This time next week we will all be lost in the Create Your Own Adventure: Musical Edition that is Primavera Sound 2025. With the pre-festival Á La Ciutat shows starting Monday, we think it’s time to bring you everything you need to know for this year’s edition and five artists that may currently be floating under your radar.

First up let’s talk logistics and line ups. The festival takes place at Barcelona’s Parc Del Forum, next to the beach and from the city centre it’s just a short tram journey which runs 24 hours. There’s also access via metro and a cycle park space to lock up your bike.

Before the festival’s official opening day, there are more intimate concerts happening all over the city as part of the Á La Ciutat shows. So on Monday 2nd June we’ll be seeing what the French genre-bending Yseult brings to the stage. Tuesday we’ll be getting rowdy with Allie X and Lambrini Girls in a night that is surely a festival highlight contender. Tickets are still available to purchase for some of these shows via Fever.

This year Primavera Sound officially begins on Wednesday 4th June with the Opening Day that is free to everyone (while tickets last via Access Ticket app). The line up features indie Spanish rock duo HINDS, Catalan electro-pop legends La Casa Azul and culminates with the dream-pop electronica project Caribou from Canada’s Dan Snaith.

The festival then continues across Thursday, Friday, Saturday and currently hosts nine different stages, but with Prima, you never know what might pop up. For example there’s the Auditori Goes To… which brings a curated list of artists to Sala Apolo and Paral-lel 62 over the three days, including One To Watch Maria Somerville.

The festival is a three day trip headlined by the Powerpuff girlies Chappell Roan, Charli XCX and Sabrina Carpenter. Clairo pulled out and in their place we get Wolf Alice and to be honest….we’re not mad about it! Black Country, New Road will be performing their new album, Forever Howlong and we’ll be losing our minds in the euphoria of Kelly Lee Owens. ANOHNI & the Johnsons, Kittin & LCD Soundsystem will be giving us the nostalgia feels while Danny L Harle, Amelie Lens and Machine Girl will be hurtling us into the future.

This much we know, but five artists we are hyped to be seeing and might be off your radar are…

Raya Diplomatica – the new punk pop group featuring Javier Calvo, one half of Spain’s hottest power couple Los Javis. The duo are responsible for the incredible Veneno, judge together on Drag Race España and now Sr. Calvo is a rock star. Their newly announced sunset show will be on the Aperol Island of Joy stage, overlooking the sea.

YOASOBI – Primavera Sound has a tradition of always showcasing the best of Asian Pop music. This year we have the J Pop duo YOASOBI whose name originates from the Japanese word for ‘nightlife’. With over 7.5m monthly listeners, this early evening show is sure to be a spectacle over on the Revolut stage.

Tristwch & Fenywod – The Welsh goths are playing on Monday night as part of the Á La Ciutat shows, bringing the gloom to LAUT. With a name that translates as The Sadness of Women, they’ve had us in a trance with their new self-titled album which dropped via Night School at the end of last summer.

Dame Area – Viktor L Crux (Catalonia) & Silvia Konstance (Italy) met through Barcelona’s Post Punk scene, specifically the legendary, the mysterious and sadly now closed Magía Roja venue. The pair make some of the harshest industrial techno we’ve ever had the pleasure of experiencing. Music that is too intense to be playing at home, we never miss the opportunity to catch them rip up the stage with Viktor smashing his drums and Silvia penetrating her theremin before jumping out into the crowd. The show will be wild.

FADES – A new one for us but a trio we have been wanting to see for time. Three queer friends studying philosophy in Barcelona united to mix Pop, House and Urbano. Vicenç said in a recent interview, ‘Let’s not be ashamed to say that we want to be commercial. But it’s okay that three ‘faggots’ dressed as drag queens can be commercial.’ The divas will be representing the community on the Aperol Island of Joy stage.

The final day of the festival, Sunday sees Primavera Bits x Nitsa take over the Parc with electronic artists like BUNT (FFO Fred Again, Barry Can’t Swim) and Michael Bibi. You will find us in the evening at what’s set to be one of the most talked about shows, Kneecap at Sala Apolo. The rap trio from the Republic of Ireland have been making headlines of late for standing up for the people of Palestine and just last week one member was charged with terrorism offences in the UK. Let’s see if they’ll be allowed out of the country.

For those not able to attend this year’s festival, fear not as you’ll be able to watch it on Amazon Music. The platform will be streaming a selection of performances, interviews and more through Prime video and their Twitch profiles for the fourth year, free to subscribers between 5-7 June.

Tickets for the main festival are now sold out. But there are still tickets available for Primavera Bits x Nitsa and some Á La Ciutat shows via Fever.

For all other info see www.primaverasound.com