The Prodigy, new headliners for Sónar

BarcelonaBritish band The Prodigy is the main new addition to the lineup for Sónar 2026, the first edition to be held in a single venue: the Gran Via Fairgrounds in Hospitalet de Llobregat, on June 18, 19, and 20. Another significant change is the separation of Sónar+D, the professional trade fair and congress, which is moving to the Lonja de Mar after sharing space with Sónar by Day performances at the Montjuïc Fairgrounds since 2013. The ongoing construction at the Montjuïc fairgrounds has forced the festival to adjust its daytime and nighttime programming: concerts will be spread across six stages, three outdoors and three indoors. This consolidation of the program also affects the opening hours: the venue will open at 5:00 PM (Sónar by Day already started at midday at Montjuïc).

The Prodigy, led by Liam Howlett and Maxim, will arrive at Sónar as headliners on Saturday night, June 20, with a nostalgic claim: the thirtieth anniversary of the song Firestarter, one of the great achievements of electronic dance music of the nineties, which was released in 1996 as a preview of the album The fat of the land (1997). Although not confirmed, it is possible that the group will release a new album this year; it would be The Prodigy's first since 2019 Keith Flint died at the age of 49, the charismatic singer and frontman of the British band. In addition to Barcelona, ​​The Prodigy's tour also includes stops in the UK, the US, and several European festivals, such as the Mallorca Live Festival (June 12), the Belgian Rock Werchter (July 2), the Hungarian Sopron (July 4), the Slovakian Pohoda (July 11), the FIB in Benicàssim (July 16), and others.

The festival also announced this Thursday the addition of some sixty groups and artists to its musical lineup, including Dutch DJ Speedy J (another hero of 90s electronic music, now involved in STOOR, a 360° improvisation project) (who performed at Primavera Sound in 2023), Daniel Avery, Dom Dolla, Addison Groove, Wata Igarashi, Daria Kolosova, Metrika, and Miss Bashful. These names join a lineup that already includes Cabaret Voltaire (legends of industrial music, first, and techno, later), Kelis, Skepta, WhoMadeWho, Modeselektor, and super-DJs Charlotte de Witte and Amelie Lens, among others.

Sónar+D and Sónar Kids

With the relocation of Sónar+D to the Lonja de Mar (Thursday and Friday from 10 am to 8 pm), the festival loses the connection with the musical programming that existed in Montjuïc. However, the festival will present an immersive installation linked to Sónar+D at the Fira Gran Via. Another new feature is the return of Sónar Kids, a family program that will take place on Saturday, June 20th at the Parc del Fòrum. All of this in the first edition of Sónar without its three founders. Ricard Robles, Enric Palau and Sergio Caballero, who have left the festivalIt is now run by Belgian businessman François Jozic, founder of the Brunch Electronik Festival.