The Sonar Festival is an annual "advanced music and multimedia art" event in
Barcelona,
Spain.
Its known as one of the finest festivals for new and electronic music in the world and certainly deserves the honour. Browse through the line-up from any past year at http://sonar.es/ and you will see what I mean! In addition, their organisation is impeccable and who could not enjoy Barcelona in the summer?
The Sonar organisers also take a good portion of the festival artists on tour at various side-Sonars on other continents.
The past years Sonar has been divided into the day festival held right in the center of Barcelona and the night festival that fills up massive hangars just outside town. Both day and night events have their own distinct atmosphere, but both are very positive, relaxed and social events.
Go! Go! Go! You won't regret it, but your tired feet will!
Tip 1: Book early. Barcelona hotels are always full and Sonar can be sold out too.
Tip 2: Don't even think about going to Sonar without shoes that are proven not to cause you pain.
Tip 3: The Sonar CD-compilations for each year's festival are well worth the money.
Tip 4: Learn the subway/train system to and from the night venue, its a bit daunting the first time. Don't expect to find room on the organisers busses if you're leaving at the same time as everybody else. (based on experiences from 2004).