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Rebooting Sónar+D 2026 Our ‘event like no other’ has a new home in the centre of Barcelona
An event like no other
Where you don’t sit downWe might be a conference, but we think like a concert or club night, with talks and panels side-by-side with radical performances and interactive exhibits.Where you meet people you won’t meet anywhere elseDifferent worlds collide at Sónar+D, the conference that thinks like a festival. Our participants and audience are a unique mix of backgrounds, interests and expertise.Where you’'ll find ideas you can useWe don’t separate the future from the present, which is why our programming balances imaginative ideas and bold thinking with practical content and networking opportunities.NewsSee all
Sónar+D: rebooted
Today we’re rebooting Sónar+D for 2026, revealing our new venue in the centre of Barcelona – Llotja de Mar – and announcing the details for our 2026 Open Call for Exhibitors. Read on to find out how we're planning to make Sónar+D 2026 an event like no other, and the most accessible edition of our conference/festival yet.
Always the same, always different
Even though we're moving venue, you’ll still find the same four elements – Talks, Exhibition, Community, and Performance – present throughout two days of activities on Thursday 18 and Friday 19 June.
Even though we're moving venue, you’ll still find the same four elements – Talks, Exhibition, Community, and Performance – present throughout two days of activities on Thursday 18 and Friday 19 June.
We’re committed to keeping Sónar+D 2026 ‘an event like no other’: the only place you’ll find scientists and researchers next to musicians and dancers, where interactive exhibits share a space with ground-breaking performances, and where the local community meets members of the creative and technological sectors from around the world.
Antònia Folguera, who’s served as Curator of Sónar+D since 2015, and Cris Checa, who’s led the development of Sónar+D’s exhibition programme (as Project Area) since 2023, will curate this year’s programme. They’ll be supported by a select panel of experts and collaborators, maintaining continuity but also widening the vision of Sónar+D as it evolves in 2026 and beyond.
More details on the full programme will be revealed in the coming weeks, but the schedule is designed to intersect with Sónar at Fira Gran Via, running from 10am until 8pm each day, so you’ll be able to combine both events. And in a brand-new addition this year, Sónar+D will also be present at Fira Gran Via, curating a series of digital art experiences.
Be a part of Sónar+D 2026: Open Call for Exhibitors
Sónar+D is a springboard for creativity, and we want you to get involved. Have you got a project, prototype or product that spans art, (digital) creativity, and technology that you think could be exhibited at Sónar+D? Then you’ll want to apply to our annual Open Call for exhibiting at Sónar+D, which returns again in 2026. And if you’re an artist, creator, or part of a collective project, we’re even offering funding to help get you to Barcelona this June. We’re now accepting applications – you have until 19 February – so head here to read the full submission guidelines and submit your project via the application portal.
The most open edition of Sónar+D to date
We want more people to attend Sónar+D in 2026, so as well as staying in centre of Barcelona, we’re making it easier and more affordable than ever before.
We want more people to attend Sónar+D in 2026, so as well as staying in centre of Barcelona, we’re making it easier and more affordable than ever before.
As well as the SonarPass+D (now on sale here) - which gives you access to both days of Sónar+D as well as all three days of Sónar at Fira Gran Vía - we’ll be launching individual, standalone tickets for each day of Sónar+D 2026, as well as a two-day pass. Both will be affordably priced, with the aim of opening up Sónar+D to as many people as possible.
More information on tickets will be available soon.
Sónar+D and Fundación Sónar
Starting this year, Sónar+D will be managed entirely by Fundación Sónar, a not-for-profit entity. This foundation was established in 2023 , with the goal of supporting and promoting R+D activities related to culture and creativity, as well as sustainability, inclusivity and accesibility initiatives related to live events.
This change recognises Sónar+D’s status as Sónar’s R+D Lab, and supports our two main goals: the promotion of creativity as a tool for innovation within art and technology, and our position as a platform for local cultural and creative initiatives. In the near future, we’re also going to create an advisory panel featuring leading voices from Barcelona’s creative, cultural and technological sectors, who'll help us keep Sónar+D an event like no other. For our public, there won’t be any visible difference, and this will still be the same Sónar+D as ever.
Want to be part of Sónar+D 2026?
We're now accepting applications for this year’s Open Call. If you’ve got a specific project, prototype or product that explores the spaces between the arts, (digital) creativity, and tech, we’re offering you the chance to exhibit your work on 18 and 19 June at our new home at Llotja de Mar. About the Open Call
This year we’re again accepting submissions from individual artists, creators and collectives*, as well as companies, studios and start-ups.
To apply, read through the submission guidelines carefully. They include a link to a form where you can submit your proposal and find out what we offer in return. The deadline for submissions is Thursday 19th February.
IMPORTANT: please do not send us proposals for DJ sets or live performances, any submissions containing such elements will be deleted on reception
*we’ll provide a fee and cover the exhibition costs associated with any projects selected from artists, creators and collectives – for more details, please read the submission guidelines
*we’ll provide a fee and cover the exhibition costs associated with any projects selected from artists, creators and collectives – for more details, please read the submission guidelines
Categories
All submissions should be entered under one (or more) of the following categories.
- Internet - Working with hidden networks, dark forests or alternative visions of what online could be? We’re interested in imaginative artistic works that question visibility, surveillance and power on the internet.
- Digital Occultism - From techno-mysticism to computational rituals, we’re looking for projects that explore the occult, esoteric and magical dimensions of digital technologies.
- AI & Music - We’re looking for examples of innovative and unique research, design and tech that applies AI and machine-learning to music production and performance tools.
- Post-AI - Has the AI bubble already burst? This category is for projects that reflect critically reflect on, move beyond or actively reject AI; artistically, culturally or politically.
- Creative Coding - From generative systems to playful algorithms, we’re looking for creative coding projects where code itself is the medium, shaping sound, visuals or interactive experiences.
- Music Tech - From digital gadgets to modular synths, we want the best music tech around at Sónar+D 2026. We’re especially interested in innovative technology and inventive designs.
- Nature & Tech - Got a project that lets us listen to plants or explore the mycelial network? This category is for scientific and technological work with an artistic edge that seeks to deepen our understanding of - and increase our connections with - the natural world.
Want to know more about the requirements ? All the information is in the submission guidelines: make sure you read them carefully before submitting your application.
Submitting your application
The only way to apply is via our application portal, which you’ll find at the end of our submission guidelines. Please read them carefully before submitting your application – we will not evaluate any submissions that do not comply with the criteria listed within them.
The only way to apply is via our application portal, which you’ll find at the end of our submission guidelines. Please read them carefully before submitting your application – we will not evaluate any submissions that do not comply with the criteria listed within them.
You have until Thursday 19th February to submit your application. Good luck!
About Sónar+D
A conference that thinks like a festival, where you don’t sit down, where you meet people you won’t meet anywhere else, and where you’ll find ideas you can use.
It's where talks, panels, exhibitions, performances, and ideas converge, turning Barcelona into an annual meeting point for the world’s most curious and creative minds.
