ESNS (Eurosonic Noorderslag) Announces First Artists For 2026 Festival

ESNS (Eurosonic Noorderslag), an annual new music showcase for European acts, has announced its first wave of artists for 2026.

Next year’s festival, which will take place between 14-17 Jan. in Groningen, Netherlands, will mark its 40th anniversary edition. On Tuesday (Sept. 9), organisers shared additions to the line-up, including British-Indonesian artist Nadia Kadek, French songwriter and composer Léonie Pernet and Coca Puma, a jazz experimentalist from Italy. 

Elsewhere, there will be appearances from Latvian duo ZeMe, Scottish soul vocalist Becky Sikasa, Serbian alt-pop band Turbo Trans Turisti and many more. View the bill here.

In a press release, Robert Meijerink, Head of Programme and Booker at ESNS, said: “These artists show the incredible creativity coming from all over Europe, from intimate songwriting to cutting-edge electronics and powerful live bands. They capture the energy and innovation that make ESNS a unique meeting place for music lovers and industry professionals.”

Delegate passes are now all available via the official ESNS website. Three-day passes start at €470 ($552.36), while general festival tickets are yet to be released.

Founded in 1986, ESNS is a non-profit organisation focused on the promotion of emerging new European music. As part of its European Talent Exchange program, ESNS annually invites festival bookers and promoters from across the continent to start building their lineups for the following summer. 

Since its inception in 2003, the initiative has helped more than 2300 artists to earn major festival bookings across the continent. Previous iterations of the four-day event have presented early shows from global stars such as Fontaines D.C., CMAT and Mercury Prize 2024 winners English Teacher.

The conference side of ESNS, meanwhile, attracts thousands of music industry professionals and representatives from over 400 international festivals. It plays host to over panel discussions, interviews, keynotes and more, covering topics focusing largely on sustainability and music industry development.

The 2025 iteration of ESNS saw performances from the likes of Alessi Rose, who supported Dua Lipa on tour this summer, plus new talent Antony Szmierek, Jordan Adetunji, Jacob Alon, viral star Joalin and more.