One week after publishing its own obituary, the festival has its answer. The Sónar 2027 lineup landed on November 3 with 30 names, led by Carl Cox, Peggy Gou, Bonobo, Jessie Ware and Honey Dijon, and with it came the real point of the “Sónar is dead” stunt: Sónar by Day is leaving the trade fair halls and heading back to central Barcelona, on the waterfront, for its 34th edition from June 17 to 19, 2027.
From Obituary to Rebirth
On October 27, Sónar replaced its website and social channels with the words “Sónar is dead” and the dates “1994 to 2026,” a move we covered in our report on the festival’s cryptic obituary. Fans read it as anything from a rebrand to a change of management, and some feared the end of one of Europe’s defining electronic music events. Barcelona outlets now describe the campaign as the setup for a “rebirth” rather than a farewell.
The headline change is geographic. For 2026, works at the Montjuïc exhibition centre pushed the daytime programme out to Fira Gran Via in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, the site that has hosted Sónar by Night since 2001. For 2027, Sónar by Day returns to the centre of the city and the seafront, close to where the festival started in 1994. The festival has not yet named the exact waterfront site, and no source we checked has identified it, so treat that detail as still to be confirmed.
The Sónar 2027 Lineup: Who Is Playing
The first wave mixes club heavyweights, pop crossovers and the experimental acts Sónar built its name on. According to the official announcement on sonar.es, the confirmed artists are:
- DJs: Carl Cox, Peggy Gou, Honey Dijon presents Sinister, KI/KI, Romy (DJ set), Oscar Mulero, Job Jobse, Donato Dozzy & Batu, Collabs3000 (Chris Liebing & Speedy J), Busy P b2b Girl Ultra, Funk Assault
- Live and concerts: Bonobo, Jessie Ware, Yung Lean, Tokischa, Cornelius, Frost Children, Goldie (live), Aurora Halal (live), Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith
- Further names: Adriana Lopez presents Suut, Disobey Sound System, Drizzyclare, Ehua & Flore, Kristina, Opal Sunn, SALOME, Tash LC, TK MAMI, Yu Su
Sónar says the final bill will run to more than 80 acts and activities, so roughly two thirds of the programme is still to come.
Carl Cox Returns After Two Decades
The most symbolic booking is Carl Cox, who, according to Mixmag Caribbean and The New Barcelona Post, plays Sónar for the first time in more than twenty years. Cox has spent recent seasons running his own concepts, including the UNVRS night in Ibiza where he hosted Sasha and John Digweed this season. Madrid techno figure Oscar Mulero also returns after a long absence, and Dominican star Tokischa makes her Sónar debut.
Bonobo Brings Distance in Static to Barcelona
Bonobo arrives with a new live show built around Distance in Static, the 14 track album he released on Ninja Tune in September 2026. Simon Green has described the record as possibly his last in the traditional album format, with a live band tour planned around it for several years.
Why Sónar by Day Moving Back to the City Matters
Sónar by Day has always been the festival’s identity: daylight sets, experimental live shows and a crowd that wanders between stages and talks. Moving it to the suburban fairgrounds in 2026 put the whole festival under one roof but cost it some of that urban character. The 2027 plan splits the two halves again:
- Sónar by Day: Thursday June 17 to Saturday June 19, central Barcelona waterfront, in what the festival calls a boutique format
- Sónar by Night: Friday June 18 and Saturday June 19 at Fira Gran Via, with four stages: SonarClub, SonarPub, SonarLab and SonarCar
- Sónar Week: Sónar District at Parc del Fòrum, OFFSónar parties at Poble Espanyol, and the return of Sónar Kids, which sold out in 2026
Sónar+D and the Bigger Picture
Sónar+D, the conference strand on creativity, technology and AI, will share the daytime site, putting talks and music back side by side. The reset also comes after two turbulent years. Superstruct Entertainment took a majority stake in Sónar in 2018 and was itself acquired by investment firm KKR in 2024. In 2025, dozens of artists withdrew from the festival over KKR’s reported investments linked to Israel, while Sónar insisted it had no direct relationship with the fund. In October 2025, founders Enric Palau, Ricard Robles and Sergio Caballero stepped away, and François Jozic took over as CEO. The November 3 announcement does not address ownership, and none of the organisers attached a statement to it.
Sónar also continues to expand abroad, with NU Festival in Tokyo from March 12 to 14, 2027 and Sónar Istanbul on April 9 and 10, 2027.
Tickets and What Comes Next
SonarPass, covering Sónar by Day and Sónar by Night, and SonarPass+D, which adds Sónar+D, are on sale now at an early bird price in standard and VIP versions. Sónar has not published the prices in its announcement. A flexible payment option allows a full refund until February 28, 2027. Expect further lineup waves and the confirmation of the waterfront venue in the coming months. You can compare the new bill with how the 2026 lineup rolled out.
FAQ
When is Sónar 2027?
Sónar 2027 runs June 17 to 19, 2027 in Barcelona. Sónar by Day runs all three days, and Sónar by Night takes place on June 18 and 19.
Who is on the Sónar 2027 lineup so far?
The first 30 names include Carl Cox, Peggy Gou, Bonobo, Jessie Ware, Honey Dijon, Yung Lean, Tokischa, Cornelius, KI/KI, Romy and Goldie (live).
Was Sónar really ending?
No. The “Sónar is dead” campaign on October 27 preceded the 2027 announcement, which presents the new edition as a rebirth with Sónar by Day back in central Barcelona.
Where is Sónar by Day in 2027?
On the Barcelona waterfront in the city centre. The festival has not yet named the exact site.
The Bottom Line
The obituary was a teaser. The Sónar 2027 lineup pairs a returning Carl Cox with Bonobo’s new live show and a broad first wave, while the move back to the city restores the urban setting the 2026 edition gave up. The venue name and the remaining 50 or so acts are the next things to watch.
