The 33rd edition of Sónar 2026 is presented as the most ambitious, plural, and most faithful to its original DNA. François Jozic, the festival's new director and CEO, has been very clear: "It is the most special edition. A Sónar rethought, renewed, faithful to its essence. A Sónar more Sónar than ever."
Under this premise, the festival is committed to a profound reform that seeks to "make Barcelona the world capital of digital culture." This is the ambition that François Jozic inherits from the festival and that, this year, he wants to enhance.
The Sónar experience will be lived in a single venue
The most relevant novelty of this 2026 is the end of Sónar by Day and Sónar by Night.The entire musical program will be heldentirely at Fira Gran Via. This decision seeks to improve the experience for both the public and artists, by eliminating travel and unifying the festival in the same space.Miquel Trullols, head of communication, has detailed a series of technical and human improvements that demonstrate that the festival has listened to its community. For the first time, Sónar will offer an unprecedentedly extended program of uninterrupted music: 10 hours on Thursday (with 4 stages) and up to 14 hours on Friday and Saturday (with 6 stages).
But beyond the schedules, the novelties will improve the experience at the venue:
- Goodbye to Cashless: The festival's own payment system is eliminated to return to simpler and more agile methods.
- Re-entry policy: A historical demand that is finally met. With this change, the public will be able to enter and exit the venue to better manage the longer days that will now be concentrated at Fira.
- Water and food: Free drinking water fountains will be installed, and outside food will be allowed.
- Connectivity with the city center: The Sónar Bus service will connect the Fira venue with the center of Barcelona.
- Simplified ticket: There will only be one single ticket for the entire Sónar experience, but prices similar to the old night tickets are maintained so that the festival remains accessible.
The new stages of the Sónar venue
The design of the spaces has been entirely designed together with the cultural architects TWOFIFTYK. In addition to the mythical stages (such as SonarVillage by Estrella Damm or SonarHall), we find these two important novelties:- SonarCar: It is the most ambitious project. A circular stage in 360-degree format where artists are located in the center of the dance floor, surrounded by the audience.
- SonarClub: Defined by Trullols as the "jewel in the crown," this stage aspires to consolidate itself as the best stage in the world for electronic music. In addition, it will feature retractable screens that will transform the visual environment according to the live performance.
The most prominent names on the Sónar 2026 lineup
The most outstanding artist of this edition is, without a doubt, The Prodigy.After 33 years of attempts to hire them by the organization, the British band will debut at the festival to present their greatest hits. Alongside them, British rapcomes from the hand ofSkepta, who will present his new albumFork & Knife.The electronics of always have their reserved space with Cabaret Voltaire. Pioneers Stephen Mallinder and Chris Watson will reunite on stage more than four decades after their debut to celebrate their 50th anniversary with a proposal that moves between post-punk, industrial, and techno.
Large-format clubbing
The SonarClub will be the stage that will host large international productions. In addition to the headliners, this stage will feature four greatshowsaudiovisuals led by the most influential figures of theclubbingactual:- Charlotte de Witte: She will present her self-titled album with a new audiovisual show.
- Amelie Lens: She will deploy AURA, a concept focused on light, movement, and energy.
- Dom Dolla: The Australian will bring his tech-house show.
- Sara Landry: One of the edition's major AV productions from the United States.
Experimentation at Sónar 2026
Beyond the most well-known names, Sónar 2026 also bets on new and experimental formats, such as the following:- STOOR Live: Led by Speedy J, this project proposes 100% improvised sessions in 360º format, where musicians like KiNK, FJAAK, or Luke Slater will create a unique set for the audience.
- R2 (b2b AI): The Dutchman Reinier Zonneveld will present a show where an artificial intelligence trained with his own music will perform alongside him in hologram form.
Diversity is the pillar of the festival
As has been said Cristian Suárez, "Diversity remains the fundamental pillar of Sónar". For this reason, the lineup features prominence forartistas queer and racializedthat have contributed to the expansion of electronic music worldwide. Because in the DNA of Sónar 2026, music is not understood without the communities that make it evolve, such as the following:- Glitterbox: The house party resident at Amnesia in Ibiza comes to Barcelona to celebrate the spirit of Studio 54 without prejudice.
- BULTO: From Bogotá, this fetishist collective uses techno as a tool for bodily liberation and political resistance.
- CARBS: The reference queer session in Madrid will bring a multicolor vision of house to SonarVillage.
Local talent is also present at Sónar 2026
Although Sónar attracts the biggest stars of global electronics,Cristian Suárez,festival programmer, has made it clear thatdiversity and local talent are the great pillars of the programming. The lineup features more than 100 names, but Barcelona and the rest of the country also have their prominence.Ani in the Hall, the Catalan duo that will present Intel·ligència Romàntica, is perhaps the best example of this philosophy: a live performance sung in Catalan where percussion meets dubstep and avant-garde electronics. On the other hand, MERCÈ from Lleida will show us her own universe where electronics mix with video games, with a gamer aesthetic that will flood the dance floor.
We cannot forget icons like Undo, who will present a show with a full band in collaboration with the visual studio Playmodes, or TAWA, who questions identity through a sound that mixes electronic funk, rage rap, and witch house.
Nationally, Sónar's radar has detected emerging artists like Ático Corp. & R.I.P. Bestia. Hailing from Écija and with a label focused on vinyl, their live show UFC (Un Futuro Creíble) promises to be one of the most interesting experiences of this edition: they fuse breaks, electro, and trance. Also noteworthy is the debut of Metrika, the urban artist of the moment, who will reveal her discourse focused on empowerment and mental health.
Sónar Week: The city as an electronic festival
François Jozic's ambition to make Barcelona the world capital of digital culture materializes in Sónar Week. Programming expands "end-to-end"through the city:- Sónar District: An absolute novelty that will take place in the Parc del Fòrum with morning and afternoon proposals during Friday and Saturday.
- Sónar Kids: This 2026, the Sónar family festival returns. On Saturday, a daytime event can be experienced at the Fòrum.
- Moog: A historic alliance that will bring the spirit of the festival to the mythical club in Raval by Ángel Molina.
- OFFSónar: The Sónar's most underground parties will take place in Poble Espanyol which, from Thursday to Sunday, will bring together labels such as elrow or Rampa & Adam Port.
Sónar+D: "From users to active participants"
Andrea Faroppa, director of Sónar+D, has explained that this year the innovation congress moves to the Llotja de Mar, a neoclassical building located in the heart of Barcelona. As Faroppa pointed out, "Technology is not a luxury, technology is culture, it is history and it allows us to continue advancing as a society," so its new location in this historic building gives a deeper meaning to the idiosyncrasy of the meeting. With this new philosophy, it is possible to offermuch cheaper tickets (from €15)that can be purchased independently of the music festival.The Sónar+D program aims for us to stop being passive users and become active participants in technology. And it is that, currently, our relationship is solely one of reception: we consume content, use apps, and accept algorithms; but, this year, the aim is to break that inertia by reclaiming the human factor in the face of automation.
But, as Faroppa has pointed out, "Sonar+D separates from the mothership, but we will remain united with our Siamese brother." And it is that, although the conferences and workshops will take place in the Llotja, Sónar+D will be present at Fira Gran Via through the Organysmo by Lead Pulse installation, an architectural meeting hub that will welcome the festival audience.
"More Sónar than ever"
Under François Jozic's premise of being "more Sónar than ever", the festival has returned to its roots and is committed to risk and experimentationto look more strongly towards the future. And it reminds us that technology only makes sense if it serves to amplify our humanity. Because, in the end, when the lights go out and the bass makes the ground rumble,on the dance floor we all speak the same language.Add The New Barcelona Post as your preferred Google source for free
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