Sónar 2026 reveals final details of its 33rd edition taking place this June

Following this year’s 33rd edition in Barcelona, Sónar continues its international journey with a new collaboration at NU Festival 2026, a three-day festival of music, art and digital culture taking place from June 26–28, 2026 at TAKANAWA GATEWAY CITY in Tokyo.

Created under the concept Next × New × Unity, NU Festival transforms one of Japan’s most ambitious new urban developments into an immersive cultural field where music, art, technology and the city itself converge. Across four venues and four programme concepts — NU Live, NU Art, NU Station and NU Park — the festival brings together forward-looking artists, musicians, researchers and creators from Japan, Asia and the wider international scene.

As part of the collaboration, Sónar and Sónar+D will help shape two key strands of the programme, connecting the Barcelona-born festival’s three-decade legacy of electronic music, digital creativity and innovation with Tokyo’s own experimental cultural ecosystem.

“Since 1994, Sónar has scanned the present and future of music, art and technology from Barcelona, while building a global community through more than 100 editions and collaborations around the world. NU Festival represents a new connection point for that network: a Tokyo-born platform where sound, image, creativity and urban life meet in real time." - Miquel Trullolls - Head of Communications Sónar.

Sónar Sound at NU Live

The NU Live × Sónar Sound programme brings a cross-generational spectrum of boundary-pushing electronic music to the festival’s main stage at TAKANAWA GATEWAY Convention Center, LINKPILLAR Hall.

Highlights include Actress, one of the defining figures of UK electronic music, appearing both solo and in a collaboration with synthesizer pioneer Suzanne Ciani as Concrète Waves. Ambient music icon William Basinski will present a world-premiere performance on grand piano, while Grandbrothers make their Japanese debut with a sound that fuses classical minimalism and electronic energy.

The programme also features DJ KRUSH, Nathan Fake, Two Shell, Daito Manabe, Meitei, Sapphire Slows, Sakura Tsuruta, Kyomi, Minna-no-Kimochi, COLA REN and more.

Sónar+D at NU Art

At MoN Takanawa: The Museum of Narratives, NU Art × Sónar+D presents exhibitions, talks, installations and live performances curated in collaboration with artist and AI researcher Nao Tokui.

The programme offers alternative perspectives on AI, generation and automation, featuring work by Dentsu Lab Tokyo x Qosmo, Sputniko!, Yutaka Makino, Ayumi Nagai, Neutone / Roland, Neutune x MixAudio, and Alexis André of Sony Computer Science Laboratories – Paris in collaboration with Kengo Kuma & Associates.

Live and discourse highlights include performances by Portrait XO and Albert.DATA, plus conversations including Nao Tokui x Andrea Faroppa, Director of Sónar+D.

A New Urban Festival for Tokyo

Taking place across LINKPILLAR Hall, MoN Takanawa, the 3F terrace outside Takanawa Gateway Station’s South Gate, and Gateway Park, NU Festival reflects TAKANAWA GATEWAY CITY’s vision as an “experimental field for life 100 years ahead.”

Alongside ticketed performances and exhibitions, the festival includes a major free programme through NU Station × J-WAVE and NU Park, with artists including DJ EMMA, KO KIMURA, Kotsu & Nari, FULLHOUSE, Shinichi Osawa, RHYME, Shingo Nakamura and SATOSHI OTSUKI.