Primavera 2026: Organisers “share the frustration and disappointment of the audience” in new statement
Primavera Sound have released a statement in which they say they “share the frustration and disappointment of the audience” after inclement weather plunged the first day of the festival into chaos, with refunds being issued to ticketholders.
The opening day of the Barcelona festival, taking place on June 4th, was effectively rained off after severe downpours and strong winds in the city led to the majority of the night’s headline performances being cancelled.
This initially affected sets from artists including Alex G on the Revolut Stage and Mac DeMarco on the Occident Stage. The disruption later extended to headliner Doja Cat and, eventually, Massive Attack, who had originally insisted their 12:30am performance would still go ahead.
After festival-goers berated the event on social media for its apparent lack of organisation and communication in dealing with the situation, festival bosses have now released a statement in which they explained their perspective and attempted to make amends.
In a press release seen by Far Out, they said: “The established safety protocol dictates that it is not safe to hold concerts in such strong winds,” thus accounting for the cancellation of the festival for the night.
The organisers added that they attempted to reschedule the headline sets for later in the night due to a more “favourable” weather forecast, but this did not transpire, explaining why Massive Attack’s show was eventually scrapped so late on.
Regarding the main Revolut and Estrella Damm stages, they added: “As these were the two stages that were most exposed to the rain and the wind due to their location and size, safety concerns arising from the weather conditions meant that it was not possible to guarantee safety for the continuation of performances on either stage, despite all the efforts made.”
Significantly, Primavera organisers said: “We understand and share the frustration and disappointment of the audience regarding this situation, which is not what we had hoped for on the first day of Primavera Sound Barcelona 2026. The festival organisers followed the established safety protocols at all times and prioritised the safety of the audience, artists and staff above all else.”
They thanked the crowd for their “understanding”, while noting that “no serious incidents” arose from the situation, despite widespread audience dissatisfaction at its handling.
To this end, the festival confirmed that a refund process would get underway on June 8th for festival-goers affected by the weather chaos on the first day. They said that they will be in contact with the affected ticketholders from that date.
However, with the worst of the weather now seemingly passed, the rest of the festival is set to proceed as planned, with gates opening at 3:45pm on June 5th, ahead of headline performances from The Cure, Addison Rae, PinkPanthress, Ethel Cain, and many more.
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