7 - Sonar, Barcelona, Spain

London-Barcelona from £148 rtn pp Compare all offers

'Sonar' (sigh!) evokes the esoteric atmosphere of the biggest and most important festival of the year for top-shelf electronic artists and labels. Headlining this year are some of the world's biggest artists including Atmosphere, Underworld, Steve Reich, among many many more. Saying that the music takes over Barcelona during Sonar is an understatement; there is easily a week of non-stop 24 hour partying to be done. The events are split up into day and night events, the bulk of the big names playing at night. However you can also have an amazing experience without actually attending Sonar, as the whole city swings, jumps and pulsates into action in every bar, club, every restaurant, street corner, every café, museum, school, beach... You get the picture, being in Barcelona during the week of June 16th till 18th is a must to feel like you're living life to the max. However, flights get expensive and very rare as time goes by, so BOOK EARLY. If you enjoy chart types of sounds, head to the big clubs along the beach between Barceloneta and Olympia such as Catwalk, and if your thing is getting down and sweaty on the dance floor, we recommend Moog and Razzmatazz. The best, however, is partying directly on the beach all night long with Sonar Djs gracing the 'Xiringitos' (Catalan for beach bars made out of wooden planks) with improvised sets. The best thing about partying around a Xiringito is that it's completely FREE. However, watch your behaviour for the surrounding neighbours or the authorities will threaten to take the privilege away. The best Xiringitos are from Olympia to Poble Nou. The best places to stay are in the old town as everything is within walking distance (handy for those long nights partying): Barrio Gotico, El Raval, El Born and Barceloneta. And one more thing: remember to take lots of photos as evidence...you may not believe you were there when you get back. For more information see the Sonar website (top right hand corner allows you to view the site in English).

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