Yes, absolutely. Our position is clear and unequivocal: we condemn the genocide of the Palestinian people.
Superstruct Entertainment, a company that owns over 80 festivals around the world, purchased Sónar in 2018. At that time, Providence Equity Partners was the principal investor in Superstruct. In October 2024, Providence withdrew and sold its stake to a consortium made up of KKR and other investors. This was a purely financial transaction in which we had no involvement, no say, and no vote. By the same token, we have no influence or control over KKR’s investment decisions or internal workings.
No, not at all. At no time have we ever sent - nor will we ever send - a single euro to KKR. We can guarantee you that, after covering all the costs of Advanced Music and the festival itself (salaries, artists, production, communication, organisational costs, etc.), all profits are reinvested, in their entirety, in future editions of Sónar.
Superstruct's publicly stated position is clear on this: “All revenue and profits from Superstruct events and festivals remains entirely within our business and goes towards the ongoing development and staging of our festivals across the world.”
We read - and learn from - every message you send us. This is why we’ve created this FAQ to address your concerns.
Yes, absolutely. The relationship with Superstruct is merely administrative and we have no direct relationship with KKR. The team behind Sónar remains the same, including members who have been with the company for 32 years. This team remains fully independent and entirely faithful to the principles, values and motivations that drive them to put on the festival each and every year. This includes the technical production, the communication, and, of course the artistic and discourse programmes of Sónar and Sónar+D.
EYRA; oma totem; DJ Paca; DJ SOSA RD; Tiyumii; and Sega Bodega (for medical reasons).
ABADIR; Akyute & Alice Sparkly Kat; ANCIENT PLEASURE; Animistic Beliefs & Jeisson Drenth; Dania + Mau Morgó; DjSport; Emma dj; Forensis & Bill Kouligas; dj g2g; Heith, James K, Günseli Yalcinkaya & Andrea Belosi; Juliana Huxtable; KEBRA; Le Motel; NEW YORK; Nexus (B4mba & Mooki6); Paquita Gordon; patten; Sara Persico & Mika Oki; Shannen SP; Shapednoise & Sevi Iko Dømochevsky; Sofia; Vica Pacheco; Ville Haimala; and YESSi PERSE + laSADCUM.
Universitat Pompeu Fabra; ‘Cracks in the Foundation: Curation in 2025’ ‘Listen, the Stars are Talking’;‘Más Mujeres Creativas: DO feminism’; and ‘Internet Core – Institute of Culture Networks’.
BAU College of Arts and Design Barcelona; IED Barcelona (Istituto Europeo di Design); LCI Barcelona; Mutan Monkey Instruments; Patching Panda; Rafa Roeder; sbrk devices; Vanessa Lorenzo Toquero aka Hybridoa; and Vostok Instruments.
No, the cancellations won’t affect the overall experience of Sónar. We’re working to confirm replacements.
Yes. In addition to our annual donations to local charities, this year we’ll be making a donation to NGOs that are working to help those in Gaza. We are currently looking into which NGOs to work with.
We’ll do this as soon as possible, once we have finalised and confirmed the lineup.
Yes, provided that they’re permitted under Spanish law.
Yes, our audience will be able to enjoy the festival as comfortably and freely as always.
Sónar is not just culture, celebration, the avant-garde and innovation, but also responsibility and commitment to our audiences, communities, and partners. We’ve always defended absolute and complete freedom of expression at our events, both on stage and on the dancefloor, as long as the right to freedom of opinion and personal expression of the rest of our participants and audience is respected.
Yes. On Thursday afternoon when we open, we’re going to convert the first slot at Stage+D into a space for reflection, listening, and action concerning the role of culture in the current global context. In a landscape marked by financial consolidation, widespread censorship, structural instability, and geopolitical conflicts, we’re calling on artists, thinkers, institutions, and cultural actors to take part in a meaningful and constructive debate.
Can culture exist outside of capitalist dynamics? What role should cultural actors play in the face of injustices like as the genocide taking place in Gaza? Is it possible to think up a new, consensus-based, realistic and applicable ethical framework for the cultural sector? How can we move towards ethical practices in terms of sustainability and partnerships? This forum is an open invitation to share different perspectives, bearing in mind that culture has always been and will continue to be a force for transformation.
We’ve set up a process to centralise all refund requests and we’ll respond to each of them individually in the next few days. You can contact us via email at help@sonar.es.
If you have any other questions, please write to us at sonar.responds@sonar.es