SonarClub
The great hall at Fira Gran Via, around 15,000 capacity, which the festival bills as "the best dancefloor on earth". The headliners play there at night: The Prodigy, Charlotte de Witte and Amelie Lens in 2026.
Sónar
📍 Fira Gran Via · Barcelona, Spain
This edition ended on 20 JUN 2026.See the next edition · 17 JUN 2027
About this event
The first Sónar held in a single venue: day and night at Fira Gran Via across six stages, from 5pm until dawn, with The Prodigy, Charlotte de Witte and Amelie Lens at SonarClub, and Sónar+D at the Llotja de Mar.
FormatFestival · 3 days
Doors17:00
Line-up11 artists
Good to know
Sónar took place from Thursday 18 to Saturday 20 June 2026 at Fira Gran Via, Barcelona, Spain, across 3 days. 11 names are on the bill, led by The Prodigy. It is one of 40 Techno and EDM dates we list in Spain over the coming months.
Line-up
11 artists
Location
A festival of "advanced music" born in 1994 in a Barcelona arts centre, which fills the vast halls of Fira Gran Via with dancers by night and talks artificial intelligence by day.
1994first edition, in Barcelona
161,000people in 2025, a record according to the organisers
150,000people reported in 2026, Sónar Week included
6stages at Fira Gran Via in 2026
102acts on the 2026 bill
15,000capacity of SonarClub
Sónar was born in Barcelona in June 1994 as the "Festival of Advanced Music and Multimedia Art". Its three founders, music journalist Ricard Robles and musicians and visual artists Enric Palau and Sergio Caballero, put the daytime programme in the Centre de Cultura Contemporània (CCCB) and the night at the Apolo club. Some 6,000 people came to see Laurent Garnier, Sven Väth, Holger Czukay and Mixmaster Morris, and a record and technology fair was already standing in for what would become Sónar+D.
The night moved often: the Poble Espanyol in 1995 and 1996, the Mar Bella pavilion in 1997, which tripled its capacity, then Fira Gran Via in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat from 2001. The day left MACBA for Fira Montjuïc in 2013, the twentieth anniversary year, with 121,000 visitors. Attendance grew from 18,000 in 1996 to 126,000 for the 25th edition in 2018; cancelled in 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic, the festival returned in 2022 with 122,000 people.
Sónar defines itself as much by what it shows as by who it books. Since 2013, Sónar+D has brought together talks, workshops, exhibitions and performances on creativity and technology, with growing room for artificial intelligence. In 2018 the Superstruct Entertainment group took a majority stake in Advanced Music, the festival's company; Superstruct was bought by the KKR fund in 2024, and in 2025 more than 30 artists withdrew from the bill in protest. In October 2025 the three founders stepped down, replaced by Belgian promoter François Jozic.
The 2025 edition set a record of 161,000 people according to the organisers, before building works forced the festival out of Montjuïc. In 2026 Sónar by Day and Sónar by Night merged into one: a single venue, Fira Gran Via, a single ticket, from 5pm until dawn, with Sónar+D at Llotja de Mar; the organisers report 150,000 people counting the whole Sónar Week. The festival received Catalonia's Premi Nacional de Cultura in 2014 and the Creu de Sant Jordi in 2023, and its brand has travelled to more than 60 cities since London in 2002.
Inside Sónar
SonarVillage by Estrella Damm
The open-air stage on artificial grass, a long-standing signature of daytime Sónar. Since 2026 it has occupied the former SonarPub space at Fira Gran Via, with DJ sets and live shows from late afternoon into the night.
SonarLab
An outdoor stage between the halls, devoted to contemporary techno and UK sounds. In 2026 the London station Rinse programmed drum and bass, dubstep, jungle, footwork and UK garage there.
SonarHall
An indoor hall of around 5,000 capacity, fully redesigned in 2026, which switches from concert hall to club in minutes: Cabaret Voltaire, Daniel Avery and 30drop played there that year.
SonarCar
An indoor room at Fira Gran Via. In 2026 Speedy J and his audiovisual team held three days of collective improvisation there, STOOR Live, with Luke Slater, Dasha Rush, FJAAK and KiNK.
Sónar+D
The creativity and technology congress: talks, workshops, an exhibition and performances, with AI at the heart of the debate. In 2026 it moved to Llotja de Mar, near Barceloneta, and showed digital installations at Fira Gran Via for the first time.
The music
Sónar books electronic music in the broadest sense, and beyond. SonarClub hosts the big techno productions and the headliners, SonarLab techno and UK sounds, SonarPark the new generation of club music, SonarHall live shows and experimental electronics, SonarVillage house and open-air DJ sets. Rap, trap and club pop have their place too, and Sónar+D hosts performances and projects around AI.
In 2026, 102 acts were on the bill: The Prodigy for the 30th anniversary of "Firestarter", Skepta, Charlotte de Witte, Amelie Lens, Dom Dolla, Sara Landry, Joy Orbison, Modeselektor, Kelis and Cabaret Voltaire, reuniting Stephen Mallinder and Chris Watson for the first time in more than 40 years. In 2025 Peggy Gou, Four Tet, Bicep and Modeselektor had played the Fira. The 2027 line-up has not been announced.
Laurent GarnierSven VäthHolger CzukayMixmaster MorrisAtom HeartTrans Global UndergroundPeggy GouFour TetBicepModeselektorParanoid LondonThe ProdigySkeptaCharlotte de WitteAmelie LensDom DollaSara LandryJoy OrbisonBoys NoizeCabaret VoltaireDaniel AveryWhoMadeWhoSBTRKTKelisNia ArchivesSammy VirjiChris StussySpeedy JDaito ManabeKittin
In pictures
Getting there, staying there
Getting there
In 2026 the festival was held at Fira Gran Via, C/ Botànica 62 in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, about 15 minutes from the centre. Metro L9 Sud to Fira, direct from airport terminals T1 and T2, FGC trains to Europa | Fira, TMB and AMB buses, and night buses N17 and N18.
Getting back and sleeping
Sónar is a city festival with no camping: stay in Barcelona or L'Hospitalet. In 2026 the SonarBus ran back to Plaça d'Espanya every 30 minutes after closing, for €5 a ride booked in advance; metro L9 ran until 2am on Friday and all night on Saturday, but stopped at midnight on Thursday.
Tickets
Since 2026 one ticket covers the whole day and night: a day ticket, a weekend ticket (Friday and Saturday) or a SonarPass for all three days, and a SonarPass+D that adds the Sónar+D programme. In 2026 day tickets started at €44 for Thursday and €89 for Friday or Saturday, the weekend ticket at €149; prices rise as the festival approaches.
Minimum age
18, with no exceptions. Families have Sónar Kids, held in 2026 at Parc del Fòrum on the Saturday, free for under-15s.
Paying on site
In 2026 card payment was accepted at every bar and stand, the cashless system having been dropped; cash points were available on site. The reusable cup carries a €2 deposit, refunded on return with its token.
What you can bring
One 50 cl water bottle without its cap and one food item, such as a sandwich; no alcohol, glass, metal containers, bags larger than 40 x 20 x 25 cm or professional cameras. In 2026 one exit with re-entry was allowed per day, before 11pm, and paid lockers could be booked in advance.
Frequently asked questions about Sónar
When is Sónar?
Every June in Barcelona, over three days. In 2026 it ran from Thursday 18 to Saturday 20 June. The 2027 edition is announced for Thursday 17 to Saturday 19 June 2027.
Where does Sónar take place?
In 2026 all the music was at Fira Gran Via in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, about 15 minutes from the centre, with the Sónar+D congress at Llotja de Mar. The 2027 venue has not been officially specified yet.
What happened to Sónar by Day and Sónar by Night?
Since 2026 they are a single event: one venue and one ticket, from 5pm until 3am on Thursday and until 7am on Friday and Saturday. Daytime Sónar left Fira Montjuïc after 2025 because of building works.
How much is a ticket?
For 2027 the exclusive presale offered the SonarPass at €155 and the SonarPass+D at €170; it has closed and general sale has not opened yet. In 2026 day tickets started at €44 for Thursday and €89 for Friday or Saturday.
What is Sónar+D?
Sónar's creativity and technology strand, born in 2013 from the former trade fair: talks, workshops, exhibitions and performances. In 2026 it was held at Llotja de Mar, with its own ticket or included in the SonarPass+D.
What is the minimum age?
18, strictly. Families have Sónar Kids, held in 2026 at Parc del Fòrum, free for under-15s.
How do I get to Fira Gran Via?
Metro L9 Sud to Fira, direct from the airport, FGC trains to Europa | Fira, or buses. In 2026 the SonarBus took people back to Plaça d'Espanya for €5 a ride after closing.
What music is played at Sónar?
Techno, house, bass music, drum and bass, experimental and audiovisual electronics, plus rap and trap. In 2026: The Prodigy, Skepta, Charlotte de Witte, Amelie Lens, Modeselektor, Cabaret Voltaire.
- Sónar : What is Sónar
- Sónar : What's new in 2026
- Sónar : FAQ 2026
- Sónar : line-up 2026
- Sónar : billetterie
- Sónar : prévente 2027
- Sónar : Relive Sónar 2026
- Sónar : getting there 2026
- Sónar : SonarBus 2026
- Sónar : objets autorisés 2026
- Ara : les nouveautés de la nouvelle étape du Sónar
- Ara : The Prodigy bendicen la nueva era del Sónar
- Ara : último baile del Sónar en Montjuïc
- Catalan News : record de 161 000 spectateurs en 2025
- Mixmag : les fondateurs quittent Sónar
- Resident Advisor : Superstruct prend la majorité de Sónar
