Review: Primavera Sound 2024 - A Sun-Soaked Musical Wonderland

Primavera Sound is like Glastonbury in the sun with absolutely no chance of mud. Hosted in a massive city park by the sea in Barcelona, organisers have revealed a record number of visitors attended Primavera Sound’s 2024 edition, and Hood was there to find out if it is worth the hype (spoiler alert - it is!).

The festival returned to Barcelona’s Parc del Fòrum for its 22nd edition from 29th May to 2nd June, headlined by Pulp, Vampire Weekend, Justice, The National, and Disclosure. But it was the idea of catching Lana Del Rey, SZA, PJ Harvey, Mitski, and Charli XCX all at one festival that had us booking our Ryanair flights faster than you could say, “Isn’t this a little extra, girls?”.

But Primavera Sound’s diverse line-up, encompassing metal, hardcore, pop, folk, techno, R&B, electronic minimalism, OTT maximalism, and a never-ending stream of DJs, means you can tailor the festival exactly to your tastes while also discovering something new every time you walk past one of the 16 stages. Oh, and did we mention some of the best festival food you will ever find? It’s easy to see why it's earned its name as one of the coolest gatherings on Earth.

This year’s extravaganza saw the likes of Deftones, Amyl and The Sniffers, Scowl, and Chelsea Wolfe sharing a bill with Ethel Cain, Romy, Troye Sivan and more. This festival is very much a music-first affair and delivers what artists and fans want from three days of music in the Mediterranean.

The scale means you won’t see everyone on your list but we were thrilled to see Lana Del Rey up close and personal. Looking fabulous and only half an hour later than billed with her enchanting melodies. SZA was outstanding and we stayed up all day, all night, and flew home at 6 am after catching the Charli XCX set at 3 am on the Sunday. All set against the breathtaking backdrop of Barcelona's seaside setting. What more could you want?

Primavera Sound has rightly earned its reputation for showcasing cutting-edge talent from around the globe, making it a must-attend event for music aficionados. With over 200 performers taking to the stage over the three-day festival, it's truly a music lover's dream getaway. But Primavera Sound is more than just a festival—it's a cultural phenomenon that celebrates music, art, and the vibrant spirit of Barcelona.

In total, the weekend’s 253 concerts drew an overall attendance of 268,000, including 130,000 unique visitors – 15,000 more than last year. Fans attended from 134 countries, with more than half (59%) coming from outside Spain. “This makes us the biggest festival in Spain and one of the biggest in Europe,” says Marta Pallarès, Primavera Sound’s head of press. Pallarès adds that 40,000 ticket-holders were Barcelona residents. “We are not a festival that lives only from external visitors,” she points out.

Pallarès also highlighted the festival's affordability, noting, “We are still one of the cheapest festivals compared to our direct competitors. The median price is around €280 if you compare early bird up to the last batch of tickets – €5 cheaper than last year. Taking into account recession and inflation, it’s quite impressive.”

Meanwhile, co-director Alfonso Lanza predicts the festival’s economic impact on the city will be in the region of €200 million, up from €180m in 2023. “Primavera Sound is the second most economically important event in Barcelona, after Mobile World Congress,” he says. He adds that festival staff pulled out all the stops to minimise disruption for local residents, saying they “worked particularly well” to address concerns around sound and cleanliness, adding that the people who live closest to the venue were “very satisfied with the level of control”.

Primavera Sound Barcelona 2025 has been confirmed for 5-7 June. After the success of this year, we can't wait to see what next year’s edition has in store. If you haven’t yet experienced Primavera Sound, mark your calendars—it’s a sun-soaked musical adventure you won’t want to miss.