Primavera Sound 2025 — Where Barcelona’s Beat Meets CUPRA’s Pulse.
In early June, Barcelona doesn’t just hum, it pulses. And for five unforgettable days, that pulse echoed louder than ever through the grounds of Primavera Sound 2025. From the rhythm of the city to the shimmer of the sea, everything moved in sync. And CUPRA, Primavera’s boldest partner, was right at the centre of it all, not just sponsoring the festival’s heartbeat, but helping to shape it.
From June 4th – 8th, Barcelona became a living metronome, its pulse in perfect sync with the artists, the dancers, the dreamers and the attendees. And CUPRA, returning for its fourth consecutive partnership, wasn’t merely a backdrop to the festival’s electricity. It was an active force, designing experiences that vibrated with the same kinetic energy as the music itself.
PHOTO CREDIT: Courtesy of Primavera Sound 2025 | Sergio Albert
At the heart of CUPRA’s contribution was CUPRA Pulse, a mirrored installation that became more than just a structure, it became a vessel for collective energy. Reflecting the city, the crowd, and the ever-shifting skyline, it pulsed with light and sound, inviting festival-goers to step into a space where music became physical, immersive, and almost spiritual. Every vibration was intentional.
Alongside this, the CUPRA Stage pushed the boundaries of sound and genre. It played host to a powerful lineup that spanned continents and moods, from the commanding sets of Amelie Lens, Amine and Armand Van Helden to the boundary-pushing sounds of LSDXOXO, Crystallmess, and Lolahol. It was a space where discovery thrived, where newcomers stood shoulder to shoulder with icons, and where CUPRA’s bold, future-forward ethos found a sonic match once again.
PHOTO CREDIT: Courtesy of Primavera Sound 2025 | CUPRA
As thousands descended on the site, the air cracked with anticipation. And when opening night arrived, the tone was set in flashes of acid green, cutting through the dusk like signal flares. “Brat” echoed across the grounds, not as a whisper, but a declaration by the people. Packs of fans, doused in glitter and excitement, gathered for a cultural phenomenon: the only European stop of the SWEAT Tour. Charli XCX and Troye Sivan, pop’s most audacious duo, didn’t just open the festival, they detonated it.
If Primavera 2024 birthed the Brat Summer, this was its final, euphoric act. Troye, turning 30 on stage, danced with a campy, magnetic force whose set climbed toward the sweaty crescendo of “Rush,” leaving nobody, and I mean nobody, still. Charli, storming the stage behind a fluid green curtain, embodied Brat’s maximalist energy in every leap, roll, and scream. The crowd chanted every lyric back at her like scripture, baptizing Primavera in utter club, poppy chaos. Their sets, distinct but intertwined, collided in ecstatic unison with tracks “1999” and “Talk Talk”, punctuated by a surprise cameo from Chappell Roan on-screen, performing her viral Apple Girl choreography. A moment.
PHOTO CREDIT: Courtesy of Primavera Sound 2025 | Henry Redcliffe
The second night belonged to a new queen in the pop pantheon. Sabrina Carpenter, performing in Spain for the first time, debuted her scorching single “Manchild” just hours after its release. Her set was peppered with irresistible hits like “Don’t Smile” and “Espresso”. That Friday also showcased the festival’s gift for genre-bridging curation: Ikura of YOASOBI brought her anime-and-arcade-inspired pop whirlwind to European shores with a full band and a stage-owning dragon, while Ellie Rowsell of Wolf Alice led a thunderous performance that previewed their forthcoming album and reaffirmed the raw poetry of their sound.
PHOTO CREDIT: Courtesy of Primavera Sound 2025 | Sharon Lopez
But no one closed a chapter quite like Chappell Roan. On the Estrella Damm Stage, she didn’t just perform, she downright ruled, from inside a gothic castle. With theatrical flair and emotional precision, she delivered an unforgettable set of glitter-glam anthems from the explosive “HOT TO GO!” to the unreleased “The Subway,” culminating in a triumphant sing-along to “Pink Pony Club.”
PHOTO CREDIT: Courtesy of Primavera Sound 2025 | Clara Orozco
Together, Charli XCX, Sabrina Carpenter, and Chappell Roan formed Primavera’s own Powerpuff trinity – unapologetic, theatrical, and emotionally feral. They didn’t just headline. They authored a new chapter in pop history.
But beyond the visuals and vibrations, CUPRA’s presence echoed a deeper truth: it tapped into the essence of what makes Primavera and Barcelona so magnetic. Both, driven by emotion, innovation, and a refusal to conform. Both celebrate individuality while creating space for connection. Whether it was dancing beneath the Catalan sky or losing yourself inside CUPRA Pulse, the experience felt unified as if the heartbeat of the city had been amplified.
And for those who missed it? The Pulse lives on. CUPRA is taking the installation global, bringing fragments of Primavera’s spirit to other festivals and to CUPRA City Garages worldwide.
Primavera Sound 2025 was many things: a celebration, a sanctuary, a statement. But above all, it was proof that when a city, a sound, and a vision align, the result is pure electricity.
PHOTO CREDIT: Courtesy of Primavera Sound 2025 | Christian Bertrand
Special thanks to CUPRA and the Primavera Sound Festival team for hosting PAUSE.
