09/06/2026
“Rush Fest in Criciúma can no longer be described simply as a fan gathering. To me, it has another meaning. For me, and for everyone who has experienced it, it truly is the biggest gathering of Rush fans in the world. But above all, it is a reunion of souls united by music.
This was my second time there. I came back changed. More moved, more emotional, with the feeling of having lived something difficult to explain to anyone who wasn’t there. With each edition, we arrive as fans, but leave as part of a family.
After two flights and a bus ride to Criciúma, nothing felt exhausting. I was going to see friends again, hug people Rush placed in my path, and celebrate my own story.
Rush Fest begins before the first chord is played. It starts in the conversations, in the plans, and in the desire to reunite with dear friends. And when the moment finally comes, everything becomes emotion. The hugs last longer, the conversations continue right where they left off, and the music reaches the heart in a different way.
In Criciúma, every song carries more weight. We sing, laugh, and get emotional together. Just looking around is enough to understand, it’s not only about music. It’s about belonging, memory, and friendship.
Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart created more than an extraordinary body of work. They created bridges between people, cities, generations, and emotions. Rush turned strangers into friends, and friends into family. Rush Fest is living proof of that.
Every time we go, we become part of something rare, something that happens every two years but remains alive for much longer. Saying goodbye hurts. We return home carrying exhaustion, longing, gratitude, and the wish that it never ends.
Because Rush Fest Brazil is already part of our history.
And just like Rush, it deserves to be eternal.”
João Carvalho
Editor of RushBrasil.com
Fan since 1985