Primavera Sound Festival

Primavera Sound (commonly referred to as simply Primavera) is an annual music festival held in Parc del Fòrum in Barcelona, Spain that takes place between the end of May and beginning of June. The first edition took place in 2001 in Poble Espanyol and moved to the Parc del Fòrum, a much larger site on the seafront, in 2005. The nature of the festival (urban and an integrated part of the city) and the wide range of bands represented have made Primavera Sound a meeting point for artists and spectators from all generations. Primavera Sound is one of the largest and most-attended music festivals in Europe and the biggest in the Mediterranean.

The success of the festival led to an expansion to Porto in 2012. This one takes place at the Parque da Cidade a week after the main edition. In 2022, the festival announced four new editions taking place in Los Angeles, Santiago de Chile, Buenos Aires and São Paulo. A much smaller version of the festival, Primavera Weekender, has been taking place in Benidorm each November since 2019.

The festival presents all genres including pop, indie, rock and the most underground tendencies of electronic and dance music.

Pixies, Arcade Fire, Queens of the Stone Age, The National, Nine Inch Nails, Kendrick Lamar, Neil Young, Sonic Youth, Portishead, Pet Shop Boys, Pavement, Echo & The Bunnymen, Lou Reed, My Bloody Valentine, El-P, Pulp, Patti Smith, James Blake, Cat Power, Public Enemy, Grinderman, Franz Ferdinand, Television, Devo, Enrique Morente, The White Stripes, LCD Soundsystem, Tindersticks, PJ Harvey, Shellac, Dinosaur Jr., New Order, Fuck Buttons, Swans, Melvins, Psychic TV, Spiritualized, The Cure, Bon Iver, La Buena Vida, Rosalía, Death Cab For Cutie, Iggy & The Stooges, De La Soul, Marianne Faithfull, Mazzy Star, Blur, Wu-Tang Clan, Phoenix, Radiohead, Animal Collective, Sigur Rós, The Jesus and Mary Chain and Tame Impala amongst many others have performed on its stages.

At every edition the event has grown both in terms of numbers and in terms of media exposure: press, radio and television both nationally and internationally. Its first edition in 2001 closed with an attendance of 8,000 people, an audience that by the latest edition in 2022 had become 500,000.

History

2001–2004: Beginnings at Poble Espanyol

Although Primavera Sound had existed in a small format in Barcelona since the 1990s, 2001 saw the first bigger event take place at the Poble Espanyol with more than one stage and attracted around 7,700 people. This venue is an open air architectural museum up the Montjuïc hill. It recreates the best and most famous venues and cultures within Spain.The bill included the likes of Armand Van Helden, Le Hammond Inferno, former main man of Pizzicato 5, Yasuharu Konishi, Faze Action, Bent, Los Planetas, Manta Ray, Sr. Chinarro, Samuel L. Session, Unkle, Carl Craig, Dj Godfather; and many other bands and DJs like Gentle People Djs, Leila, Zip and Gus Gus Djs.In 2002 Primavera Sound took place on 17 and 18 May. The main change was the addition of a second day to the festival. Sixty local and international bands and DJs played on five different stages that year, including Pulp, Tindersticks, Spiritualized, Echo & The Bunnymen, J Mascis, Aphex Twin, Luke Slater, Giant Sand, The Delgados, Dave Clarke, Bis, Ian Pooley, Andrew Weatherall, Le Tigre, Gonzales, The Moldy Peaches, Chicks On Speed, Clem Snide, La Buena Vida, Green Velvet, Cinerama, Lo-Fidelity Allstars and The Zephyrs. 2002 was also the first year to include non-musical performances.

24,000 people attended in 2003, and the number of acts also increased to more than 90 groups and DJs both local and international. Five areas were arranged at the Poble Espanyol site for the night shows (Nitsa-Apolo, Rockdelux by Lois, CD Drome, Nasti and Psicolabis).
An extra site was added to the festival: Mercat de les Flors, for the day time activities: the Primavera Soundtrack Film Festival and the Record label Fair, which included two stages (acoustic and electric) where the label's bands showcased their works. Acts included Belle And Sebastian, Yo La Tengo, Teenage Fanclub, Arab Strap, I Am Kloot, Sonic Youth, Mogwai, The White Stripes, Television, Beef, The Go-Betweens, 2 Many Dj's, Julian Cope, Baxter Dury, Roni Size, Ed Harcourt, Antònia Font, Lcd Soundsystem, Märtini Brös, Erol Alkan, Gold Chains, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Hangedup, The Streets, Baby Zizanie, A Room With A View.

In 2004 the festival kept growing in length (three days in the Poble Espanyol), artists and attendance. Attendance increased to up to 40,000 people. Headliners included PJ Harvey, Primal Scream, The Divine Comedy, Wilco and Franz Ferdinand. The size of the simultaneous record label and industry fair also increased, with 30 stands representing the leading independent Spanish record labels, as well as specialized press and associated companies.

2005–2009: Expansion

In 2005 the festival relocated from the Poble Espanyol to the Fòrum site. This new site was built explicitly for the 2004 Universal Forum of Cultures. It is a 14-hectare multipurpose public park meters away from the Mediterranean Sea. It is best known for its public art, the Museum of Natural Sciences of Barcelona and its underground auditorium, its seaview and solar panels, with the last one becoming one of the emblems of the site. Other points in favour was the proximity to commercial and residential areas of Sant Adrià and Poblenou, which has been described as the "hipster" part of the city, and its great connection with public transport through the Metro Line 4 and the Trambesòs.

2005 saw the first use of the Auditorium building where some of the main performances of that weekend took place, such as Antony & The Johnsons, Vic Chesnutt and Tortoise. Headliners included New Order, Iggy Pop’s Stooges live comeback, Sonic Youth, Steve Earle and Gang of Four.

2006 saw only minor changes in the layout of the stages and some improvements in the infrastructure. Performers included Lou Reed, Motörhead, Yo La Tengo, The Flaming Lips, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Babyshambles, Animal Collective, Gang Gang Dance, Deerhoof, Richard Hawley, Isobel Campbell, José González (singer), José González, Vashti Bunyan,

2007 saw the audience increase to over 60,000 attendees. With thirty per cent of the audience coming from other countries, The 150 acts included Wilco, The Smashing Pumpkins, Smashing Pumpkins, Sonic Youth played the legendary album Daydream Nation integrally and the Forum vibrated with the concert of the veteran Patti Smith, The Good, the Bad & the Queen, The Durutti Column, Maxïmo Park, Buzzcocks, Grizzly Bear (band), Grizzly Bear, Billy Bragg, Low (band), Low, Band of Horses, Band Of Horses, Diplo, Erol Alkan and many others.

2008 saw around 160 artists perform in venues both in the Parc Del Fòrum and into the centre of Barcelona city. Performers included Portishead, MGMT, Public Enemy, Vampire Weekend, Cat Power, El Guincho, Bon Iver, Dirty Projectors, Explosions in the Sky, Explosions In The Sky, Why? (American band), Why? and Dan Snaith, Caribou.

2009 saw a total of 171 concerts and over 80,000 spectators. The audience was spread around the fourteen stages of the festival, six of which are on the Parc del Fòrum site (76,000 spectators) and another eight distributed around the centre of Barcelona with Primavera in the city, which attracted 4,600 more spectators. The starting signal was given in various underground stations of the town centre on Saturday 23 May and the usual presentation showcases, organized with the collaboration of different record companies and taking place from Monday the 25th in the Apolo, and Sidecar. The main event took place on the 28th, 29th and 30 May and the second edition of Primavera at the Park (free concerts in the Joan Miró) consolidated itself in 2009 with twelve concerts which prolonged the festival into the Sunday 31 May.

Headliners included My Bloody Valentine, Yo La Tengo, Yo la Tengo, The Vaselines, Phoenix, Aphex Twin, Squarepusher, Andrew Bird, The Horrors, Bloc Party, Throwing Muses, Saint Etienne (band), Saint Etienne, Jarvis Cocker, Art Brut, Damien Jurado, Sonic Youth, Herman Dune, Deerhunter, Simian Mobile Disco, Simian Mobile disco, Liars (band), Liars, Michael Nyman Band, Michael Nyman, Ghostface Killah, Black Lips and Neil Young.

2010–2019: Reafirmation and internationalization

2010 saw over 100,000 spectators attend the festival for the first time, and featured the first edition of PrimaveraPro, a gathering more than 400 music industry professionals from different countries and different areas within the sector such as labels, booking agencies, promoters or festival programmers.

Performers included Pavement, Superchunk, The Fall (band), The Fall, The xx, The XX, Pixies, Beach House, Pet Shop Boys, Orbital (band), Orbital, Ben Frost (musician), Ben Frost, Van Dyke Parks, Built to Spill, Built To Spill, Grizzly Bear (band), Grizzly Bear Dum Dum Girls, and Los Campesinos!.

In 2011 attendance grew to over 120,000 people. Performers included Caribou (band), Caribou, Echo & The Bunnymen, Mercury Rev, The National, Nick Cave, Belle and Sebastian, Belle & Sebastian, The Flaming Lips, PJ Harvey, Animal Collective and Pulp.

2012's headliners included Refused, Wilco, Franz Ferdinand, The xx, Beirut (band), Beirut, Napalm Death, Grimes (musician), Grimes, Danny Brown (rapper), Danny Brown, Other Lives (band), Other Lives, Kindness (musician), Kindness, The Cure, John Talabot, Marianne Faithfull, The Chameleons, the Afghan Whigs and Nick Garrie. Attendance was around 117,000 people. In June 2012 the first edition of NOS Primavera Sound took place at the Parque da Cidade in Porto. Alberto Guijarro, the festival's director, stated that “after years in Barcelona we organised a first edition in Porto to take advantage of musicians on tour, but it is a different type of event; what we do in Portugal is a Primavera boutique, more well-kept, smaller and with its own personality".2013's headliners included The Postal Service, Phoenix, Tame Impala, Deerhunter, Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, Blur. Bob Mould, James Blake, Wu-Tang Clan, My Bloody Valentine, Los Planetas, Hot Chip, The Knife, Solange Knowles, Kurt Vile, Local Natives and Mulatu Astatke among 260 concerts programmed at the thirteenth edition of the festival. Local bands included Manel (band), Manel, Madrid band Toundra, Fred I Son, The Free Fall Band, La Bien Querida and El Inquilino Comunista. There was a new record attendance of 170,000 counting the four days in the Parc del Fòrum and the activities in the framework of Primavera a la Ciutat. 2014 saw performances by Arcade Fire, Pixies, The National and Neutral Milk Hotel as well as Charles Bradley (singer), Charles Bradley, Kendrick Lamar, Nine Inch Nails, Caetano Veloso, Disclosure (band), Disclosure, Queens of the Stone Age, Queens Of The Stone Age, Future Islands and St. Vincent (musician), St. Vincent.

In 2015, the festival was headlined by The Black Keys, Antony and the Johnsons, Alt-J, Patti Smith, The Strokes, Ride (band), Ride, Interpol (band), Interpol and Underworld (band), Underworld. James Blake, Caribou, Belle and Sebastian, Spiritualized, Jungle, Simian Mobile Disco, Jose Gonzalez, Jon Hopkins and The Church also appeared.

The 2016 festival was headlined by Radiohead, LCD Soundsystem and Sigur Rós, Sigur Ros. PJ Harvey, Tame Impala, The Last Shadow Puppets, Air (French band), Air, Brian Wilson, Beach House, Suede (band), Suede, Beirut (band), Beirut and Animal Collective also performed.

In 2017, the festival was headlined by Arcade Fire, Bon Iver, The xx, The XX, Run the Jewels, Miguel (singer), Miguel, Aphex Twin, Grace Jones, Slayer, Solange Knowles, Solange and Van Morrison. More than 200.000 people attended the 2017 festival. American singer Frank Ocean, who offered less than ten concerts in 2017 and hasn't performed live since, cancelled its headlining gig four days before the performance.

In 2018, the festival started to bet for more urban and pop performers without leaving its rock and indie sign. This edition was headlined by Arctic Monkeys, Björk, Bjork, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, The National, Chvrches, The War on Drugs (band), The War on Drugs, Lorde, Arca (musician), Arca and ASAP Rocky, A$AP Rocky. It took place from May 31 to June 3. Migos were also booked for the show but cancelled hours before the performance because they missed their flight. Skepta and Los Planetas replaced them. The local artists catalogue included C. Tangana, Hinds (band), Hinds, La Bien Querida, El Capullo de Jerez, Bad Gyal, Mujeres and Núria Graham among others. That same year a new proposal was released: the festival's attenders could vote online who they would like to see performing at the Your Heineken Stage.
The 2019 lineup of the festival has attempted to showcase a gender balanced lineup with equal numbers of male and female performers. The festival's 'new normal' initiative aims to set a benchmark for equal gender representation that other festivals should follow. Primavera's head of press, Marta Pallarès, told ''The Guardian'' “We need to change the ‘pale, male and stale’ paradigm”. Female acts announced for the festival included Cardi B, Janelle Monáe, Rosalía (singer), Rosalía, Solange Knowles, Solange, Erykah Badu, FKA Twigs, Robyn, Courtney Barnett, Carly Rae Jepsen, Charli XCX, Lizzo, Cupcakke and Nina Kraviz, Nina Kravitz. Cardi B cancelled her appearance due to scheduling conflicts and was replaced by Miley Cyrus, who fully premiered her brand new Extended play, EP ''She Is Coming''. Other acts include Nas, Interpol (band), Interpol, Tame Impala, Suede (band), Suede, James Blake, J Balvin, Jarvis Cocker, Primal Scream, Modeselektor and Loyle Carner. National and local artists included Yung Beef, La Zowi, Cariño, Pavvla, Nathy Peluso, María José Llergo and Rosalía (singer), Rosalía, whose performance at the main stage was ranked as one of the best and most awaited ones in the festival's history. Over 220,000 people attended the festival. When the 2019 festival ended, Primavera Sound announced two new editions. One of them would be held at Los Angeles State Historic Park, Los Angeles Historic Park in California would be taking place in September 2020. Another edition in London was planned for June 2020 at Drumsheds but was put on hold due to time constraints and concerns over permits and licenses. In November 2019 a smaller edition of the festival named Primavera Weekender began at Magic Robin Hood Camp in Benidorm. Over 3,500 fans attended the festival.

2020–present: Pandemic issues and expansion to the Americas

On March 10, 2020, the Generalitat de Catalunya, Government of Catalonia ordered the cancellation or rescheduling of cultural events that had an attendance expectation of over a thousand people due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, the twentieth edition of the Primavera Sound festival was moved to August 2020. However, the festival was later cancelled. The 2020 lineup included headliners like Lana Del Rey, Lana del Rey, Massive Attack, The National, King Princess, Young Thug, Brockhampton (band), Brockhampton, The Strokes, Kacey Musgraves, Tyler, the Creator, Bad Bunny and Pavement, who were supposed to reunite for the first time since their hiatus in 2010, among others.

The lineup for the 2021 edition, which would run from June 2 to June 6 and be presented under the slogan #BestFestivalForever, was announced a year before its celebration. The lineup included most artists that were scheduled to play there in 2020. New additions to it included Gorillaz, Doja Cat, FKA Twigs, Rina Sawayama and Charli XCX among many others. In March 2021, the festival was rescheduled once again for the summer of 2022.

In May 2021, the definitive lineup for the Primavera Sound 2022, 20th anniversary was presented as "the best one in the festival's history". New headliners include Dua Lipa, Lorde, Nick Cave & the bad Seeds, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Megan Thee Stallion and Jorja Smith. Local artists include Alizzz, Amaia (singer), Amaia, Bad Gyal, La Zowi, Manel (band), Manel, Maria del Mar Bonet, María del Mar Bonet, Renaldo & Clara, Rigoberta Bandini, Sen Senra and Triángulo de Amor Bizarro, among others. Balearic group Antònia Font is scheduled to make its reunion concert after their split in 2013. The lineup was completed on December 13, featuring additional bookings of Ride (band), Ride, Phoenix and Grimes (musician), Grimes among others. Headliners Massive Attack cancelled three months prior to their performance due to a member's health compilations. The twentieth anniversary of Primavera Sound has been considered an Event of Exceptional Public Interest by the Government of Spain, Government's Ministry of Culture and Sport (Spain), Ministry of Culture and Sports. It is the first international music festival in Spain with this cultural distinctive. After discrepancies between the festival, the City Council of Barcelona and many local social groups about maintaining the two-weekend model for the future, Primavera Sound announced that the festival's 2023 edition will also take place in Arganda del Rey, near Madrid a weekend after the main ceremony.

Primavera Sound is set to take place in the Americas as four new counterparts are scheduled to be held in Buenos Aires, Los Angeles, Santiago, and São Paulo in late 2022. The first edition of Primavera Sound in Los Angeles will be headlined by Arctic Monkeys, Nine Inch Nails, Lorde, and Kim Gordon meanwhile the debut South American editions will see Arctic Monkeys, Björk, Lorde, and Travis Scott as headliners. Amaia (singer), Amaia, Bad Gyal, Carolina Durante, Christina Rosenvinge and Derby Motoreta's Burrito Kachimba are among the Spanish artists that will travel with the institution to the Americas. Other international performers include Arca (musician), Arca, Beach House, Cat Power, Caroline Polachek, Charli XCX, Father John Misty, Japanese Breakfast, José González (singer), José González, Interpol (band), Interpol, Mitski, and Phoebe Bridgers.

The poster for the 2023 edition was revealed on 29 November 2022. Presented under the slogan "I'll be your mirror", it shows an almost identical lineup for the Barcelona and Madrid editions. Blur, Kendrick Lamar, Depeche Mode, Rosalía, Halsey (singer), Halsey and Calvin Harris will serve as headliners. Other performers include Ghost (Swedish band), Ghost, Baby Keem, Måneskin, St. Vincent (musician), St. Vincent, FKA Twigs, Rema (musician), Rema, Central Cee, Bleachers (band), Bleachers, Maggie Rogers, Skrillex and Tokischa among others.

Location and festival grounds

Primavera Sound takes place in the Parc del Fòrum, located in the south-east part of the Poblenou neighbourhood, between Barcelona and Sant Adrià de Besòs. It is accessible through El Maresme – Fòrum (Barcelona Metro), public transport.

During the festival, several stages continuously host live music. These are named after the festival's sponsors. The primary stages that have been used are:

* Main Stage (sponsored by ''SEAT, Seat'') – the main stage that draws the largest crowds. This outdoor stage is where the headlining acts perform. It is located on the Plataforma Marina, a large flat terrain that was scheduled to hold a marine zoo but that remained to be a fairground and multipurpose venue after the project seemed non-viable due to the Spanish financial crisis. It includes movable stands.
* Main Stage 2 (sponsored by ''Pull&Bear'') – also located on the Plataforma Marina, it draws large crowds and holds the biggest concerts of the night. It includes movable stands. It includes a giant led poster that says "Created in Barcelona".
*Primavera Stage – a big outdoor venue used for B-list artists.
*Auditori del Fòrum (sponsored by ''Rockdelux'') – an indoor 3,000 people auditorium under the Museum of Natural Sciences of Barcelona. Holds concerts by soon-to-be big artists or artists that require the best acoustic.
*Auditori Stage (sponsored by ''Ray-Ban'') – a medium-size open air aphitheatre with a medium capacity of 3,000 people.
*Seafront Stage (sponsored by ''Pitchfork (website), Pitchfork'') – a big-size venue sponsored by music magazine Pitchfork includes performances by highly recommended artists by critics.
*Seafront Stage 2 (sponsored by ''Adidas'') – a small outdoor venue used to hold little concerts.
*Village Stage (sponsored by ''SEAT, Seat'') – a mid-size open-air venue orientated to electronic music. Mostly DJs perform at the venue in the early morning.
*Your Stage (sponsored by ''Heineken'') – a small-size tent used to hold the artists people have voted or asked online to play that weren't announced in the full lineup. It is, definitely, a last-minute surprise.
* Lotus Stage – located in the Fòrum Beach in Sant Adrià de Besòs with great views to the thermal power plant, it is mostly used for DJ performances.
*Desperados Cube – annexed to the Lotus Stage it is used for DJ performances and for the festival's inauguration party.
*OCB Paper Sessions – a small-size tent focused on showcases by small artists.
*Minimusica – venue orientated to infants.
*Night Pro – small-size venue it is hosted by DJs and is only accessible for press and people who have bought the Primavera Sound Pro or VIP tickets.

Stage Gallery

File:Beak, Primavera stage 3.jpg, Main stage by day
File:Interpol, Seat stage 4.jpg, Main Stage at night
File:Primavera19 -156 (48986306232).jpg, "Created in Barcelona" sign at Main Stage
File:Primavera stage crowd.jpg, Primavera Stage
File:Barcelona (4665693463).jpg, Primavera Stage
File:Clairo, Pitchfork Stage 1.jpg, Pitchfork Stage
File:Ray-Ban stage crowd.jpg, Auditorium Stage
File:Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, Adidas Originals stage 3.jpg, Adidas Stage
File:AJ Tracey, Seat Village stage 4.jpg, Seat Village Stage
File:Primavera Sound 2011 - May 27 - Julia Kent (5804790671).jpg, Your/Hidden Stage
File:Primavera Sound Lotus stage.jpg, Lotus Stage
File:Steffi, Desperados Cube stage 4.jpg, Desperados Cube
File:The Beths, Primavera Sound 2019 03.jpg, Sala Apolo during ''Primavera a la Ciutat''
File:Barcelona (4665699275).jpg, Interior tents
File:Primavera Sound food court at dawn.jpg, Resting Area
File:Wednesday Campanella, Lotus stage 12.jpg, Resting Musical Area
File:Primavera Sound Aperol Spritz bar.jpg, Bar Area
File:Zona de banys (Diagonal Mar).jpg, Bathing Area
File:Primavera Sound VIP area 1.jpg, VIP Area

Festival summary by year

Porto

Los Angeles

São Paulo

Buenos Aires

Santiago

Madrid

{, class="wikitable"
!Edition
!Year
!Dates
!Headliners
, -
, 1st
, 2023
, June 8–10
, Blur · Halsey (singer), Halsey · Kendrick Lamar · Depeche Mode · Rosalía · Calvin Harris

Prizes and awards

* Prizes of the Independent Music 2011 (organized by UFI): Better festival
* Altaveu 2011 Award
* Greener Festival Award 2012: in the category "Highly Commended"
* European Festival Awards: Artists' Favourite Festival in 2014
* Reward Waves of the Music 2014: Better musical spectacle
* Premi Continuarà-Vespre to La2 of Culture 2015

References

External links

Official website

Primavera Sound,
Music festivals in Catalonia
Rock festivals in Spain
Tourist attractions in Porto
Spring (season) events in Spain
Music festivals established in 2001