International festivals you must attend in 2026

A new year of travel plans is calling, and 2026 is already ripe with bucket-list items for music lovers. From industrial playgrounds to arena-scale trance hubs, these festivals are the kind that can define your entire new year. Here is Exron’s round-up of international electronic music festivals you should absolutely attend in 2026.

1. A State of Trance Festival (Netherlands)

A State of Trance‘s (ASOT) 25th anniversary in Rotterdam is shaping up as a pilgrimage year for trance fans. The festival returns to Rotterdam Ahoy on February 27–28, with Armin van Buuren locked for a marathon five-hour set. Futhermore, the festival promises a special B2B with Oliver Heldens and Maddix that will undoubtedly set the place aflame. The weekend digs explores the genre’s progression, featuring Aly & Fila, Cosmic Gate, Andrew Rayel, and a wave of new-school talent.​

2. Creamfields Festival (England)

Across the pond, Creamfields Festival is gearing up for a milestone celebration in Daresbury. The UK mainstay returns over the Bank Holiday from August 27-30, marking 20 years at its Cheshire home. As always, the weekend will include four days of camping, super-sized stages, and a cross-section of house, techno, drum & bass, and trance. Regularly pulling around 80,000 ravers a year, Creamfields has become a global reference point for big-room festival production.​ While the full lineup is still under wraps, the festival has teased acts such as Disclosure and Chris Stussy for this coming year.

3. Off-Sónar Festival (Spain)

In Barcelona, Sónar’s spills into the city all week, and Off-Sónar remains the underground lover’s playground orbiting the main festival. While Off-Sónar’s 2026 individual showcases are still rolling out, Sónar itself lands June 18–20 with a refreshed format at Fira Barcelona Gran Via, running six stages of continuous music from afternoon into early morning and concentrating the full program at one sprawling site. Expect Off-Sónar to once again turn iconic venues and rooftops across the city into label takeovers and sunrise-afterparties, making Barcelona feel like an extended club crawl.​

4. UNTOLD Festival (Romania)

Romania’s UNTOLD Festival is stepping into a new chapter with its 2026 edition, branded UNTOLD ONE. From August 6–9, Cluj-Napoca will transform into a storybook festival city, anchoring its mainstage at Cluj Arena, extending stages into Central Park, BT Arena, and along the Someș Riverbank. Celebrating its 11th anniversary leans into cinematic theming and blockbuster headliners while still spotlighting European dance talent, turning Transylvania into a four-night fever dream of lights, fireworks, and late-night anthems.​

5. Kappa Futur Festival (Italy)

If industrial chic and straight-ahead techno are more your speed, Kappa FuturFestival keeps raising the bar in Turin. The thirteenth edition returns to Parco Dora on July 3–5, 2026, again using the park’s massive steel skeletons and concrete structures as the backdrop for open-air stages dedicated to house and techno. Those rusted pillars and wide sightlines help create one of Europe’s most distinctive festival settings, drawing a devoted, international crowd for three days of sun, sweat, and rolling low-end in the heart of the city.​

6. Timewarp Festival (Germany)

Meanwhile, Time Warp 2026 continues to be a rite of passage for purists seeking international festivals. Its German edition lands back at Maimarkthalle in Mannheim on March 21, promising 19 hours across multiple floors and a lineup that threads together long-running heroes like Sven Väth and Richie Hawtin with next-wave power players such as Amelie Lens, Kobosil, Sara Landry, and Adam Beyer. With its “no gimmicks, just rave” ethos, Time Warp puts the focus squarely on sound systems, lighting, and marathon sets, unquestionably making it one of the most concentrated expressions of techno culture on the planet.​

Featured Image: Google/iEDM

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