FANS of Blur, Depeche Mode, Kendrick Lamar, Calvin Harris and a host of other big-name music acts will be able to see their heroes perform at a Spanish festival this summer – and for the first time, can choose whether to do it in Barcelona do or Madrid…or even both.

Since 2001, Primavera Sound has attracted hundreds of thousands of fans to its base in the heart of the Catalan coastal city and will do so again on the first weekend in June.

But this year its organizers have decided to “mirror” the festival in the Spanish capital the following weekend – meaning the two events will feature around 200 acts with a “shared line-up 620 kilometers apart, with a few minor exceptions”. .

The Barcelona leg will run from June 1 to June 3 at the Parc Del Fòrum, with Brunch Electronik on June 4 – following a free event with Pet Shop Boys and Jake Bugg on May
31.

The festival will then move to the Ciudad del Rock in Arganda del Rey in Madrid from June 8-10, after the free event on June 7, with Brunch Electronik at Civitas Metropolitano on June 11.

Thousands of Britons are expected at both festivals. Explaining why Primavera attracts such a large international audience, organizer Joan Pons said it was “down to the quality of the lineup” and the locations chosen.

“We have this credibility and people rely on us, but for Barcelona we are also the first big summer festival in Europe.

“We’re also within the city limits, which makes it very convenient for people to go back to a hotel or AirBnB. We have the weather, we have the sea, we have Barcelona.”

And now Spring also has Madrid. On what to expect from the new site, Pons continued:

“We decided to have this new venue because it is like a dream place for a festival and was built for it.

“We’d feel pretty stupid if we didn’t take advantage of this. It’s probably going to be better than the Barcelona one because it’s built for festivals.

“The Barcelona site is beautiful, iconic and part of our legacy, but every year we have to adapt it for us.”

Which artists will be performing at Primavera Sound and how can you get tickets?

Headliners include Blur, Rosalía, Kendrick Lamar, Calvin Harris, Depeche Mode and Halsey.

The Pet Shop Boys will headline the reduced series on the opening nights, on May 31 in Barcelona and on June 7 in Madrid.

Other highlights at both weekends include FKA Twigs, Sparks, Laurie Anderson, Japanese Breakfast, Sudan Archives, Four Tet, Le Tigre, Caroline Polachek, NxWorries, Turnstile, Kelela, Alex G, Alvvays, Pusha T, Death Grips, Baby Keem, Christine and the Queens, John Cale, St. Vincent and the Drain Gang.

The day five closing parties will also feature Diplo, Ben Böhmer, Camelphat, Purple Disco Machine (Barcelona only), Vitalic (Madrid only) and others.

The Moldy Peaches reunited to play both weekends, with the War on Drugs and the Mars Volta playing one piece.