Monegros Desert Festival brings the Spirit of the Rave to the Spanish Desert for 2025
On the 26th July 2025, the desert awakens, as Monegros Desert Festival brings 150+ artists and 50,000 ravers together across 13 stages in one of the most extreme, and beautiful landscapes anywhere on the continent, the Monegros desert in Aragon, Spain.
Now in its 32nd year, Monegros’ temporary ‘technopolis’ is already a site of pilgrimage for the most daring ravers on the continent, drawn back year after year for a 22-hour experience as transformative as it is challenging, unleashing the feelings of togetherness and freedom that define the ‘Spirit of the Rave’.
“We are delighted to welcome the Monegrinos once again this year,” say Juan and Cruz Arnau, the founders of Monegros. “We have been working all year on new spaces, collaborations, and formats, fostering creativity so that the desert dances like never before this July.”
The festival announces the first 90 artists from across the techno and dance continuum who will keep Monegros dancing until dusk, till dawn, and through to dusk again. At the top of the list; Australian juggernauts Pendulum will bring their live show – an emotional riot of beats, riffs and earth shattering drops – to the desert ahead of their first full length release in over a decade.
Monegros Desert Festival has always been a temple to techno, and this edition doubles down on the 4/4, with pioneers of the scene and champions of the new wave alike. Icons such as Richie Hawtin and Laurent Garnier need no introduction, while those tracking the shifting sands of what has become a global phenomenon are well represented; Nico Moreno, Oguz, I Hate Models, Vendex, Indira Paganotto and Anthea bring their club-conquering take on techno and hard dance to the desert. Elsewhere, Blawan brings his signature noise-drenched sound, while Héctor Oaks returns to an adoring home-crowd for another set of hard and fast vinyl.
At the end of the day Monegros is a marathon not a sprint, and the line up features a number of artists guaranteed to take you on a journey while keeping you dancing. Man in the mask Boris Brejcha brings his pulsating, spiritual techno to Monegros for the first time, while Andres Campos keeps up the tempo. Lowering the BPMs while keeping the focus firmly on the dance floor, global scene ambassador Seth Troxler takes house music to places hard and deep while Ben Sims and Cinthie bring the funk in their own signature way. Elsewhere at the festival, every genre imaginable is represented, from the beats and rhymes of Foyone, Santa Salut or Faena, through to Jamaican reggae legend Protoje, via the spiritual beats of psytrance master DJ Tristan, with many more artists still to be announced.
Monegros is famous for bringing people together; after all, there’s nothing more bonding than dancing the sun up over the dunes surrounded by friends old and new. This spirit of togetherness extends to the line up, with an astounding 26 b2b sets spanning every genre imaginable. Drumcode’s Adam Beyer and Italian don Ilario Alicante; Chris and Aaron Liberator celebrating 30 years of a unique familial partnership; hard dance maestros Basswell and onlynumbers, and Blawan b2b Mutual Rytm boss SHDW, are just a few of the epic team-ups taking place across the festival.
Also debuting at the festival will be a brand new DJ format, pioneered by viral events brand 240km/h and taking place on their stage. These Face-2-Face sets heighten the playful competition inherent in DJ showdowns, with a custom set up ratcheting up the intensity.
Drawn to the desert this year are a number of friends, new and old, who each contribute to the health and diversity of the global scene. Among the festivals commandeering stages this year are Amsterdam’s mammoth Awakenings, Barcelona’s Brunch Electronik, kings of the speedy bpm 24km/h and German hard dance upstarts Unreal. And let’s not forget the biggest stage of all: the desert, with its tricks of light and shadow and shifting sands, inspiring an elemental sense of adventure.
Every year, Monegros Desert festival erects a temporary city in the heart of the desert; a temple to the ‘spirit of the rave’ that is a headliner in itself. Each of the 13 stages is a miracle of creativity and ingenuity, worked on by teams from around the world, united by the will to create the best possible ‘set and setting’ for the thousands of ‘Monegrinos’ who attend. This ‘technopolis’ takes on strange and creative shapes; from mythical beasts, to a non-stop immersive carnival to parties in a decommissioned 747; anything is possible and everyone is invited.
This year comes with several improvements, as new shaded areas, 80 water stations will be added throughout the venue, along with ‘oases’ allowing travelers to rest and refresh before getting back into action. Additionally, a new cloakroom system with digitalized lockers will enhance convenience and security, along with improvements to signage, restrooms, and cleaning services across the venue.
The festival’s slogan, “This Is Not for You,” is an invitation to embrace the unexpected. Monegros pushes boundaries, and each edition is a challenge for attendees—not just because of its location but because of the intensity of the experience. However, those who take on the challenge discover that a Monegrino has been waiting to awaken inside them all along.
“There are two types of Monegrinos: those who already are and those who don’t know it yet. This year, we’re waiting for all of them because we promise to outdo ourselves in every detail to bring you the festival of your lives,” say Cruz and Juan Arnau, the founders of Monegros.
Still more surprises are yet to come, with more artists, stages and details to be revealed in the coming weeks. Tickets and further info available via https://monegrosfestival.com/en.
