Primavera Sound Festival - Barcelona

June 4th - 6th 2026

Story by Adam Hamill

25/06/2026

This being my third consecutive time attending Primavera Sound in Barcelona I thought I knew what I was getting myself in for. In a shock to myself and everybody else I knew attending, which judging by the departures lounge at Prestwick airport was everybody and their auntie, this was a festival experience nobody was expecting.

Me and my band of merry travellers arrived in Barcelona on Tuesday, with the three main festival days set for the Thursday, Friday and Saturday of the week. Primavera runs weeklong gigs and events in and around Barcelona but myself and company had missed the chance to snatch tickets for them. Instead of sulking about this, we decided to hit the town. We arrived at a club in L’eixample to be met with most of the faces we’d seen on our flight. Obviously the chat among everyone was of the upcoming festival days. Primavera is unique in a way where it carries such a stature that it does loom over any conversation that you’re having in Barcelona, before, during and after the festival. The talking and drinking was intercut with people warning each other of the oncoming storm scheduled for Thursday night. As I mentioned this was my third Primavera in a row. The third day of the festival in 2024 was struck with rain and while that was unpleasant, it only lasted a couple of hours and I’ll be the first to admit there was a great feeling of catharsis dancing to Mitski singing “Washing Machine Heart” in the thunder. So, this murmur of rain coming to us in 2026 didn’t particularly phase me or anyone else I spoke with. Evidentially a room full of Scottish people are probably the last to be bothered about a spot of rain. Our second night in Spain required a bit of rest and relaxation so we met another group of pals for some tapas. The conversation descended into whispers of what to do if the rain came true. I left the bar we were at to go hunt for a poncho to be safe. With every shop I went to I was assured by the locals that it wouldn’t rain and that everything would be fine, after all, this is Barcelona! Thursday, first festival day. My group and I started in extremely high spirits, charging to the main stage to catch our first set of the weekend, Blood Orange. Outside the main ramp to the Estrella Damm stage was a station set up to grab a free poncho, so, taking caution but remaining optimistic we all grabbed one. Blood Orange was the perfect way to open the festival for me, so much talent on display that brought energy to the crowd. After this I grabbed a Primavegan pizza (very tasty by the way) and headed to catch Geese at the Occident stage. This is where it started. The fabled downpour. Equipped with poncho’s we soldiered on. Geese were fantastic, so tight live and although the circumstances weather wise were adverse it didn’t deter for me. Much of the same sentiment can be applied to the next act we saw, Oklou. “Harvest Sky” in the chucking rain was actually really cool spiritually. This is where Thursday turned. After the phenomenal performance Oklou gave, shelter had to be taken at the main food court area. Usually, this area is fine to navigate but with there being easily 30,000 people all trying to cram under the faux canopy it became quite hellish. Given the almost literal sink or swim nature of the situation festival goers started to vacate Parc del Forum in droves. Legion after legion beelining for the exit. Maybe it was wishful thinking, maybe naivety but my still merry albeit soaked group decided to see if Mac Demarco was on. Approaching the Occident stage, we were met with a blue luminous message on the screens which flank the stage for video coverage of the gig. The message conveyed the universal “!”. In these circumstances we all know what “!” means. Mild panic set in here. If Mac wasn’t coming on was anybody? At least Doja Cat will be coming on the main stage soon so let’s go there to get a good spot. Why is everyone walking in the opposite direction that we are? Pause. We sat on steps in this limbo we found ourselves in, mind you, rain still battering down. My amigo Kyle had Doja on the blower (he was listening to her Instagram live) when the sobering reality hit us like the watery bullets crashing down on us. She wasn’t coming on. Neither were Massive Attack; the main stage was fast becoming a water park. This is when the strangest feeling came over me. I was in hysterics. This situation was so unbelievable to me that I couldn’t stop laughing. I mean gutting myself, howling at the idea we had made the pilgrimage to sunny Spain and we were getting rained out. Determined to see the day through until we were physically ejected from the grounds we reconvened with our extended group and met some friends along the way. Standing next to the Schwarzkopf salon, attempting with our collective efforts to draw up a plan to continue we all paused. There was music coming from behind us. Father John Misty saved Thursday for me. He represented, in that moment, resolve, resilience, a light. Like the band on the Titanic, Parc del Forum may be flooding but the music’s playing and that means we’re all alright tonight. Father John Misty kicked and punched through the torrent bringing the energy back to ten. After being brought back to life by FJM, 2hollis kept the raucous energy up, furthering it even. Keep in mind most people had deserted the festival so those who remained wanted nothing more than to dance. With 2hollis, dance they did. From there we went to catch Fcukers where the bobbing and gyrating continued. I peeled away from their fantastic set early to see Overmono. By this time (by my watch four in the morning) I needed nothing more than to groove and hearing “Good Lies” live certainly provided me with that. Closing day one we had Yosuke Yukimatsu deliver a ripping DJ set. Honestly, as disastrous as it sounds, this is the most fun I’ve ever had at any Primavera I’ve been to. There was a feeling of losing oneself like I've never known before. Here are thousands of people from all around the world, all soaked through, a symphony of boots squelching in unison, all sharing a ridiculous moment in the festivals history. DAY TWO. After getting home and drying off we caught some z’s and headed to day two. Skies not quite blue but certainly more promising than the day before. First on the lineup for us today was the ethereal Ethel Cain. My second time seeing Ethel open day two at Prima and the band as a whole have only grown since 2024. Hearing “Nettles” live after surviving the night before was a bonding moment for all involved. Friday was back-to-back for me and my friends as when Ethel Cain finished, Addison Rae was on. Showstopping is a term thrown around a lot. Addison was showstopping. I love her debut album, which celebrated its first birthday on this day which added an extra special air to her performance. Between the stage design, choreography, dancers and crowd interaction, Addisons set was the most involved of the weekend. Confetti adorned the crowd to “Diet Pepsi” and a scream that could wake the dead accompanied “Von Dutch”, this performance was a standout of the weekend. There was no time to relish in Addison’s set however, as we had ten minutes to secure a good spot for a group that speaks for themselves, The Cure. How do you sum up a band like The Cure? I’ve been a Cure fan since I was a teenager but I’d never had the chance to see them until now. They were well worth the wait. Their mammoth two-and-a-half-hour set was over in a blink. The audience was completely locked into whatever word Robert Smith had left us on. Robert Smith by the way, what a talent. If I closed my eyes it was as if you were listening to vocals from a studio recording, his voice sounds exactly the same as it did in 1985. Their set was peppered with fan favourite deeper cuts that they’ve shied away from playing recently, like “The Lovecats”, “Mint Car” and “Let’s Go To Bed”. Talking to a Cure superfan and member of our ever-growing posse at the festival, she claimed in the umpteen times she’s seen the band this was the best performance she’s ever watched them give. We’d thought that some respite from standing and bouncing was on the cards as the next act we were desperate to see was PinkPantheress, who was scheduled to be playing in roughly forty minutes. I’ve been dying to see her so this was the biggest name on the lineup for me. That respite we assumed we were getting was shattered by a phone call. We were told by another friend to get to the Cupra stage as quickly as possible because festival stewards were closing off entrances as the number of punters heading to the stage was more than they had anticipated. Heeding this sterling advice, we made a mad dash to secure a spot. The concentration of people was something the likes I’ve not seen before at Primavera. To my group, during the performance we didn’t really notice anything unusual since we’d managed to get a spot so close to the stage. Like, sure, it was busy but nothing shocking to us. Especially considering how popular PinkPantheress is. On that point, what a show she put on, an electrifying display of talent, she has such a knack for the study of pop music and knows how to deliver an amazing show. Festival goers were treated to a Mechatok interlude where the DJ came out midway through her set to perform. Pink quipped that she’d never played to such a crowd before and that festival organisers should’ve put her on a bigger stage. Trying to leave her set, I couldn’t agree with her more. Since coming home, I keep seeing videos on social media of the hordes of people trying to get a glimpse of her show, some backed all the way up to other stages, not a great move from the Prima team, there was a flirtation with a potential crowd crush at that point but that couldn’t detract from how excellent her performance was. Post PinkPantheress we headed to the Cupra Pulse stage, a pseudo club built for the festival. It’s a walled but open roofed coliseum around the back and down a bit from the Cupra stage that you have to queue to get in to. We headed there to catch debasement, an insane electro duo comprised of Alli Logout and Margo XS. As a writer I feel out of my depth here, because there are no words to accurately convey how nuts their performance was. They’re currently on a world tour right now and I’d urge you to see them. Genuinely unlike any other gig I’ve been to, the raw energy that Logout is able to whip the crowd into mixed with the most danceable accompaniment from XS made for the perfect storm of insanity in the club. Go get an Aperol spritz and get into them. The third and final day of the festival began with a rumour. As we were getting ready to head to the grounds there were whispers on the switchboard’s and socials that none other than Olivia Rodrigo was going to make a surprise appearance. Without getting our collective hopes up we headed in to catch Little Simz on the main stage. The perfect way to start the final day, Simz brings energy and a real groove that we hadn’t yet seen this year. This is why I think the lineup for this year’s iteration of the festival is one of its best. There were so many genres on display being performed by masters of those genres and Little Simz is a master of hers. A quick pit stop at the Aperol Island of Joy (and it was a joy) to refuel with a beverage and a Smashive Attack Burger (the same burger as last year’s Chapel burger for those interested in the culinary history of the festival) and like an orchestra tuning up people were checking their phones and expressing jubilation. The rumour was true! A notification from the Primavera app read “Surprise! Olivia Rodrigo, 22:25, Occident Stage” so my group and I did what any sensible people would do. We ran to the stage.

Even if you’re somebody that hates surprises how could you not be so excited about this. A secret set from a popstar on the cusp of releasing her third album. Playing hits like “driver’s license” and “traitor”, Rodrigo decided to treat Primavera to a new song from said upcoming album. Titled “what’s wrong with me”, she stipulated that this song was her first ever feature. What wasn’t stipulated until he appeared onstage was that this collaboration was with none other than Robert Smith of The Cure. I can only describe the noise, the shriek even, that came out of me as primal. Blood vessel popping if you will. Post Olivia the crowd moved as one entity, a mass of hysterical internationals heading to the main stage for The XX, who were fantastic. Peppering in solo material from Romy and Jamie XX’s discographies I only caught half of their set as me and some friends wanted to see Marina who clashed with their set times. There’s something about seeing “Primadonna” sung live at Primavera that will stay with me forever. The powerhouse vocalist that is Marina of Diamonds fame had the audience hooked. The most enthusiastic couple of fans were in front of me during this performance and they kept on turning around to dance with me and my friends. This is the beauty of a festival like Primavera. I don’t speak a lick of Spanish and they didn’t have a word of English and yet here we were, a crew of strangers having the most fun together without saying a word to each other. Marina stunned with back catalogue hits and wowed with her latest songs from “PRINCESS OF POWER”. Concluding with “I <3 YOU” we snaked out of the crowd to dash back to the main stage. If you wanted to train for a marathon then my advice to you is go to Primavera and have the ambition of seeing as many acts as possible, you’ll get your cardio fill and then some. This 5K jog back to the main stage was to see the legendary Gorillaz. As we ran in we were graced with the opening chords of “On Melancholy Hill”. One thing about Gorillaz is that their catalogue is so stacked, to the point where you forget how many hits they have. They brought out so many guests that I frankly lost track. Closing out to “Clint Eastwood” we moseyed over to the Port stage. I’ve mentioned energy a lot in my recounting of Prima but never was their more ENERGY than at Ninajirachi. The new edm queen who hails from Australia knows exactly how to let loose. I saw her back in March in Glasgow’s SWG3 and I hate to say it but her Primavera set blew that gig out of the water. Playing the infectious “iPod Touch” and “Fuck My Computer” as well as a new remix of Charli xcx’s “Rock Music” the crowd at Nina were the most up for it I’d seen the whole weekend. Closing out the third day was the sensational Peggy Gou. The Nina to Peggy chaser, oh Primavera Sound 2026 they’re going to talk about you for years to come. A flawless way to close a crazy weekend, Peggy kept spirits high and stakes low. Her set was so tailored to just having fun. She played classic Peggy Gou numbers such as “Find The Way” and “ (It Goes Like) Nanana” which ultimately culminated in her playing “Get Away” by Kungs and Boys Noize. In the great Primavera Sound Barcelona tradition, myself and every merry soul left standing at six in the morning marched on to the beach to watch the sunrise. I say watch the sunrise, by the time the meandering around the festival grounds is finished the sun is well and truly up but the sentiment remains the same. Ending a festival weekend this way is something that feels good for the soul. Quoting a friend of mine that I met for the first time on the beach post festival in 2024, “I’ve had worse places to start a hangover”. Overall, if you’re even considering heading to Barcelona for Primavera Sound you’ve already taken the first step. I’ve never met anyone who hasn’t had a great time at the festival and given this year’s events what’s the worst that can happen? Your clobber gets a bit damp and you flirt with mild trench foot, so be it, at least you’ll have had some fun!