Rio de Janeiro, August 2026 – At a music festival, thousands of strangers arrive already having something in common. They love the same artists, know the same songs and share the same passion for music. The challenge is simply finding each other.
At Rock in Rio Brazil 2026, Heineken®, an official festival sponsor, is introducing The Clinker, a new experience that turns shared music tastes into an opportunity for real life connection.
The activation is the latest expression of Fans Have More Friends, Heineken®’s multi- year approach built around a simple belief: shared passions give people an immediate reason to connect. Whether it is a team, an artist or a cultural obsession, fandom creates common ground between strangers- and Heineken® wants to help turn that common ground into new connections in real life.
At Rock in Rio, The Clinker brings that belief to life through music. Using smart bands wrapped around Heineken® cans and glasses, the experience identifies festival goers with similar musical tastes, from favorite artists and genres to shared cultural references. When two fans cross paths, they first cheers together, then their bands reveal whether their music tastes match turning a simple cheers into an instant opportunity to discover a new connection.
Hundreds of devices will be available throughout Cidade do Rock, with the experience centered around an exclusive Heineken® space near the World Stage. There, matches become an invitation for fans to connect with the person right there in front of them and cheers together over a Heineken®.
The connections also become part of the festival soundtrack itself. As matches happen, the experience captures the musical affinities bringing people together, with the strongest matches
generating signals that can influence the DJ’s next tracks. – Rather than using technology to keep people looking at a screen, The Clinker uses it to create a reason to look up and discover who is around them transforming data about individual music tastes into spontaneous social encounters.
The idea builds on a behavior identified in Heineken®’s “Reset da Mesmice” study, conducted in partnership with Box1824. According to the research, one in four Brazilians sees festivals as an opportunity to genuinely connect with artists and discover new music beyond recommendation algorithms.
The Clinker will be activated in Brazil for the first time at Rock in Rio, bringing an idea with global relevance to one of the world’s most iconic music festivals.
Alongside The Clinker, Heineken® and Spotify will also bring The Loudest Playlist to Cidade do Rock, revisiting an experience that transforms the collective energy of the crowd into a live festival playlist. Structures equipped with decibel meters and seismographs near the World Stage will measure the intensity of audience reactions throughout Rock in Rio. The data will feed into a continuously evolving Spotify playlist, with one simple rule: the louder fans sing, the higher the song climbs.
The experience captures which songs, artists and fandoms generate the strongest collective response, creating a digital record of the festival shaped not by recommendation algorithms, but by the voices of the people who were there. Throughout Rock in Rio, Heineken® will also use the data to create content and cultural insights around the music and fandoms generating the biggest reactions.
“Rock in Rio is a gathering of music, but it is also a gathering of people. Every edition shows us how fans create their own codes, make plans together, take over the city, and transform concerts into collective memories. In 2026, we want to strengthen this behavior even further through experiences like The Clinker, The Loudest Playlist and activations that connect Cidade
do Rock with Rio de Janeiro. The ‘Fans Have More Friends’ campaign captures exactly this idea: when music brings people together, new connections happen naturally for Heineken® in Brazil.” says Williane Vieira, Brand Marketing Manager.
“Fandom gives strangers something incredibly valuable: an immediate reason to talk to each other. The Clinker takes something technology normally uses to connect us digitally
preferences – and uses it to create connections in the real world – our tastes and instead. And that’s exactly what Fans Have More Friends is about: turning the things people already love into common ground for meeting someone new. The best outcome isn’t a match on a wristband. It’s two people raising a Heineken® together afterwards” says Bruno Bertelli, Global CEO, LePub and CCO, LePub Worldwide.
The Clinker will be available throughout Rock in Rio Brazil 2026. The Loudest Playlist will evolve throughout the festival and will be available on Spotify.
