Primavera Sound Cancels Four Latin American Festivals

Primavera Sound, the renowned music festival headquartered in Barcelona, has announced the cancellation of its four Latin American editions that were slated for later this year. The festivals, which were set to take place in Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay, have been called off due to "external difficulties" that prevented the organizers from meeting their "rigorous quality standards." The events in Buenos Aires and São Paulo had been successfully held in both 2022 and 2023, drawing in hundreds of thousands of fans. Paraguay’s capital, Asunción, was set to host its second Primavera Days festival, while Montevideo was to welcome the festival to Uruguay for the first time. Dates for all four events had been scheduled, and early bird tickets had already been sold. In a statement, Primavera Sound expressed hope for a return to Latin America in the future. Alfonso Lanza, the festival’s director, acknowledged the complexity of the decision: “This is undoubtedly a difficult decision, taken after many months of work and after pursuing numerous paths in order to be able to hold these events with guarantees, especially in the context of the current musical industry situation and its challenges. Lanza added that after exhausting all possibilities, the festival must now "focus all our energy on future plans." He also thanked local partners for their dedication, praising their efforts in supporting a project that aims to expand musical experiences in the Southern Hemisphere. Primavera Sound has been a fixture in Barcelona since 2001, attracting around 90,000 attendees per day in 2024. The festival’s Portuguese edition in Porto has been running since 2012, and events have previously been held in cities like Los Angeles, Madrid, Chile, and Colombia.