Sónar will light up Barcelona with a pyrotechnic display celebrating three decades of electronic music culture. The Barcelona festival of music, creativity, and technology closes its 30th anniversary celebrations by providing the soundtrack to the firework display for the city’s biggest party, La Mercè.

This year, both Barcelona and the entire world will be able to enjoy the spectacular finale to La Mercè, as marked by the musical and artistic touch of Sónar. Almost 30 minutes of music that includes everything that gives Sónar its unique character and personality: innovation, curiosity and a celebration of artistic talent.

The Piromusical de La Mercè 2023, organised by the Ajuntament de Barcelona via the Institut de Cultura, will offer a global tour through experimental sounds, voices, and rhythms from all five continents. An intercultural voyage featuring urban music from around the world, and a giant party soundtracked by classic tracks from some of the most celebrated names in electronic music.

The audience will be taken on an exciting musical journey through Sónar’s ‘greatest hits’ and history, with a diverse selection of some of the most important groups and artists who’ve performed at the festival over the past three decades. The fireworks will be accompanied by hits from both local artists like Rosalía, Maria Arnal, Desert and Bad Gyal, and from international stars such as Daft Punk, Kraftwerk, Björk, Bad Bunny, Nathy Peluso, Pet Shop Boys or Grace Jones.

The Piromusical soundtrack will also pay a small yet significant tribute to the late Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, adding a special touch to the celebrations. The spectacle can be viewed live from Avinguda de la Reina Maria Cristina, next to Fira Montjuïc on Monday 25th of September at 10pm. It can also be watched live on Catalan television channel TV3 and at sonar.es.

Sónar draws the curtain on its 30th anniversary celebrations by providing the soundtrack to the Piromusical at La Mercè 2023. As part of the popular firework display, the festival will trace its 30 year history across 30 minutes.

The event, which closes the biggest celebration in Barcelona, will take place on Monday 25th of September at 10pm at Avinguda de la Reina Maria Cristina, next to Fira Montjuïc.

Sónar, 30 years of electronic music culture in Barcelona.
To close this symbolic year and celebrate its special bond with the city, Sónar has prepared a wide-ranging selection of music. It traces three decades of electronic music culture via songs from some of the most important local and international artists to have appeared at the festival since 1994. This year, the legendary firework display will be interwoven with over 50 songs by artists who have spearheaded the development of electronic music.

A look back on the key figures in the festival’s history.
The Piromusical of La Mercè 2023 will pay special tribute to the work of Japanese artist Ryuichi Sakamoto, who passed away this year.

In addition, it will feature hits from huge stars like Rosalía, C. Tangana, Lana del Rey, Chic, and Grace Jones, plus current icons of Latin American music such as Bad Bunny and Nathy Peluso.

Music from Catalan artists like Bad Gyal, Desert, and Maria Arnal will be joined by luminaries of dance music such as Daft Punk, The Chemical Brothers, Buraka Som Sistema, Omar Souleyman, and Aphex Twin.

The list is completed with leading names from disco, house and techno, such as Todd Terje, Laurent Garnier, Miss Kittin, and Jeff Mills. The mix has been produced by Sónar in collaboration with Phran, a local producer and DJ who’s a regular performer at the festival.

Live broadcast and streaming.
The Piromusical de La Mercè will be broadcast live on TV3 and at sonar.es.
This extraordinary event will draw the curtain on a successful 2023 for Sónar, which saw the festival celebrate its 30th anniversary, bringing over 120,000 attendees from around the world to Barcelona. Also this year, the festival was awarded the Creu de Sant Jordi for its contribution and support for electronic music and multimedia contemporary art in Barcelona.

First tickets on sale soon for Sónar 2024.
Sónar 2024 will take place on the 13th, 14th, and 15th of June, once again at Fira Montjuïc (Sónar by Day) and Fira Gran Via (Sónar by Night). Tickets for Sónar 2024 will go on general sale on Tuesday 26th of September (the day after the Piromusical) at sonar.es.

About Sónar.
True to its name, Sónar tracks and amplifies the present and future musical landscape, hosting the most influential artistic creations of the current moment. It serves as a proving ground for new and emerging trends at the intersection of performance, music, science, information technology and beyond.

H/T Sónar festival.