sonora 2026 final countdown gran canaria auditorio alfredo kraus

Sonora 2026 Final Countdown Begins in Gran Canaria

Final Countdown for Sonora 2026

The countdown is on for the Sonora 2026 competition, building towards the grand final which will be held on 17 and 18 April at the Auditorio Alfredo Kraus in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Ten Canarian acts, selected by a specialist jury from a record 195 entries submitted for the 2026 edition, will perform live in the Jerónimo Saavedra hall over two nights. The event offers a chance to take the pulse of the diverse music being created across the archipelago.

Finalists and Festival Schedule

The distribution of the finalist bands across the two concert nights is as follows: on Friday, 17 April, Xerach, Pokzipol Pops, Good Franco, Usted, and Lula Mora will take to the stage. The second and final night on Saturday, 18 April, will feature performances by Belice, Los Blody, Eric Bèlle, Bífidos, and Casablanca III. This eclectic mix spans indie and pop rock, alternative rock, tropical glam rock, psychobilly, delta blues and hard rock, krautrock and psychedelia, funk, techno, and avant-garde singer-songwriter styles, all vying for their Sonora breakthrough.

Prizes and Prestigious Opportunities

During the grand final, each of the ten finalists will deliver a 25-minute live set to defend their musical proposals before the audience and a specialist jury. Tickets carry a symbolic price of €5, with all proceeds going entirely to the socio-cultural project Barrios Orquestados. Tickets for the Sonora final are available online.

The finalists are competing for three cash prizes (Sonora Gold: €6,000, Sonora Silver: €3,000, and Sonora Bronze: €1,500), which must be used for musical promotion, as well as a direct pass for the winner to perform at the Sonora Festival 2026 in October in Santa Ana Square. Alongside the cash prizes are the coveted Sonora Passports. Representatives from several major regional and national festivals attend the final as scouts and jury members, freely selecting a finalist to perform at their respective festivals throughout 2026. Any of the ten finalists could be chosen to receive a Sonora Passport, with Sonora covering the performance and travel costs, thereby giving projects more exposure and promoting their continuity.

Island-Wide Reach for 2026

In 2026, the Sonora Passports extend their reach across seven of the Canary Islands, with slots at festivals including Sonidos Líquidos (Lanzarote), Phe Festival (Tenerife), Festival Boreal (Tenerife), Hero Fest (El Hierro), WOMEX GC (Gran Canaria), Festivalito (La Palma), events on La Graciosa, and the Atlántico Sonoro Festival (La Gomera), among others.

The Jury and Industry Expertise

A specialist jury of communications and music industry professionals will choose the winners of the three cash prizes and the recipients of the Sonora Passports. This edition’s jury president is Carlos Mata, CEO and Executive Director of Taste the Floor, a leading agency and record label for Spanish-language urban music. Founded in 2013, Taste the Floor is a leader in booking and management, expanding from urban genres into trap, reggae, flamenco, and indie, and has worked with major record labels like Warner, Sony, and Universal. The urban music scene in the Canaries is firmly on the radar of this influential label.

Meet the Finalists

Xerach (Gran Canaria): Drummer, composer, and producer Xerach Peñate redirected her solo trajectory with the album ‘Canciones bobas’ (2025). This pop album fuses techno basslines and folk percussion, marking a shift from her jazz-infused debut ‘Tizziri’ (2017). A prolific collaborator, she has worked with artists like Christina Rosenvinge and composes for Warner Chappell.

Pokzipol Pops (Tenerife): An active band from Los Realejos since 2023, their music is indebted to punk, hard rock, and grunge. They introduced themselves with their first album, ‘Direction Unknown’ (2024).

Good Franco (Lanzarote/Gran Canaria): Dubbed the “new revelation of space indie” by the band themselves, this project started in 2021 in Famara, Lanzarote. Their 2024 self-titled EP fuses indie, funk, electronics, and rock with Canarian and Latin American influences.

Usted (Tenerife/Gran Canaria): “Tropical glam rock, or something like that.” Led by musician and performer Roberto Miranda, the project reboots its sound as a trio with the album ‘Sabor Severo’ (2025), known for an unpredictable live show.

Lula Mora (Tenerife): A duo formed in Santa Cruz de Tenerife in December 2022, combining music and poetry to bridge their Galician and Canarian cultural identities. Their debut conceptual album ‘Hogar’ (2025) explores themes of belonging.

Belice (Gran Canaria): An indie pop and alternative rock band formed in 2020. Their first album, ‘Todas las flores’ (2024), positioned them in the Canarian and national scene, earning several award nominations.

Los Blody (Tenerife): A Tenerife rock band that rejects monotonous modern music, seeking to revive the energy of classic rock. Their 2024 album ‘No voy a morir aquí’ is fresh, vibrant, and explosive. They were recently selected for Mad Cool Talent 2026.

Eric Bèlle (Tenerife): An artist from Santa Cruz de Tenerife with a fresh, sophisticated proposal fusing pop, funk, and indie. He released his debut album ‘Orquídea’ in August 2025.

Bífidos (Gran Canaria): A power trio active since 2024, handling Americana, hard rock, delta blues, punk, hardcore, and psychobilly. They released their debut album ‘Fuego’ in 2025.

Casablanca III (Gran Canaria): Active since late 2023, they create hypnotic melodies and expansive atmospheres, mixing psychedelia, krautrock, and an electronic sheen. Their first release was a nine-track cassette via the New York label Fuzzy Warbles in November 2025.

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