ESNS 2026 Wraps 40th Anniversary in Groningen

The 2026 edition featured almost 300 European acts from 39 countries and attracted approximately 40,000 attendees, including more than 4,000 accredited music professionals from across the global live music and music business ecosystem. 

ESNS 2026 was fully sold out, with 7,000 festival tickets and 4,000 Delegate Passes issued, representing over 25,000 paid visits across the festival and conference programme.

The event officially opened on Wednesday, 14 January, with a ceremony at De Oosterpoort led by Queen Máxima and ESNS managing director Anna van Nunen, followed by the start of the Eurosonic showcases. 

Over the following two days, the city centre of Groningen hosted performances by emerging European artists across 18 stages, creating a concentrated platform for discovery, networking, and professional exchange. On Saturday, Eurosonic transitioned into Noorderslag, spotlighting leading and emerging Dutch artists at De Oosterpoort.

The ESNS Conference welcomed more than 4,000 delegates and featured over 520 speakers across panels, workshops, and keynote sessions. Discussions covered a broad range of current and strategic topics for the European music sector, reflecting the event’s central role as a meeting point for artists, agents, managers, promoters, festivals, venues, and policymakers.

Under the overarching theme “Europe Calling,” the anniversary edition positioned Groningen as a focal hub for the European music industry for four consecutive days.

A number of industry awards were also presented during ESNS 2026. The Music Moves Europe Awards were awarded to Sofie Royer (Austria), Camille Yembe (Belgium), Sarah Julia (Netherlands), Della (Cyprus), and Carpetman (Ukraine), with Lia Kali (Spain) receiving both the Grand Jury Award and the Public Choice Award. In addition, the European Festival Awards, IJzeren Podiumdieren, Pop Media Prijs, and Pop Stipendium were presented.