On 27 October, Sónar declared “Sónar is dead” alongside the dates 1994–2026 across its Instagram and website. Founded in 1994 by Enric Palau, Ricard Robles and Sergio Caballero, the Barcelona festival initially drew 6,000 attendees to daytime sessions at CCCB and night sets at Apolo, establishing itself as a nexus of electronic music, technology and visual art. Over the years, Sónar’s audience swelled into the tens of thousands. The 2026 edition, the first fully helmed by CEO François Jozic (formerly of Brunch Electronik), reported around 150,000 attendees and featured sets from Skepta, Charlotte de Witte, Joy Orbison and Sammy Virji. Ownership changes have shadowed recent years: Superstruct Entertainment took majority control in 2018, followed by KKR’s acquisition of Superstruct in 2024. These developments prompted artist boycotts ahead of the 2025 edition, and the three founders exited in October 2025.
The Instagram post featured a brief video of a coffin inscribed “Sónar 1994-2026”, accompanied by the phrase “Sónar ha mort. Sónar ha muerto. Sónar is dead.” in Catalan, Spanish and English. All previous posts were wiped from the account. The website redirected to a condolence page reading, “The Sónar family thanks you for your support. Thank you for being part of our story.” An obituary-style notice appeared in the 27 October print edition of La Vanguardia, with similar messages displayed across Barcelona. Despite the funereal messaging, dates for a 2027 edition (17–19 June in Barcelona) remain listed.
Organisers have offered no explanation. According to La Vanguardia, the team has not confirmed or denied whether the announcement signals a rebrand, a format change or a venue shift, noting that artist announcements for new editions typically arrive in November. Earlier in October, Sónar+D directors Andrea Faroppa and Antònia Folguera also stepped down. For 2026, the music programme was consolidated at Fira Gran Via, while the technology strand relocated to Llotja de Mar.
See the original post of Instagram!
