UNLOCKED SICILY CELEBRATES 15 YEARS WITH A LANDMARK SUMMER SEASON AT THE ISLAND’S MOST EXTRAORDINARY LOCATIONS

Richie Hawtin, Marco Carola, Francesco Del Garda, Quest, Josh Baker, Deborah De Luca and more feature across UNLOCKED’s 2026 events: AURA, SOLO and UNLOCKED Music Festival

After 15 years of shaping Sicily’s electronic music scene, UNLOCKED enters its next chapter with an expanded summer programme. Since its inception, the promoter has paired underground music with the island’s most distinctive locations, from ancient archaeological sites to coastal settings. The 15th season builds on that vision, bringing events to six breathtaking locations across Sicily.

Reflecting on the milestone, the UNLOCKED founders say: "We've spent 15 years building this community, sharing emotions through music in extraordinary places, opening this land to the world. Now we evolve. Not just to grow, but to honour what we've built and take it further than ever before."

The 15th anniversary events take place across Sicily’s most storied locations, from the ancient ruins of Segesta and the hilltop city of Palermo to the coastal town of Castellammare del Golfo, the Baroque streets of Modica, and the historic centres of Castelvetrano and Alcamo. The programme spans festival-scale and intimate events, bringing world-class electronic music into spaces of rare cultural and architectural significance.

The UNLOCKED season includes five events across five locations, with a combined capacity of 30,000 and introduces three distinct event formats that will shape how the season unfolds. Aura is the flagship format with large-scale, immersive events rooted in culturally significant spaces. Solo presents single-artist performances in intimate historic settings, offering a more focused encounter between artist and audience. Meanwhile, Unlocked Music Festival continues as the brand's established multi-day format, with broader lineups and wider audiences.

Full event announcements, lineups and ticketing information will follow in the coming months.

Below are the events revealed so far. Additional events and venues will be announced throughout the season

LOCATIONS

Segesta Archaeological Park // Porto Nuovo, Castellammare del Golfo // Castelló dei Conti di Modica // Sistema Delle Piazze // Gibellina // Alcamo // Trapani // Palermo

UNLOCKED 15TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON

AURA (1st-2nd May)
Aura Festival @ Segesta Archaeological Park

Francesco Del Garda
Quest
Onur Ozer
Oshana
Josh Baker
Traumer
Locklead
Bartolomeo

AURA (1st June)
Palermo

Lineup TBC

UNLOCKED MUSIC FESTIVAL (25th July)
Unlocked Music Festival @ Porto Nuovo, Castellammare del Golfo

Marco Carola
Ilario Alicante
Frank Storm

AURA (14th August)
Aura @ Sistema delle Piazze, Gibellina

Lineup TBC

SOLO (22nd August)
Solo @ Castello di Modica, Alcamo

Lineup TBC

+ MORE DATES TO BE ANNOUNCED

SANKEYS MANCHESTER ANNOUNCES SEASONAL CLOSING PARTY AND SEPTEMBER REOPENING

After a standout run to start the year, iconic Manchester club Sankeys has confirmed details of its seasonal closing party alongside plans to reopen later this year following a short summer break.

 

The Sidney Street venue will host its seasonal closing party on Saturday 27 June to mark the end of a successful first run since reopening. The night will serve as a final send-off before the club temporarily closes its doors for the summer period.

 

Reflecting on the season, Wilf Gregory, Club Partner of Sankeys, says, “We have truly been blown away by the love and support in our first season of reopening and it’s been an honour to bring back such a well loved brand as Sankeys to Manchester. That being said, we will be taking a break this summer to fine tune the venue and sound ready for our winter season.”

 

Sankeys will return with a reopening party on Saturday 26 September, kicking off a carefully curated programme and a renewed focus on its signature underground club experience. The pause will allow the team to further refine the venue and enhance its sound system ahead of the next chapter, with more bookings that reflect Sankeys's original ethos but through a contemporary lens, and always with the music front and centre. 

 

Since relaunching, Sankey’s has re-established itself as a key fixture in Manchester nightlife, bolstered by a 6am licence and the return of its iconic in-house brand, The Redlight. The club has welcomed a mix of established and emerging artists such as Felix Da Housecat, Maya Jane Coles, Solardo, Stacey Pullen, Steve Lawler, Nick Curly, Josh Butler, Heidi, Lauren Lo Sung, Priku, Reboot, Seb Zito, Tania Vulcano and more with regulars like Pirate Copy, Idris Dee, Kellie Allen, Luca 606 and Krysko anchoring the true Sankeys sound.

 

For further information and tickets head to https://sankeysofficial.com/

EXIT FESTIVAL ARRIVES IN MONTENEGRO WITH TWO MAJOR EVENTS AS PART OF ITS WORLD TOUR 2026

EXIT Festival is set to arrive in Montenegro this summer as one of the highlights of its World Tour 2026, bringing two major music events to the country. The EXIT to Montenegro project aims to further advance tourism and accelerate the growth of creative industries, positioning Montenegro among Europe’s leading destinations for music tourism.

“Montenegro is one of Europe's best-kept secrets. With its stunning nature and vibrant Adriatic coastline, it has everything it takes to become a landmark destination for a new generation of travelers who live for combining world-class holidays with unforgettable live music experiences. EXIT was built on the belief that music and freedom go hand in hand, and we are delighted to bring this spirit to this beautiful country, building a lasting legacy together,” said Dušan Kovačević, CEO and Founder of EXIT Festival group.  

Milojko Spajić, Prime Minister of Montenegro, was delighted to welcome EXIT to his country: “The EXIT to Montenegro project will bring two major festivals to our country, making Montenegro an epicentre of the global music scene this summer and delivering exceptional international promotion for our coastline. The festivals will welcome visitors from more than 100 countries, generating at least 210,000 overnight stays and over €40 million in tourism revenue in 2026.” 

The first event will take place in early July, during the traditional EXIT festival weekend, on the stunning Long Beach in Ulcinj. Stretching over 13 kilometres of wide sandy shoreline, Long Beach is one of Europe’s most unique beach destinations and Montenegro’s southernmost landmark, offering a spectacular natural setting for a one-of-a-kind music experience.

The announcement also signals the highly anticipated return of Sea Dance Festival to Budva. This edition will stand out as one of the first events of this scale to be entirely free for attendees. Over the years, Sea Dance has hosted some of the world’s biggest acts, including The Prodigy, Jamiroquai, David Guetta, Skrillex, Underworld, Fatboy Slim, Tale of Us, Boris Brejcha, Nina Kraviz and Amelie Lens, among many others. The festival has also received the prestigious European Festival Award for Best Medium-Sized Festival.

EXIT continues to expand its global presence, uniting audiences through music and the shared values at the core of its identity. With a growing international footprint that includes the first multi-day, multi-stage festival at the Great Pyramids of Giza, as well as events such as Sea Star Festival in Croatia and Spiral Festival in Malta, EXIT further strengthens its position as one of the world’s leading music festival brands.

The World Tour was launched following unprecedented government pressure on EXIT in Serbia, after the festival publicly supported students and the broader movement for freedom and justice, ultimately forcing EXIT to leave its home country. In response, EXIT is taking its energy, values and community beyond borders, turning this challenging moment into an exciting new global chapter, which has already brought the festival the Promoter of the Year award at this January’s European Festival Awards in Groningen. Previously, EXIT won three Best Major Festival titles at the European Festival Awards and UK Festival Awards, along with numerous other prestigious international awards. Since its inception, EXIT has generated more than €300 million in tourism revenue for Serbia, while its contribution to the country’s international image has been widely regarded as invaluable.

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