Olivia Rodrigo and Robert Smith surprise Primavera Sound as festival tallies 287,000 attendees after storm disruption
Olivia Rodrigo delivered a surprise 45-minute set on the final night of Primavera Sound Barcelona, bringing out The Cure's Robert Smith for a duet, while the festival reported 287,000 total attendees and plans to refund about 15,000 single-day tickets after Thursday's storm forced cancellations.
A surprise set announced hours before
The final Saturday of Primavera Sound Barcelona 2026 had a suspicious gap in its schedule, which was filled when Olivia Rodrigo announced her presence just four hours before taking the stage. The Californian singer drew a crowd of nearly 30,000 to the Occident stage at 22:25, pulling many fans away from My Bloody Valentine's concurrent set on the main stage. Rodrigo's appearance came only weeks after a private concert at Barcelona's Teatre Grec, and ahead of four scheduled shows at the Palau Sant Jordi in May 2027.
The duet that fans had hoped for
Midway through her set, Rodrigo introduced Robert Smith of The Cure, who appeared in his signature makeup to perform their collaboration 'What's Wrong With Me', a new track from Rodrigo's upcoming album. The pair had previously performed together at Glastonbury in 2025 and have expressed mutual admiration.
Olivia Rodrigo is a concert anyone would want to see, and we had it here by surprise, it's incredible.
Rodrigo's setlist and new material
Rodrigo opened with 'Bad idea right?' from her 2023 album 'Guts', followed by 'Ballad of a homeschooled girl' and 'Vampire'. She moved to the keyboard for 'Drivers License', the song that launched her career, and also played 'Déjà Vu', 'Good 4 u', and 'All American Bitch'. The set previewed material from her third album, 'You seem pretty sad for a girl so in love', due out on 12 June, including the single 'Drop Dead' and the Smith collaboration. The performance lasted 45 minutes and closed with Rodrigo telling the crowd, "gracias primavera, Barcelona, te amo mucho."
The Cure's deep-cut headlining set
On Friday night, The Cure played their first show in 18 months, a 29-song headlining set that unearthed several rarities. The band performed the 'Lovesong' B-side '2 Late' for the first time since 2019, 'alt.end' for the first time since 2018, 'Mint Car' from 'Wild Mood Swings' for the first time since 2016, and 'Wrong Number' for the first time since 2019. The set featured only two songs from their most recent album 'Songs of a Lost World' — 'Alone' and 'End Song' — which Rolling Stone noted may signal movement toward a rumored new album.
The Friday night linking of Addison Rae and The Cure, a union of 50 years of popular music, explains very well what Primavera Sound is.
Storm fallout and attendance figures
The festival's 24th edition drew 287,000 attendees across all events, including Sunday's closing party — 6,000 fewer than in 2025. Thursday's severe weather forced the cancellation of headlining sets by Massive Attack, Doja Cat, Bad Gyal, Mac DeMarco, and Alex G on the main stages, though more than 60 smaller-stage shows went ahead. Co-director Alfonso Lanza said the result was "something to be very proud of" given the conditions. The festival will refund single-day Thursday tickets, affecting an estimated 20–25% of that day's 71,000 attendees, or roughly 15,000 people. Full-weekend passes are not eligible for refunds, as Lanza noted that cancellations affected less than 2% of the weekend's total performances.
- Thursday storms force cancellation of Massive Attack, Doja Cat, Bad Gyal, Mac DeMarco, and Alex G on main stages; over 60 smaller shows proceed.
- The Cure play first show in 18 months, a 29-song set with deep cuts '2 Late', 'alt.end', 'Mint Car', and 'Wrong Number'.
- Olivia Rodrigo announces surprise set via Instagram, four hours before stage time.
- Rodrigo takes the Occident stage before nearly 30,000 fans; Robert Smith joins for 'What's Wrong With Me' duet.
- PM Pedro Sánchez spotted in VIP area at Revolut stage with Catalan president Salvador Illa.
- Festival closes with Sunday farewell party; total attendance confirmed at 287,000.
International draw and political visitors
International attendees made up 62% of the audience, with the remaining 38% coming from Spain — a slight increase in local visitors compared to previous years. The average age was 32, up from 29 in 2025, a shift attributed to the previous year's lineup featuring Sabrina Carpenter, Charli XCX, and Chappell Roan. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez made an unannounced visit on Saturday evening, arriving by Falcon jet and watching from the VIP area at the Revolut stage alongside Catalan president Salvador Illa. Other officials in attendance included Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun and Barcelona's culture councillor Xavier Marcé. The festival confirmed it will continue at the Fòrum venue for another four years, with Primavera Pro moving to The Hub in 2027.
