Nuits sonores Lab 2026

In the last few years, the number of music festivals acquired by large corporations in Europe has grown drastically. Today, around fifty music festivals are owned by major industry corporations, seriously threatening the independence of many of those working in the music scene. What is happening now is very similar to what has already happened to the media and publishing sectors, who have also experienced the same phenomenon.

The influence of multinational companies is not the only challenge faced by culture and media. The rise of authoritarian regimes (Italy, Hungary, Slovakia) is also a direct risk to nongovernmental organisations and civil societies as a whole. Far-right governments in Italy and Slovakia are conducting political purges, brutally ousting the heads of cultural institutions and public broadcasters who do not conform to the regimes’ political lines. In Georgia and Bosnia, ‘foreign agent’ laws criminalise NGOs that receive funding from abroad, particularly those that advocate for democracy, transparency, women’s rights or LGBTQIA+ communities. Cuts in public funding weaken and destroy independent cultural ecosystems which are essential not only to diversity and emergence, but also to social and democratic vitality in Europe.

These attacks on the independence of Europe’s cultural democracy echo the broader international geopolitical context: the resurgence of imperialism and colonialism that directly threatens sovereign countries, from Venezuela to Greenland and Ukraine.

This predatory trend can also be observed in our everyday lives. By targeting oppressed groups, suppressing alternative narratives, and silencing what is different or foreign, both multinational corporations and authoritarian regimes wage a real cultural battle. With the unwavering support of US tech giants, they enforce their dominance by creating algorithmic bubbles, amplifying reactionary discourse, and spreading fake news. This allows nationalist, racist, xenophobic, climateskeptic, and queerphobic narratives to spread.

As a response to these aggressions, different forms of resistance are emerging: the creation of networks and platforms, experimentation with new

models, creation of platforms aiming to combat oppressions, exploration of partying as a pathway to emancipation, the fight for independence is taking different shapes and is pursued collectively. Independent culture stands against division, embracing the power of cooperation and human connection.

On May 13–17, 2026, in Lyon, Nuits sonores Lab will invite participants to forge new alliances and connections. Through its various formats and diverse guests—thinkers, artists, activists, writers, collectives, media outlets…—Nuits sonores’ programme of panels and debates will align with the festival’s concerts and performances, offering a space to imagine and reflect on the ways in which our independence is shaped.