Rock in Rio 2026: storms have marked the festival's history; remember

Rain and Rock in Rio have a long history together. Since the festival's first edition in 1985, storms have transformed the audience's experience and become part of the event's memory. The most emblematic episode happened exactly in that year, when heavy rain hit Rock City in Jacarepaguá and turned the grounds into a huge mud pit. Images of the audience covered in mud became one of the marks of the festival's debut. The first edition, held between January 11 and 20, 1985, brought together approximately 1.38 million people over ten days. The rain hit Rock City at different moments during the schedule and created difficulties for the public to move around. Even with the muddy terrain, the shows went on as normal. Among the most remembered images is Queen's performance, with Freddie Mercury at the front of a massive crowd that faced the mud to watch the band. The episode remains as one of the most iconic moments in the festival's history, demonstrating the audience's commitment even in the face of adverse conditions caused by the storms.