Sonar Good Sounding For Spanish Fests

The numbers were 10 percent down on last year’s 20th anniversary edition, but organisers of Spain’s Sonar Festival say that was a one-off special event and they’re very happy with this year’s result. 

Photo: Courtesy Sonar Festival
Pretty Lights

The three-day event averaged a little over 36,000 per day and the Sonar team isn’t in the least worried that’s some way off the pace in the competition to be the country’s biggest festival.

Two weeks ago Primavera, which is also staged in Barcelona, set the benchmark by attracting 190,000 punters at an average of 47,500 per day.

“This year’s numbers are actually higher than anticipated and we didn’t expect the record-breaking figures of last year would be repeated,” Sonar international media chief Georgia Taglietti explained. “We would be happy to see the 2014 figures repeated every year.”

Sonar’s performance suggests that so far the market has yet to suffer on account of the country’s financial problems.

The acts helping Sonar send out the right signals about the Spanish festival season June 12-14 included Massive AttackRichie HawtinFour TetRudimental, and Röyksopp & Robyn.