Festival Review: Primavera Sound // Barcelona's Parc del Fòrum - June 2026
Primavera Sound returned to Barcelona's Parc del Fòrum for its 24th edition, and from the very first day to the last, it made clear why it remains the most unpredictable and exciting festival in the world.
The opening day set the tone immediately. Wet Leg headlined to a packed crowd delivering their classics from "Angelica" to "Chaise Longue," and unleashing the breathtaking tracks from their last album Moisturizer. The crowd was electric, and watching them command a headline slot felt like witnessing the band fully stepping into themselves.
The opening day was a warm welcome before the first official day, which was one of the most emotionally intense, and logistically chaotic, days the festival has seen in years.
It started with Cameron Winter in the Auditori Rockdelux, and getting in was already an event in itself. Lines were hours long as people arrived at the venue hours before his anticipated performance for a chance to get in the Auditori Rockdelux. Being there felt extremely special. Just him, a piano, and a spotlight, and it was nothing short of religious. He performed songs from his album Heavy Metal from “Love Takes Miles” to “Drinking Age”, at one point bashing the piano and shouting that "God is real." It was one of those life changing sets you don't forget.
The next set I saw was Ravyn Lenae on the Estrella Damm Stage with a warm and polished performance, performing songs like "Skin Tight" and "Love Me Not." But the real gut-punch of the afternoon came with Oklou, after the rain started to fall. There was something almost cinematic about it. She hypnotized the Cupra Stage with her dreamy music, drawing the biggest crowd of her life. "Harvest Sky" became an instant favourite of the weekend, one of those moments where the atmosphere and the music aligned so perfectly it felt designed. But right after she took off stage everything started falling apart..
After 10PM, the rain had turned into something else entirely. Mac DeMarco, Massive Attack, Doja Cat, Bad Gyal were all cancelled. With the headliners gone and the main stages empty, chaos unfolded, people scrambled for cover and confusing communication from the festival led thousands of attendees to leave early in the night.
After the rain stopped at 3AM, I managed to see a bit of Fcukers, who are always fun and fully committed, walked past the Cupra Pulse club, and ended the night with one of my favourite sex of the weekend by Six Sex, who revived the night and brought energy to a crowd that was almost over it. She played songs from her new album Ultra and fan favourites like “4 Novios” and “Bitches Like Me”, cementing her place as one of the most exciting new acts in the world right now.
After a very chaotic night, hopes were up for Day 2. The weather was good, the atmosphere was back and Primavera felt like it always does, carefree and full of music.
NewDad opened the main stages with their hazy indie rock before Slowdive took to the Revolut Stage and delivered a once in a lifetime set, performing classics like “When The Sun Hits” and “Alison”. Their iconic shoegaze sound washed over a massive crowd in waves, a near-spiritual experience for anyone who has loved them for years. Then came Ethel Cain with her magnetic presence drawing you straight away. She opened with "American Teenager" and moved through fan favourites including "Gibson Girl," "Nettles," and "A House in Nebraska." Nevertheless, just like I thought in 2024, her set would’ve landed better on a stage like Cupra later in the night.
Probably the most anticipated set of the weekend, Addison Rae followed on the Revolut Stage with production only fitted for a pop star: dancers, outfit changes, and an impressive set design. Addison was there to prove that she could headline a festival of this magnitude, and she did that, winning even many of the people waiting to see The Cure. What could have been easy to dismiss turned into the best pop performance of the entire weekend.
The Cure were the undisputed focus of the night with their first live show since 2024, performing for over two hours on the Estrella Damm Stage. No new music, just an immaculate set of classics including "Just Like Heaven”, “The Lovecats”, “Pictures of You”, "Friday I'm in Love" and many more. They sounded the same they always have, maybe even better. It truly felt like a historic moment in music.
JADE delivered a giant party on the Occident Stage with one of the most fun shows of the evening, drawing a wildly enthusiastic crowd and playing Little Mix hits alongside her solo material. PinkPantheress followed right after with a short set in the Cupra Stage with a crowd of people that spilled far beyond the stage. It was one of the production decisions of this edition that confused me the most. She even called out the festival, rightfully so, for putting her in a stage that was simply too small for an artist of her scale.
The final day started with a surprise announcement that Olivia Rodrigo was going to take the Occident Stage that same night. Sudan Archives opened to a crowd of fans barricading to see Olivia, with a high-energy performance accompanied by her violin, voice and presence commanding every inch of the stage and the pit. Big Thief played an impressive folk feast on the Estrella Damm Stage and we managed to catch the beginning of Little Simz as she delivered a powerful set on the Revolut Stage backed by a full live band.
In one of the biggest clashes of the weekend between Smerz, Rusowsky, a surprise Arca DJ set, and Little Simz, I opted for the Spanish singer who took the Cupra Stage set at sunset. Performing tracks from Daisy, he fully transformed into a superstar with a full band in wigs filling the space all the way to the back. He even brought out his friend and collaborator Ralphie Choo to perform “BBY ROMEO” and “GATA”.
Then I headed to the Occident Stage to watch the surprise performance making everyone lose their minds. Olivia Rodrigo delivered a set full of her hits including "Bad Idea Right?", "Vampire", "Drivers License", and "Deja Vu", before inviting Robert Smith to the stage to perform their new collaboration "what's wrong with me" together live for the first time. It was the kind of iconic moment that you think could only happen at a festival like Coachella or Glastonbury.
Dijon followed at Cupra with the most impressive set of the weekend with a full band and a voice that echoed throughout the entire venue. It was simply out of this world. The xx headlined the main stage delivered performance full of nostalgia that made the crowd go insane, and Gorillaz closed the festival on the Estrella Damm Stage with a performance full of songs from their latest album The Mountain and classic such as "On Melancholy Hill," and "Feel Good Inc." They brought out Yasiin Bey, Moonchild Sanelly, and Little Simz.
Then, at 3:45 AM, it was time for the most anticipated set of the closing morning with Ninajirachi. She performed to a huge crowd in the Port stage and made everyone dance until they had nothing left. She played her remix of Rosalía's "Berghain" and Charli XCX's "Rock Music," apart from all the songs from her album I Love My Computer. After the set we went to the beach right next to the venue for the unofficial afters to watch the sunrise and swim in the ocean.
Primavera Sound 2026 was not a perfect festival, but it never is and there lays its magic. The rain on Day 1 was brutal, and losing four headliners in one night was rough but in its chaos, its surprises, its quiet piano recitals and its mass singalongs, its sunset sets and its 4 AM raves, it was exactly what it should have been: unpredictable, alive, and completely irreplaceable.
Words by Marcos Sanoja
