Electronic Music Festival Sonar – is an annual international music festival traditionally held in Barcelona (Spain). It is one of the largest electronic music events on the planet and a famous brand of Barcelona.
Sonar has been held annually since 1994, a three-day festival that begins in mid-June – on Thursday and ends on weekends. Moreover, the music is performed three days and three nights away. It is worth noting that Sonar is not only a festival of extended electronic music and multimedia art, but also a forum of contemporary art.
During its existence, it became a living legend. Planetary-scale electronic music stars – progressive musicians and DJs come here, and thousands of fans of electronic dance music « light up » days and nights, watch audio-visual installations, DJ sets, performances by musical groups and artists. The invaluable advantage of the – festival is that it takes place in such a beautiful and comfortable city as Barcelona. The local Mediterranean flavor gives the event a unique festive atmosphere.
The Sonara program offers the public a huge number of concerts and performances, where the main direction is – electronic music. It has a wide scope and stylistic diversity and presents the latest trends in such different areas as electronics, hip-hop, house, electro-pop, electro-jazz, microhouse, digital specificity. Also on the festival program – are DJ performances, film screenings, conferences, exhibitions, master classes…
Traditionally, the festival is divided into two parts. Sonar by Day takes place in the building of the Santa Monica Center for Contemporary Art and other concert venues. These are daytime performances, mainly by aspiring musicians and young bands; people come here for fresh sensations and new names. Also during the day you can visit exhibitions, conferences, cinema, fashion shows and video installations. There is also a Music Fair of records and discs, instruments and near-musical electronic utensils. Of course, you can try everything in action, buy it here and even get a master class from a famous disc jockey or musician.
Sonar by Night takes place at concert venues outside the city so as not to disturb local residents. These are night raves with the participation of the most famous DJs and teams. It is at night that real fun begins and the enchanting show of the festival – is simply real electronic madness, when thousands of people « break away» to music.
Musicians and DJs who have taken part in the festival over the years include – Orbital, Grace Jones, Vincent Gallo, Animal Collective, Fever Ray, Richie Houtin, Crystal Castles, Scroobius Pip, Alva Noto, Underworld, Aphex Twin, Human League, Dizzee Rascal, Cut Copy, James Murphy, Chris Cunningham, Boys Noize, Four Tet, Katie B, Global Communication, Cyclo, Trentemøller, A-Trak, Annie Mac, Hype Williams, Little Dragon, Mary Anne Hobbs, Janelle Monae, Tom Krel, Bjorn Torske and others. Famous musicians from different countries come here, and, of course, many local performers.
Concert venues where the festival program – takes place is a space of more than 10,000 square meters. meters, including indoor venues and open-air venues, where DJs perform simultaneously day and night and concerts take place covering a wide range of dance music. Festival guests have the opportunity to discover the most innovative and amazing examples of electronic music from different countries.
In general, Sonar's cultural program extends far beyond the festival framework. All kinds of parties and parties take place in clubs, bars and on the beaches of the city and its immediate suburbs. And in addition to musical joys, you can go for a swim on the beaches of Barcelona or wander around this beautiful city.