One of Spain's oldest festival brands, Sónar is taking its talents south -- specifically to South America, where a boom is happening for major promotion companies all over the world. Sónar has announced it will be holding festivals in Bogotá, Colombia; Santiago, Chile; and Buenos Aires, Argentina, in December.
All three festivals will take place around the same time in the beginning of December. Sónar will kick off its South American run in Buenos Aires Dec. 3 before heading to Santiago Dec. 5 and then finishing in Bogotá Dec. 7. Each festival will just be a one-day event as opposed to the Spanish edition, which is three full days.
"There has always been an interest from Sónar in what is going on in South America," Sónar executive director Ventura Barba told Billboard. "Put that together with the booming of both music festivals and interest in electronic music in South America, and it makes sense for us to establish our festivals there."
The festival is teaming up with local promoters with successful track records to host the festivals, such as Lotus Producciones in Chile, the local promoter that helps put on Lollapalooza in Santiago.
Sónar is known for incorporating local acts, brands and artists into their plan, and that philosophy will continue in South America.
"Making sure that the local community is involved is part of our philosophy at Sónar," says Barba, who describes the festivals as presenting "a combination of artists shows who use music, technology and audiovisual techniques in very unique ways."
Sónar has probed various markets like the United States and South America in the past, notably Buenos Aires in 2006, but the city was not ready at the time.
Head to Sónar's website for more information. No word on when the lineup will be announced, but stay tuned.
