Primavera Sound 2026

Social media is currently waterlogged with videos of people in plastic ponchos and streaked makeup after the opening evening of Primavera Sound was beset by wind and rain. But the Barcelona festival offered so much more than a washout this year.

From Monday, concert-goers poured into the city to enjoy Primavera a la Ciutat, a series of complementary gigs set across local venues and bars. This year’s offering including a rare intimate set from NYC buzz band Geese, the in-your-face punk of Model/Actriz, and a fuzzyheaded performance from slackers Snuggle, the coolest thing in the laidback Copenhagen alt-pop scene.

By the time the rain hit on Thursday, the Primavera Pro showcases at the CCCB had already brought Irish neotrad band Madra Salach to a huge audience, while Cameron Winter packed out the Auditori concert hall before Geese stormed the Occident stage for a rollicking second performance. Despite the driving rain, Oklou seemed on the edge of superstardom as she performed a brooding set to a devoted crowd at the Cupra stage, enhanced by the bruised skies and birds wheeling overhead. Though headliners Massive Attack and Doja Cat were sadly cancelled due to technical difficulties brought about by the weather, Father John Misty soldiered on, offering a spiralling set that knocked through his psychedelia-tinged hits. Later, audiences bold enough to stay on site were rewarded with thrilling late-night electronica from the likes of Rustie, Anthony Naples, and Ben UFO.

Friday offered clearer skies and attendees flooded in early to make up for lost time. For those up early enough, the South Korean digital art collective Azikazin Magic World spun a technical wonderland, complete with sparkly DnB beats laden over sweeping animated landscapes. In the afternoon, the set of the festival came from Los Angeles folk singer Annahstasia, who garnered a rare standing ovation at Auditori after a bracing performance that marked her out as a singular talent. If there is an artist to follow after this festival, it is surely her. The rest of the day continued to prove why Primavera remains one of the most dynamic festivals around, with unforgettable sets from Rilo Kiley, JADE and fakemink giving way to headline performances by indie stalwarts The Cure and the vanguard of the new generation, PinkPantheress. As early morning approached, the crowds held firm to watch maximalist producer Iglooghost and techno slicker Ki/Ki welcome in the dawn.

Saturday opened with bright sunshine but local band St. Frances cast a witchy spell with their echoing vocals as they performed in near-darkness in Auditori. By the time the group had finished, excitable queues were already forming outside the Cupra Pulse club space for an all-day party. Kept under wraps until the last minute and curated by Skrillex, the lineup featured a heady mix of heavy hitters including Arca, Blawan and Curfew. For those in search of a guitar, post-punk innovators These New Puritans stormed Auditori, while Grace Ives brought a frenetic energy that got the Cupra pit jumping. Still, there was little time to rest afterwards, because the festival announced a surprise set from Olivia Rodrigo, a joyful run through the hits that peaked with a guest feature from Robert Smith, debuting new song ‘what’s wrong with me’ from Rodrigo’s upcoming album. Buoyed up by the warm evening, the audience drifted across to fever-pitch beats from Verraco and Lechuga Zafiro, a riptide performance from Dijon, or a luminescent set from The xx before a final masterful headline slot from Gorillaz. As the end of the festival approached, Nick León suffused the balmy late night air with a dazed Miami feel before rising star Ninajirachi brought everything to the boil with her manic pixie glitch girl brand of antipodean EDM.

When the sun began to rise, if you asked anybody in attendance about the weather, they only had one response: it was worth it, wasn’t it? For all the chaos of the opening day, Primavera once again staked its claim as one of the most intriguing, omnivorously curated festivals on the map. And a little rain can’t ruin that.