a bit of jostling and the risk of trampling or other accidents.
“With fewer people, the experience and comfort will be better, especially regarding the flow between the stages. Especially since there were some points in the renovation plan of the Autódromo that were not realized (by the City of San Paolo),” Justo said. According to him, the reduction will be announced before the opening of ticket sales, with no date set yet. There will be no change in the number of days, 5 in total.
Justo also said that the surroundings of the Autódromo, with the narrower streets and the difficulty of getting the public to the nearest metro station, even with the extended opening hours of public transport on the days of the festival, were two other factors who weighed on the decision.
Despite the problems highlighted by the organization itself, the vice president of Rock World, Roberta Medina, stated, also in an interview backstage at Rock in Rio Lisboa, for which the report of Estadao he traveled at the invitation of the event’s production team, saying that the Autódromo de Interlagos “is the home of The Town”.
No attractions have been announced for The Town at this time. This Monday 19th, the official profile of the festival has hinted that the singer Luísa Sonza will be one of the guests. She is also scheduled for Rock in Rio Lisboa, where she will perform on June 23, and Rock in Rio, on September 22.
In Lisbon, Rock in Rio has changed location after 20 years. It started from Parque Bela Vista, in the parish of Marvila, an area located in the eastern part of the Portuguese capital, to Parque Tejo, near the airport. The site hosted World Youth Day in 2023 and sparked controversy among the Portuguese due to the amount invested in its adaptation: the park was built where there was once a landfill.
Regarding the report of Estadao noted, the public exit from the Rock in Rio Lisboa, Saturday and Sunday, 3pm and 4pm, was quiet, with little congestion of cars and buses in the streets around Parque Tejo. The nearest metro station is a three-kilometer walk from the event location. The audience for the first two days of Rock in Rio Lisboa 2024 was 80 thousand people per day.
Source: Terra
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
