Sónar Festival 2025 wrapped up in Barcelona with 161,000 attendees, setting a new record for the iconic event, featuring nearly 200 performances across 10 stages. For its 32nd edition, Sónar brought together over 1,400 artists, speakers, and exhibitors across music, technology, and creative industries. It confirmed, once again, why it remains a global leader in digital and artistic innovation.
Over three days and two nights, Sónar 2025 offered an unforgettable mix of boundary-pushing live performances, genre-blurring DJ sets, AI-powered art, quantum installations, and conversations that actually mattered. From massive warehouse raves to intimate audio-visual experiments, Sónar felt like a snapshot of where the future of creativity is headed.
What Went Down at Sónar Festival 2025
Sónar by Day
Held at Fira Montjuïc, Sónar by Day celebrated emerging talent, new ideas, and the joy of being together in the sun. Four stages, including the brand-new SonarLab x Printworks, hosted a lineup that was both global and deeply local.
MOCHAKK brought pure energy and charisma. Honey Dijon kept it deep, sexy, and groovy. Local talents like Maria Arnal and Tarta Relena mixed Catalan traditions with bold, electronic experimentation. A special highlight came from Alva Noto & Fennesz, who paid tribute to Ryuichi Sakamoto with a deeply emotional set of glitchy textures and ambient tones.
Sónar by Day wasn’t just about music. There were live podcast recordings, art installations, and local collectives bringing their own flavor to the grounds.
Sónar by Night
As the sun went down, the energy moved to Fira Gran Via for Sónar by Night. The vibe shifted completely. Massive stages, LED walls, and a crowd ready to go all night.
On Friday, BICEP debuted their new AV show CHROMA, with visuals by Japanese digital artist Daito Manabe. It was hypnotic. That same night, Peggy Gou, Kerri Chandler, and Richie Hawtin each brought their own fire to the dancefloor.
Saturday’s mood was more chaotic, in the best way. Nathy Peluso’s new show GRASA was a high-drama mix of choreography and gritty beats. And in a surprise twist, Skrillex and Blawan went b2b at sunrise.
A Look Into the Future at Sónar+D 2025
Running parallel to the main music program was Sónar+D, the part of the festival that dives into digital art, future tech, and speculative culture. This year’s edition featured more than 100 talks, performances, and installations, bringing together innovators from institutions like Serpentine Gallery, Google DeepMind, Onassis Foundation, and the New Museum.
One highlight was the Stability AI demo, showing real-time music and visual generation. Another was Rebecca Fiebrink’s workshop on accessible machine learning tools for artists, which drew big crowds and even bigger questions. Thai artist yaboihanoi offered a powerful performance exploring ancestral sound through AI, while Albert.DATA turned his own brainwaves into live audio-visual compositions that were surprisingly danceable.
Over in the Project Area, more than 60 installations explored everything from climate collapse to synthetic identity to post-capitalist design. And thanks to the new Communities program, local collectives from Barcelona were given space to showcase their work, from modular synth meetups to underground curators. It made Sónar+D feel more inclusive, less corporate, and more connected to the scene on the ground.
What’s Next for Sónar?
Sónar Festival 2026 will take place June 18–20 and will mark a major shift in format. For the first time, Sónar by Day, Sónar by Night, and Sónar+D will be held in one unified location at Fira Gran Via. Early bird tickets go on sale June 17, 2025.
For fans of electronic music, emerging tech, and artistic innovation, Sónar is more than a festival—it’s a cultural benchmark. Whether you’re exploring the future of sound or experiencing cutting-edge installations, Sónar Festival 2025 delivered a vision of what’s next.
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