Barcelona's Sónar 2026 festival opens this Thursday, June 17, with a significant format change, moving all musical programming to the Fira Gran Via exhibition centre. The Prodigy will headline the electronic music event, alongside Skepta, Kelis, Amelie Lens, Charlotte de Witte, and Cabaret Voltaire.
New Vision for Sónar Festival
The festival expects approximately 160,000 attendees across all its activities. François Jozic takes over as festival director this year, succeeding founders Enric Palau, Ricard Robles, and Sergio Caballero. Jozic stated in a May press conference that the festival will be "more Sónar than ever," embracing the challenge and honour of his new role with a fresh vision. He described this edition as "almost a new edition zero, a new stage" for the event.
This year's musical programme eliminates the previous distinction between Sónar by Day and Sónar by Night. It features over 100 performances designed to blend different artistic languages, disciplines, and generations. The Prodigy makes its festival debut on Saturday, June 19. Other notable acts include London rapper Skepta, DJ sets from Charlotte de Witte, Amelie Lens, and Chris Stussy, and live performances by WhoMadeWho and Modeselektor. The improvisation project Stoor with Speedy J also features prominently.
Diverse Line-up and Venues
Additional artists performing include Boys Noize, Joy Orbison, Nia Archives, Daito Manabe, FJAAK x Kittin, Namasenda, Daniel Avery, Metrika, Goldie b2b Doc Scott featuring Medic MC, and Two Sell. Loli Zazou will open the performances on Thursday, June 17, a day that also features Stoor, Metrika, Cabaret Voltaire, Boys Noize, Daniel Avery, and Chris Stussy. Friday, June 18, brings Daito Manabe, Kelis, Skepta, Charlotte de Witte, and Sara Landry to the stage. Saturday's programme, in addition to The Prodigy, includes Tawa, Namasenda, Modeselektor, and Amelie Lens.
Fira Gran Via will host four stages on Thursday and six stages on Friday and Saturday, with half of these located outdoors. Meanwhile, the Sónar+D congress, focusing on creativity, technology, and culture, moves to the historic Llotja de Mar building for Thursday and Friday. Andrea Faroppa, Sónar+D director, explained its programme invites attendees to explore new ways of living with technology, encouraging them to "move from passive users to participants." Sónar+D offers over 95 activities at Llotja de Mar and will also have a presence at Fira Gran Via with the Organysmo architectural structure, developed by LedPulse, and the Dins de Desilence projection.
Accessibility and Family Activities
The OFFSónar event will take place at Poble Espanyol, a unique architectural museum on Montjuïc, from Thursday to Saturday. Additionally, the festival revives Sónar Kids on Saturday, June 19, at Parc del Fòrum, offering activities specifically for younger audiences. This initiative helps make the festival experience accessible to families.
To help attendees travel between the Fira Gran Via venue and the city centre, the festival will operate a shuttle service. This service is particularly important given the late finishing times; Thursday's events conclude at 03:00, while Saturday and Sunday events finish at 07:00. The festival also confirmed that attendees may bring their own food into the venue. These practical arrangements aim to improve the experience for all festival-goers, including Barcelona residents and international visitors.
Sónar 2026's new format and diverse programme aim to solidify its position as a leading global electronic music and digital culture event. The changes reflect an effort to refresh the festival's identity while maintaining its core appeal to a broad audience. The festival's organisers expect a successful edition, building on its legacy with a forward-looking approach.
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Originally published by Europa Press Barcelona. Read original article.
