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Electronic Music Becomes a Temporary Cultural Installation at a UNESCO World Heritage Site with a First-Class Initial Line-Up
Pioneering and boundary-breaking electronic events producer Audio Obscura announces the return of its flagship event, Audio Obscura Festival, at the UNESCO World Heritage site Van Nelle Factory in Rotterdam on Saturday, 29 August 2026. Following the complete sell-out of its debut edition in 2024, this one-off open-air showcase returns in 2026, marking a new chapter in Audio Obscura’s evolution as a truly singular cultural platform.
The festival has revealed its first confirmed artists: an electronic battalion featuring Chris Stussy, DJ Gigola b2b Chloé Caillet, DJ Heartstring, Eileen, Folamour, Honey Dijon, Jöella Jackson b2b Rayzir, Max Dean, Marsolo, Obskür b2b Luuk van Dijk, Olive F, Prospa and AAT. Phase 2 artist announcements coming soon.
AUDIO OBSCURA FESTIVAL 2026 TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE
What began as club culture has evolved into an ongoing mission: placing electronic music in contexts traditionally closed to dance, whether highway raves, cathedral parties or elevated sunrise events. For the organisers, Audio Obscura’s locations are not gimmicks, but unexpected physical statements that give the genre the respect, protection and cultural recognition it deserves.
As such, Audio Obscura Festival is not a traditional music festival, but a temporary cultural intervention and artistic installation in the heart of Rotterdam. For this edition, the programme will encompass not only the former factory complex, but the entire outdoor area of the Van Nelle Factory. Vast halls, brutalist walkways and hidden industrial spaces combine to form a unique sensory journey where sound, space and architecture amplify one another — an experience that exists for just one day before disappearing.
Rotterdam remains the original foundation of the Audio Obscura philosophy, with a festival designed specifically for the city and its raw industrial heritage. At the same time, it brings together international and local artists and audiences in a shared collective experience, where DJs take centre stage and the boundaries between concert, rave and performance are blurred.
In keeping with Audio Obscura’s philosophy, the impact extends beyond music. A portion of the proceeds from Audio Obscura Festival 2026 will be donated to the preservation of the Van Nelle Factory as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
ABOUT AUDIO OBSCURA
Audio Obscura is a pioneering force in the electronic music scene, pushing boundaries by bringing cutting-edge music to unusual, breathtaking and often inaccessible locations. The result: once-in-a-lifetime experiences that capture the power of togetherness.
As pioneers of electronic music culture, Audio Obscura has contributed to the cultural heritage of cities such as Amsterdam and Rotterdam, staging events at iconic locations including the Concertgebouw, the Van Nelle Factory, the Euromast, Amsterdam Central Station, the bicycle passage beneath the Rijksmuseum, the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam and, most infamously, the A10 ring road — where Audio Obscura quite literally brought the capital’s traffic to a standstill as part of Amsterdam’s official 750th anniversary celebrations, becoming the only electronic music event invited to take part in this once-in-a-lifetime occasion.
By placing the DJ at the centre and creating new contexts, Audio Obscura blurs the boundaries between club, concert and art, opening a dialogue between artists, spaces and a global audience.
