Get Ready To Rock In Rio!

[caption id="attachment_2159" align="aligncenter" width="610"] Rock in Rio is one of the world's biggest music festivals / source[/caption] Music lovers: it's time to start planning your vacation to Brazil in 2015. One of the largest rock festivals in the world is getting ready to return to Rio de Janeiro in 2015. Rock in Rio is on a scale of it's own. Created by Roberto Medina, the first concert was way back in 1985, attracting a staggering 1.5 million people. The franchise then moved to Lisbon, Portugal, and then Madrid, Spain, keeping its name despite the change in location. In 2015 it heads to the USA for the first time, taking place in Las Vegas over two weekends. The USA edition of Rock In Rio already has a stellar line-up and massive preparations are in place to put on one of the biggest shows ever. But enough about those places, let's look what is in store for Rio. Ticket sales have just started, selling at the pre-sale price of a cool R$320 (roughly USD$123). Since the website was already crashing under the number of visitors on day one, even though the festival only take place next September, you can bet on it being massive! [caption id="attachment_2158" align="aligncenter" width="540"] A truly global festival / source[/caption]

Here's What You Need To Know:

• Rock in Rio takes place in Rio de Janeiro on 18, 19, 20, 24, 25, 26 and 27 September 2015.
• So far, only 3 headliners have been announced:  System of a Down, Katy Perry and John Legend.
• To stay up to date on all the latest developments (and to bag yourself some tickets before the prices go up) head to the Rock in Rio's official website.
• Rock in Rio isn't just about music. The festival complex is massive, with themed streets selling food and drinks. Plus, if the music isn't entertaining enough, in the past there's been a rollercoaster, climbing wall, turbo drop, ferris wheel, and, get this, a zipline over the crowd.

[caption id="attachment_2160" align="aligncenter" width="540"] You can even zipline over the crowd... / source[/caption]

Why You Need To Be There:

If you haven't already heard about this legendary festival, here are some fun facts about previous editions.

• In 2013, 595,000 people attended. That's enough people to fill the Maracanã stadium 7 times.
• The huge crowds were treated to 105 hours of music. That's around 1570 songs playing non-stop.
• With all those people a total of 280,000 hamburgers were eaten, 540,000 litres of beer was drunk and 9.7 tons of potato chips were devoured.
• For more mind-blowing facts about the scope of this festival, check out this cool infographic on the 2013 edition in Rio.

Besides the size, the festival has gained legendary status thanks to the incredible calibre of artists that have graced its stage. Previous headliners include Queen, Guns n' Roses, ACDC, Ozzy Osbourne, Metallica, James Taylor, Rod Stewart, Neil Young, Paul Mccartney, Iron Maiden, Smashing Pumpkins Queens of the Stone Age, Foo Fighters, REM, INXS, Prince, George Michael and more. It's not just rock. The festival aims for a large diversity of bands and singers, so that there is something for everyone. These big names have also played over the years: Katy Perry, Britney Spears, Beyoncé, Coldplay, Amy Winehouse, N Sync, Lorde, Kings of Leon, David Guetta, John Mayer, Cypress Hill, Megadeth, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Florence the Machine, and the list goes on. So you can buy your ticket ahead of the full line-up announcement with all the assurance that it's going to be big, it's going to be crazy, and your mind will be blown by a week of music's greatest names. Never mind Carnival or the 2016 Olympics. If live music is what inspires you then this is the event that you need to attend in 2015. So get your tickets now, start saving and get ready for one of the best (if not the best) music festival experiences of your life! Have you been to a previous edition of Rock in Rio? Let us know your best festival tips on Rdj4u's Facebook Page!  Written by Nicole Eberhard