Sonar Barcelona 2027: The 34th Edition, 17 to 19 June

Sonar is back for its 34th edition from Thursday 17 to Saturday 19 June 2027, a week after the festival published an obituary for itself as a stunt to set up the return.

The first 30 acts are announced, the daytime programme returns to central Barcelona by the sea, and the nights stay at Fira Gran Via.

Music Times reports the first announcement mixes club veterans with pop and rap acts. Carl Cox returns to Sonar for the first time in more than two decades. Bonobo brings a new live show, Peggy Gou and Jessie Ware are on the bill, Tokischa makes her debut, and Yung Lean, Cornelius and KI/KI are also named, alongside Romy with a DJ set, Honey Dijon, Goldie live and Oscar Mulero. The final programme will include more than 80 performances and activities, the festival says.

The format is the story. Sonar de Dia returns to central Barcelona by the sea, where the festival started in 1994, although its exact venue has not been announced. Sonar de Noche keeps its two nights at Fira Gran Via. Goldie is back after a collarbone injury forced him to cancel his 2026 set.

Plan around the split shape: days in the center, nights out at Gran Via, and a final programme still to come.

Fly into El Prat, BCN, about 15 km southwest of the center. The two terminals sit 4 km apart, and your terminal decides the ride: the R2 Nord train leaves from Terminal 2 only, with a free shuttle from Terminal 1, while the Aerobus and the L9 Sud metro serve both terminals. For the night venue, the L9 Sud metro is the guide pick for the Fira side and serves both terminals. For the daytime center, the Aerobus and the R2 Nord put you in the middle of town. After midnight, the Aerobus still runs and night buses N17 and N18 cover the airport. See our Barcelona airport to city center transfer guide for every option, priced and compared.

For a Splurge, Mandarin Oriental, Barcelona, at Passeig de Gracia 38 to 40, is a design led hideaway on the city’s grandest boulevard, with a spa in the former bank vault and a garden courtyard; the R2 Nord train stops at Passeig de Gracia station, a short walk away. For Sweet spot, Hotel Brummell, at Carrer Nou de la Rambla 174 in Poble Sec, is a friendly boutique hotel near Montjuic and the Parallel metro, with an outdoor pool and calm rooms. For Budget, Casa Gracia Hostel, at Passeig de Gracia 116 Bis, is a social hostel in a modernist building by Diagonal station, with dorms, privates and a patio.

The split programme argues for a central bed: the Passeig de Gracia pair keep the daytime side walkable, while Hotel Brummell sits between the center and Gran Via. For getting back, the L9 Sud runs from the Fira side to the airport, and the Aerobus covers the center.

Get connected before you fly: the guide names an Airalo eSIM as its pick for Spain, installed in minutes so you are online as the plane taxis in, with Saily as an alternative. Free Wi-Fi is standard in cafes and most hotels.

Cards work almost everywhere. Keep €20 to €30 in cash for market stalls, churro stands and small bars. At metro gates a bank card does not tap through: buy a T-Casual or a single at the machines. The T-Casual gives one person 10 journeys, but it does not work at the airport metro stations, where the airport ticket applies.

For a first meal, the guide sends you to a bar counter for a bocadillo de jamon or pan con tomate, with a vermut de grifo, the house vermouth on tap. Sonar days split in two: a proper lunch, a late dinner, then the night programme.

Book Sagrada Familia and Park Guell ahead, as the guide directs: both run on timed entry and sell out days ahead in high season. Barcelona eats late, with dinner starting after nine, so pace the first evening around vermouth hour and a late table.

Sonar wrote its own obituary and then announced Carl Cox. Take the joke in person. Browse the events calendar for what else is on while you are in town, and use plan your trip to line up the days around it.