Mad Cool Festival

Since its debut in 2016, Mad Cool has rapidly established itself as one of Europe’s top music festivals, drawing huge crowds to Madrid each summer for a diverse lineup of global talent.

With rock legends, indie favourites, pop stars, and cutting-edge electronic acts, the festival caters to a wide range of musical tastes. Its growth in both scale and prestige has been remarkable, with each year bringing larger audiences and even more high-profile headliners.

Now a staple on the European festival circuit, Mad Cool attracts over 100,000 fans, all eager to soak up the Spanish sunshine and experience unforgettable performances from some of the biggest names in music

The festival originally took place at Caja Mágica in its first two years, 2016 and 2017, but was relocated to an open-air venue in Valdebebas to accommodate growing crowds. The 2018 edition saw record-breaking attendance, with 240,000 people attending over three days (12–14 July), though the event’s opening day faced challenges with crowd control. In 2020, the organisers capped daily attendance at 100,000 and extended the festival’s run to four days.

The dates for Mad Cool Festival 2025 are yet to be confirmed, but rumours suggest it may take place from July 9th to 12th. We’ll provide an official update as soon as the details are announced.

Past Lineups

2016 (16–18 June): Performers included The Who, Vetusta Morla, Editors, Garbage, Lori Meyers, The Prodigy, Die Antwoord, Jane's Addiction, Bastille, Band of Horses, Neil Young, Two Door Cinema Club, Biffy Clyro, and Capital Cities.

2017 (6–8 July): Featured acts like Foo Fighters, Foals, Belle and Sebastian, The Lumineers, Green Day, Alt-J, Ryan Adams, Rancid, Cage the Elephant, Spoon, Kings of Leon, Wilco, M.I.A., Foster the People, Moderat, and Dinosaur Jr.

2018 (12–14 July): Headliners included Pearl Jam, Tame Impala, Kasabian, Post Malone, Arctic Monkeys, Jack White, Massive Attack, Franz Ferdinand, Snow Patrol, Alice in Chains, Depeche Mode, Queens of the Stone Age, Nine Inch Nails, Dua Lipa, and Underworld.

2019 (11–13 July): Bon Iver, Vampire Weekend, Ms. Lauryn Hill, The Chemical Brothers, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Empire of the Sun, Iggy Pop, The National, Vetusta Morla, The Smashing Pumpkins, Vince Staples, Marina, Sharon Van Etten, Wolfmother, Miles Kane, The Cure, Prophets of Rage, Robyn, Gossip, Greta Van Fleet, and Rosalía took the stage.

2020 (8–11 July): Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

2021 (7–10 July): Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

2022 (6–10 July): The festival returned with performances from Metallica, Twenty One Pilots, Placebo, Imagine Dragons, The Killers, Muse, Kings of Leon, Pixies, Florence and The Machine, Carly Rae Jepsen, Wolf Alice, Yungblud, Deftones, St. Vincent, Foals, Leon Bridges, Sylvan Esso, Sigrid, Tove Lo, Alt-J, The War on Drugs, MØ, Jamie Cullum, Parcels, Royal Blood, Zara Larsson, Editors, Daytime TV, Nothing but Thieves, Phoebe Bridgers, and Black Pumas.

2023 (6–8 July): The 2023 edition featured major artists like Robbie Williams, Lizzo, Lil Nas X, Machine Gun Kelly, Queens of the Stone Age, The Black Keys, Sam Smith, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Liam Gallagher, M.I.A., The Prodigy, Sigur Rós, The 1975, Franz Ferdinand, Rina Sawayama, Paolo Nutini, Rüfüs Du Sol, Tash Sultana, Jacob Collier, Puscifer, Jamie xx, Years & Years, Sylvan Esso, Bombay Bicycle Club, Angel Olsen, The Driver Era, Men I Trust, and Pixey.

2024 (10–13 July): Pearl Jam, Sum 41, Avril Lavigne, Bring Me the Horizon, Greta Van Fleet, Garbage, The Smashing Pumpkins, Dua Lipa, Michael Kiwanuka, Nothing but Thieves, Tom Odell, Sleaford Mods, The Gaslight Anthem, Black Pumas, Janelle Monáe, Keane, Larkin Poe, Arlo Parks, Ashnikko, Genesis Owusu, Måneskin, Soccer Mommy, SOFI TUKKER, Crawlers,