Get excited for one of the largest electronic festivals of the year: Sónar!  Presenting nearly 60 established artists along with up-and-coming artists, Barcelona is sure to be putting on one of the best Sónar festivals yet. 

The Sónar Festival was founded in Barcelona in 1994, and was originally made to celebrate and explore advanced music and multimedia art.  At the time of its opening, the festival was attended by nearly 6,000 people.  As the festival grew in both size, artists, and fame, the population grew to over 53,000 people in 2000.  The acclaimed festival has been increasing in size ever since, to a whopping 119,000 people last year.  While Sónar amplified its popularity over the years, it has also expanded across the world.  The Sónar Festival has travelled to cities all over, including Chicago, Buenos Aires, São Paulo, Hamburg, Bogota, New York, Seoul, Rome, and much more.

Sónar has always been on the frontlines of electronic and advanced music, and this is reflected by some of their past headliners, such as Daft Punk, Björk, Beastie Boys, The Chemical Brothers, and many more.  Participants in these exciting three days can be sure that some of the musicians and artists that they see on stage will be playing on a global scale soon, if not already.

Sónar Festival is separated into two different sections: Sónar by Day and Sónar by Night.  Sónar by Day, located at Fira Montjüic and right off of Plaça d’Espanya, hosts several different stages such as the SónarVillage, SónarComplex, SónarHall, and SónarDome from 1pm to 11pm.

Sónar by Night at Fira Gran Via L’Hospitalet is accessible from Fira Montjüic via the SónarBus, and has several stages including the SónarClub, SónarLab, SónarCar, and SónarPub.  Sonar by Night starts at 9:30pm and runs into the early hours of the next day.

The purpose of having two separate venues for festivalgoers to enjoy is so that the music can continue all day and all night!  With artists such as New Order, Fatboy Slim, Skepta, King Midas Sound, Fennesz, John Grant, and many more, this year’s electronic and advanced music will be sure to keep the party going for all involved.  Electronica fans will be excited to see the new up-and-coming artists as well, using Sónar as a way to spread their hit songs and presenting their musical prowess to the world.  Make sure to explore the various stages during both the Day and Night events Sónar to experience all you can of electronic music.

While Sónar is well-known for its cutting-edge artists and electronic music, the festival boasts many more activities for fans to get involved in, primarily Sónar+D.  Sónar+D is an international conference that runs parallel to Sónar by Day that examines new technologies and digital transformations.  For more information on Sónar+D, check out our article here.

Interested in being a part of this exciting three-day festival?  Check out Sónar’s official website to learn more.