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<\/a><\/p>\nPrimavera Sound has spent the past seven years as a UN partner, formally aligning itself with the Sustainable Development Goals<\/a> (a framework that spans climate action, gender equality and the reduction of social inequalities). That commitment is evident in the festival’s protocols and programming; despite the cancellation of outspoken Thursday headliners Massive Attack, themes of inclusion and equality remained pervasive.<\/p>\n Closing her Friday set, JADE (Jade Thirlwall) told the crowd, \u201cWhoever you love, you are welcome at my show\u201d, neatly encapsulating Primavera\u2019s ethos. The line-up’s queerness and allyship is structural: Ethel Cain, MARINA, Oklou, Amaarae, Fcukers, Addison Rae, and last year, Charli XCX, Chappell Roan, Troye Sivan, FKA Twigs and Sabrina Carpenter.<\/p>\n Thursday: Cameron Winter’s World<\/p>\n Fans queued from early morning to catch Cameron Winter’s atmospheric solo set starting proceedings. When his full band Geese began, so did the storm proper, only deepening the intensity from the year’s most talked-about group. What followed was less fortunate: false hope sustained by Father John Misty playing on, before 80km\/h gusts forced the cancellation of Alex G, Mac DeMarco, and eventually Massive Attack, Doja Cat and Bad Gyal. Communication failures compounded the frustration; organisers responded by offering refunds on Thursday tickets.<\/p>\n Friday and Saturday: The Cameos<\/p>\n Primavera’s growing reputation for Glastonbury-level surprise moments reached new heights across the final two days. On Friday, The Cure’s Robert Smith delivered a two-and-a-half hour headline set including B-sides, and rarities unplayed since 2016 and 2018.<\/p>\n Olivia Rodrigo’s secret show was announced just hours before showtime on Saturday; after tearing through drivers license, vampire and good 4 u, she said: “I can’t believe this song exists with the person that it exists with.” Smith appeared on stage to deliver What’s Wrong With Me, her first ever credited collaboration, completing a thread woven through her career. There\u2019d been a Boys Don’t Cry cover, a song called the cure, and a Just Like Heaven shoutout in her latest single.<\/p>\n The xx returned after eight years, gathering millennials for collective catharsis.<\/p>\n Gorillaz then closed the main stage with a masterclass in what a festival headline set can be \u2013 entertaining and a call to action. Damon Albarn introduced Palestinian activist Aarab Barghouti before the music began, then: Little Simz for Garage Palace, Yasiin Bey for Stylo and Damascus, Moonchild Sanelly for With Love to an Ex, Bootie Brown for Dirty Harry, and Posdnuos of De La Soul for Feel Good Inc.<\/p>\n Albarn has championed Little Simz since she was a teenager, so the Garage Palace moment felt like a homecoming. Earlier, the UK rapper had played her own incredible set spanning classics like I Love You, I Hate You and Venom to a DJ break inviting the crowd to dance at “Club Simbi”.<\/p>\n Kneecap arrived with new album Fenian, joined by Palestinian rapper Fawzi for their collaboration Palestine, plus Grian Chatten of Fontaines D.C. for Better Way to Live, reprising their beloved Fine Art collab. Many fans had made the pilgrimage to Primavera Sound 2025 to see Fontaines headline the main stage (Globetrender included, read the write-up here<\/a>).<\/p>\n The Punk Continuum: Nobody Is Normal<\/p>\n That spirit is what the festival’s “Nobody is Normal” agreement sustains. Overseen by Genera<\/a>, an association defending sexual and gender freedoms, it runs trained professionals throughout the site and two permanent support stands; 2026 introduced a dedicated safe space for neurodivergent attendees.<\/p>\n Over a hundred people with intellectual disabilities or at risk of social exclusion attended through partnerships with Dinder Club<\/a>, Som Fundaci\u00f3<\/a> and Fundaci\u00f3 Superacci\u00f3<\/a>. A new collaboration with ethical brand Top Manta Barcelona<\/a> brought an anti-racism awareness hub to the Parc.<\/p>\n Environmentally, Primavera operates at the same level of conviction: most stages powered by battery or mains grid with emissions below EU 2030 targets, 85% of the site built from reused materials, 49 free chilled water taps eliminating plastic bottles, and over 85% of attendees arriving sustainably in 2025.<\/p>\n Primavera Pro: Thinking in Public<\/p>\n Running concurrently, the festival’s international music industry conference Primavera Pro<\/a> tackled AI head-on. The opening workshop asked how independent labels and artists can access major-label-level strategic thinking using AI without surrendering creative identity.<\/p>\n Panels debated IP rights, streaming fraud and whether recommendation algorithms are narrowing musical diversity. ARTIFICIA<\/a> showcased AI as collaborative tool rather than replacement; mygloven\u2019s smart assistant my’G<\/a> demonstrated AI-assisted festival production. In a year of deepfake vocals and AI-generated catalogue spam, Primavera remains one of the few spaces where the music industry is forced to think out loud.<\/p>\n My overall takeaway? Primavera Sound remains committed to arguing that music is not separate from the world it exists in. In fact, music remains of the sharpest tools we have for understanding it.<\/p>\n Where to Stay During Primavera Sound<\/p>\n Budget: Generator Barcelona <\/a><\/p>\n It’s a half an hour train or tram to the festival, and a fleet of bikes awaits downstairs \u2013 the smartest of us take advantage of these, and cycle to the gig itself. Breakfast at \u20ac9.50 has to be the best value in Barcelona: jam\u00f3n, eggs, beans, croissants, and plenty of pan con tomate. Plus, you can buy virtually anything you might have forgotten in reception. I can’t find fault with it.<\/p>\n Blow-out: METT Barcelona<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>Viagra Boys’ Friday set at the Occident Stage crystallised why Primavera’s Nobody is Normal ethos works: Sebastian Murphy doing push-ups before collapsing to the floor, the feral saxophone through Sports and Troglodyte, thousands screaming along in absurdist unison. Where The Cure’s subversion is gothic and romantic, Viagra Boys skewer modern masculine anxieties so perfectly, the satire feels tender.<\/p>\n<\/a>Arriving to a full-blown rave on the ground floor, I dreaded a sleepless night. But the lift took me to an eighth floor private Deluxe King<\/a>, where I happily found my own (large) balcony, direct Sagrada Fam\u00edlia view, pin-drop silence, a proper writing desk and a very comfortable bed.<\/p>\n