Sónar Music Festival 2012 Music Festival Jun 14–16, 2012

Normally scheduled during the third week of June, the Sónar Music Festival is an annual event in Barcelona that features a wide range of advanced music performances and new media art expos held at venues all over town.

Lasting for three full days, the Sónar Music Festival first debuted in 1994, and lately it has been routine to see more than 80,000 people attend this calendar-packed event.

Although music at the Sónar Music Festival can cover a range of genres, the lineups tend to favor electronic music, including techno, house, electro, IDM, and hip-hop, as well as experimental sounds.

During the day, the Sónar Music Festival focuses on art and culture, with live concerts, DJs, New Media art, record fairs, technology demos, film screenings, and more on the docket, most of which are held at the Center of Contemporary Culture (CCCB) and the Museum of Contemporary Art (MACBA) near the bustling Las Ramblas thoroughfare.

The nighttime action during the Sónar Music Festival, meanwhile, tends to occur outside the city center, with special buses chartered to take attendees to the various clubs, concert halls, and even parks where concerts are being held. This “Sónar by Night” series usually features four separate locations, each of which has been booked by distinguished national and international electronic music artists, and each featuring DJs and concerts from a broad spectrum of dance music.

Since its inception, the Sónar Music Festival has expanded to other cities around the world, including Tokyo, Cape Town, and São Paulo, Brazil. World tours are also a regular occurrence, with special Sónar Music events now held in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Boston, and an ever-expanding lineup of cities.

Past Sónar Music Festival performers have included Die Antwoord, AZARI & III, Seth Troxler, Paul Kalkbrenner, Tiga, Gesaffelstein, Nic Fanciulli, and more.

Sónar Music Festival tickets normally start around €150, which includes access to all of the day and night events.