Features
UK/Euro Lineups: 10th Rock In Rio Lisbon, RaR/RiP Unveil Entire Bill & More
Festivals have begun announcing their 2024 lineups, and it’s looking to be another summer that’ll get music fans their money’s worth.
Portugal
Rock In Rio Lisbon Turns 20
Rock In Rio returns to Lisbon, Portugal, for a double-weekender, June 15-16 and 22-23, taking place in a new venue, the stunning Parque Tejo Lisboa.
The festival celeberates its 10th edition since being launched 20 years ago. The celebrations will be led by Ed Sheeran, who will headline Rock In Rio Lisbon on June 16 – ten years after performing on the festival’s main stage for the first time.
The bill that day also includes UK native Calum Scott, Brazilian pop sensation Jão, and Portugal’s own Fernando Daniel. Since launching in 2004, Rock in Rio Lisbon, by its own admission, has welcomed more than three million visitors to the Cidade do Rock (City of Rock), which now moves to the Parque Tejo Lisboa, and introduces a new stage.
Speaking about the milestone, Roberta Medina, vice president of brand reputation at Rock World, commented, “Looking back and seeing Rock in Rio’s journey since arriving in Portugal in 2004, how much the festival and the market have evolved, the challenges we’ve overcome, the legacy we’ve already left behind, all the people we’ve made a mark on and the projects we’ve created and supported over the years that would allow us to help transform lives, that’s what makes it worthwhile. And that’s what we want to celebrate, with all those who made these 20 years possible. Since it’s not every day that you turn 20, we’re going to do what we do best, party! Having Ed Sheeran back at the City of Rock, we couldn’t have a better start! This will undoubtedly be a historic edition.”
Next year not only mark’s the 20th anniversary of Rock in Rio Lisbon, but also the 40th anniversary of the original Rock in Rio in Brazil. For forty years, Rock in Rio has been a beacon of musical excellence, showcasing an array of iconic artists that have defined generations. From Queen and Prince to Beyoncé, Coldplay and AC/DC, the festival’s stage has borne witness to some of the most unforgettable performances in music history. Beyond the music, Rock in Rio has championed vital causes, making an indelible mark in the realms of environmental and social activism.
Tickets, ranging from £74 ($91) for a day ticket, to £129 ($160) for a weekend ticket, to £315 ($390) for a VIP-day ticket, are on sale.
See: Rock In Rio Sets Ticket Sales Record
Germany
Rock am Ring/Rock im Park Unveil Full 2024 Lineup
German twin festivals Rock am Ring and Rock im Park, June 7-9, welcome rock royalty in the form of Green Day, Måneskin, Avenged Sevenfold, Billy Talent, Broilers, Parkway Drive, Queens Of The Stone Age, German rock icons Die Ärzte, Kraftklub, and more.
It marks the first time in the festivals’ history – Rock am Ring turns 40 in 2025, Rock im Park 30 – that the full lineup is being announced in one go. Green Day will visit RiP/RaR as part of their “Saviors” world tour, celebrating the 30th anniversary of “Dookie” as well as the 20th anniversary of “American Idiot,” two album milestones in their own right.
Other confirmed artists include Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor, Volbeat frontman Michael Poulsen’s project Asinhell, Keanu Reeves’ Dogstar, Deftones frontman Chino Moreno’s side project ††† (Crosses), and Ice-T’s Body Count.
And the list goes on: punk rock from Dropkick Murphys, The Interrupters, Pennywise, good-old heavy metal from Kreator, Machine Head, or Biohazard, German rap stars like
Trettmann or Antilopen Gang, as well as Against The Current, Enter Shikari, Guano Apes, Royal Blood, Wanda, and many more.
Rock am Ring takes place on the legendary Nürburgring race course, Rock im Park on Nürnberge’s Zeppelinfeld. Tickets are on sale, starting at €199 ($211) for a weekend pass, excluding parking and/or camping.
Czech Republic
“Gloria” At Colours Of Ostrava
Colours of Ostrava, the Czech Republic’s multi-genre main event, has unveiled Sam Smith as it first headliner for next year’s edition, July 17-20.
Uniquely located in an old strip mine, the festival has hosted Gorillaz, The xx, Björk, The Cure, Macklemore, Jamiroquai, Florence + the Machine, Imagine Dragons, OneRepublic, Rag N Bone Man, Tame Impala, or N.E.R.D in the past.
Sam Smith will bring his current show “Gloria” to Colours of Ostrava, which his agent, CAA’s Summer Marshall, described as “extraordinary and uplifting art. I encourage everyone to see Sam perform,” in a recent interview with Pollstar. The festival’s artistic director, Zlata Holušová, revealed the first name at a meet-and-greet with fans in Ostrava.
Sam Smith is currently touring Australia, after a successful North American run in summer. Some highlight’s from the Pollstar Boxoffice include two sold-out nights at Madison Square Garden, NY, Aug. 8-9, clocking in 26,174 tickets for a $2,164,843 gross; a sold out Bell Centre in Montreal, QC, Aug. 12 (13,549 tickets, $974,483 gross); or 9,778 tickets at San Francisco’s Chase Center, grossing $1,004,136
on Aug. 28.
Tickets for Colours of Ostrava, including four-day tickets for €161 ($171), and four-day VIP Tickets starting at €470 ($499), are on sale.
UK
Slam Dunk, the UK’s self-proclaimed “biggest independent rock festival,” returns to England’s South and North with two editions, May 25-26.
The confirmed, shared lineup includes You Me At Six, All American Rejects, and I Prevail at the top of the bill, alongside Funeral For A Friend, Asking Alexandria, Waterparks, Palaye Royale, Pale Waves, and more.
Also on the lineup are Boys Like Girls, who just released Sunday at Foxwoods, their first album in over a decade, punk-rock legends We The Kings, Houston, TX’s pop-punk export Waterparks, as well as Leeds’ very own Artio making their Slam Dunk debut.
Slam Dunk Festival South takes place Saturday, May 25, at Hatfield Park, Slam Dunk Festival North goes down in Temple Newsam, Leeds, the day after.
Tickets are on sale, until Nov. 10 at the early-bird rate of £108.90 ($132).
Reggae Land Reveals 2024 Dates & First Headliners
Reggae Land, after an epic 2023 edition with 30,000 people, more than 80 artists, four stages of music, will move to a new location next year, Aug. 3-4.
The festival’s Saturday will be headlined by UB40 feat. Ali Campbell, Sunday by Morgan Heritage. The rest of the line-up will feature reggae icons past, present and future.
Aside from music across four stages, visitors can look forward to a Reggae flea market, a fairground, an entire Carnival float, a VIP zone, mouthwatering Caribbean food and drinks.
Tickets, starting at the early-bird rate of £44.42 ($55) for a day ticket, are on sale.
Duran Duran To Headline Latitude
Latitude Festival returns to Henham Park in Suffolk, England, July 25-28. Promoter Festival Republic just announced the first headliner: Duran Duran, who will take the stage at the festival’s Obelisk Arena.
A wide variety of tickets are now on sale.
Denmark
First Names For Roskilde
The 52nd edition of Roskilde Festival is scheduled to go down June 29-July 6, and has announced the first 16 artists to take a stage at Denmark’s main event in 2024.
British veteran PJ Harvey, as well as Colombian-American singer/songwriter Kali Uchis have been confirmed as the first two headliners of Roskilde 2024, with Romy, Trueno, The Armed, Blondshell, and more.
Program director Anders Wahrén commented, “We have long been a progressive festival with an international perspective, and we continue to push ourselves to achieve this goal. Our aim is to inspire every single person of our 130,000 festival-goers with a diverse program characterized by artistic curiosity and groundbreaking headliners in a unique festival environment.”
Aside from music, the program of Roskilde will once again comprise art, activism, keynotes, and workshops, which will be announced in the coming months.
Tickets for Roskilde 2024 are on sale. Full festival tickets, granting admission from June 29 to July 6 start at DKK 2,400 ($345), day passes start at DKK 1,200 ($172).