Mad Cool Festival is a four-day multi-genre music festival held annually in Madrid, Spain. Founded in 2016, the 2026 edition runs July 8-11 at Iberdrola Music Villaverde, celebrating the festival's 10th anniversary with over 70 artists. Headliners include Foo Fighters, Pulp, Florence and The Machine, and Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, with support from Twenty One Pilots, Lorde, Kings of Leon, David Byrne, Pixies, and Halsey.
The 2025 edition (July 10 to 12) drew approximately 50,000 attendees per day across three days. Headliners were Muse (stepping in for Kings of Leon after vocalist Caleb Followill's injury), Nine Inch Nails, and Olivia Rodrigo. The lineup also included Weezer, Iggy Pop, Alanis Morissette, Justice, Benson Boone, Gracie Abrams, St. Vincent, and Thirty Seconds to Mars. The official 2023 aftermovie from the Mad Cool Festival YouTube channel captures the festival's atmosphere in Madrid:
How Mad Cool Festival Works
Mad Cool takes place at Iberdrola Music Villaverde, a dedicated festival site in southern Madrid. The venue underwent improvements in 2024, including a reduction in the number of stages and public capacity to minimize schedule conflicts and artist overlaps. The 2026 edition runs across four full days (Wednesday through Saturday), expanding from the previous three-day format.
The festival features multiple stages programming rock, indie, pop, electronic, and alternative music. The 2026 lineup includes:
- Rock and alternative headliners: Foo Fighters (Wednesday, July 8), Pulp, Florence and The Machine, Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, Kings of Leon, Pixies, Interpol, The War On Drugs, Wolf Alice, and The Vaccines.
- Pop and indie acts: Twenty One Pilots, Lorde, Halsey, CMAT, The Last Dinner Party, Holly Humberstone, Sigrid, and Teddy Swims.
- Electronic and DJ programming: A dedicated electronic space featuring Richie Hawtin, Boys Noize, Polo and Pan, Nina Kraviz, Palms Trax, and Bunt.
- Heritage and legacy acts: David Byrne, The Black Crowes, and Matt Berninger (of The National).
Tickets are sold through the official Mad Cool website. Pass types include single-day, four-day, and VIP options. Four-day GA passes typically cost around 165 EUR, with single-day passes around 60 EUR. VIP packages range from 300 EUR to over 500 EUR, offering premium viewing areas, fast-track entrance, and exclusive bars.
The festival is organized by Madrid-based promoter Last Tour. The lineup is announced in waves starting in late autumn, with final additions revealed in June. Mad Cool also runs a DJ talent competition (MC Talent by Vibra Mahou) that awards emerging DJs a slot on the lineup.
Real-World Example: Mad Cool 2026 (10th Anniversary)
The 2026 edition is a milestone for the festival. Foo Fighters kick off the 10th anniversary lineup on Wednesday, July 8, marking their return to Madrid. Pulp and Florence and The Machine deliver headline sets across the four days. Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds bring their theatrical live show to the main stage.
The 2025 edition (July 2025) featured Olivia Rodrigo, Noah Kahan, Nine Inch Nails, Iggy Pop, Alanis Morissette, Weezer, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Gracie Abrams, St. Vincent, Justice, Bloc Party, Kaiser Chiefs, The Wombats, Jet, and Glass Animals. That edition drew approximately 80,000 attendees across three days.
The 2026 expansion to four days reflects the festival's growth. Mad Cool has become one of Spain's largest music festivals, alongside Primavera Sound in Barcelona and Sonar. The Villaverde site's improvements (fewer stages, reduced capacity) have addressed past criticisms about overcrowding and sound bleed between stages.
The festival also runs a sustainability program, with initiatives focused on waste reduction, energy efficiency, and public transportation. Attendees can reach the site via Madrid Metro (Line 3 to Villaverde Bajo) and dedicated shuttle buses from central Madrid.
Notable Past Headliners
Mad Cool has programmed major international artists since its first edition in 2016. Here is a look at headliners from recent editions:
| Year | Day 1 Headliner | Day 2 Headliner | Day 3 Headliner | Day 4 Headliner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Foo Fighters | Pulp | Florence and The Machine | Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds |
| 2025 | Muse | Nine Inch Nails | Olivia Rodrigo | (3-day edition) |
| 2024 | Dua Lipa / The Smashing Pumpkins | Pearl Jam | Bring Me the Horizon / Avril Lavigne | The Killers |
| 2023 | Red Hot Chili Peppers | The 1975 | Robbie Williams | (3-day edition) |
| 2022 | Metallica | Twenty One Pilots | Placebo | (3-day edition) |
| 2019 | Bon Iver | The National | The Smashing Pumpkins | (3-day edition) |
The 2026 10th anniversary edition expanded to four days and drew 215,000 total attendees across the event, with 80+ artists performing across five stages. Foo Fighters opened the festival on Wednesday, July 8, drawing 57,000 attendees for a two-and-a-half-hour set. International visitors accounted for 37% of the crowd, with the majority traveling from England. The 2025 edition saw Muse step in as a last-minute replacement for Kings of Leon, delivering a greatest-hits set that included "Plug In Baby," "Time Is Running Out," "Knights of Cydonia," and a fireworks finale during "Starlight."
The 2024 edition (July 10 to 13) was the first four-day edition, headlined by Dua Lipa, The Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam, and The Killers. Pearl Jam's headline set drew what reviewers called the deepest and most invested crowd of the weekend. The official 2022 aftermovie from the Mad Cool Festival YouTube channel, which teases the 2023 lineup at the end, gives a sense of the festival's production scale:
Why It Matters for Independent Artists
Mad Cool programs a broader range of artists than its headline slots suggest. The festival's smaller stages feature emerging Spanish and international acts, particularly in the electronic and indie categories. The MC Talent competition provides a direct submission path for independent DJs to earn a festival slot.
For independent artists targeting Mad Cool:
- Build streaming numbers and touring history in Spain and Southern Europe. The booking team monitors regional data.
- Submit to the MC Talent competition if you are a DJ or electronic producer. The competition is open to emerging artists based in Spain.
- Work with a European booking agent who has relationships with Last Tour or the Mad Cool booking team.
- Target the daytime slots on smaller stages, which program emerging acts before the headline sets.
The festival's 10th anniversary edition offers increased visibility, with larger crowds and expanded media coverage. A Mad Cool booking puts an artist in front of 80,000+ attendees and international music press. Use our Streaming Royalty Calculator to track your Spanish streaming growth, and check the Music Festivals Directory for other European festival opportunities.
Related Resources
- Music Festivals Directory - Explore other European festivals
- Streaming Royalty Calculator - Track European streaming growth
- Tour Revenue Calculator - Plan a European tour around Mad Cool dates
- 21 Ways Musicians Can Earn Income - Festival performances as a revenue stream
- Music Festival Strategy: Get Booked and Make It Count - Tips for European festival bookings
Similar Festivals
- Primavera Sound - Major multi-genre festival held in Barcelona, Spain
- Sonar - Electronic and experimental music festival held in Barcelona, Spain
- NOS Alive - Multi-genre festival held in Lisbon, Portugal
- Coachella - Major multi-genre festival held in Indio, California, USA
