Sónar prepares for its last edition in Montjuïc

This year, Sónar by Day will celebrate its last edition in Montjuïc. The modernization works of the fairgrounds for its centenary will affect the Plaça del Univers, in a process of reconversion of the Fira de Barcelona facilities to get up to date, but also to open up to the neighborhood and provide it with equipment. We will have to say goodbye to the grass where so many have spent hours lying in the sun listening to young promises who later became headliners of Sónar by Night, held at the Gran Via fairgrounds, in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat.

"We encourage everyone to come and have the last dance," said Sónar executive director, Ventura Barba. He did not want to reveal where the 2026 edition will be held, but he explained that they have been working for a long time with Fira de Barcelona and the L'Hospitalet de Llobregat City Council to define it. "Sónar 2026 will be really cool," he said.

Pending further details, the electronic music festival has announced this year's lineup, which will feature Nathy Peluso, one of its classics. The Argentine artist based in Barcelona will present her show Grasa, with which she has won three Latin Grammy awards and which will be seen for the first time in Spain. Many remember her performance in the 2022 edition, when she shared the stage with C Tangana to give the audience an unforgettable Ateo. As if that weren't enough, she will also DJ six hands, with Chris Collins and Afri K, from the afro house collective Zsongo Club.

But Maria Arnal, Samanta Hudson and Alizzz will also return. The first will do so to present her research at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), with which she has collected more than 14,000 synthetic voices and has trained artificial intelligence (AI) models. It will be a first taste of her next album. The artist from Castelldefels will present his latest album, Conducción temeraria. Without a doubt, Samanta Hudson will not disappoint with Música para muñecas.

As it could not be otherwise, there will be premieres. One of the most anticipated will be that of guitarist and composer Yerai Cortés, who was supposed to perform at Sónar last year but canceled after cutting a finger tendon with a glass a few days before the festival. If nothing happens, he will step onto the Sónar stage for the first time with Guitarra Coral. Other names like Raül Refree and El Niño de Elche will also contribute their flamenco vision, in their case, with scenography by Marta Pazos.

Mushkaa will also debut, with her album Nova bossa, but more surprising is the arrival of composer Raquel García-Tomás, winner of the National Music Award and best known for operas like Alexina B. Sónar will sponsor her concert at the Palau de la Música with a repertoire by Steve Reich.

More than 200 proposals will fill the 32nd edition of Sónar, which will be held from June 12 to 14. They will be distributed among the ten stages of Sónar by Day and Sónar by Night, in addition to the spaces of Sónar+D, the festival's program where reflection and innovation take place. Obviously, one more year, artificial intelligence will be discussed. "When we started talking about AI with artists ten years ago, questions were raised about algorithmic biases, privacy, or surveillance. We didn't pay enough attention to them. All these pieces were already there and now we are encountering them," says Sónar+D curator, Antònia Folguera. Quantum and genetic research will also have a prominent space, and there will even be a replica of the apse of Sant Climent de Taüll.