Nuits Sonores

History

Nuits Sonores has been run by the Lyon association Arty Farty since 2003. The organizers' own text in the 2026 press kit says they have carried the festival within Arty Farty since that year, and French Wikipedia lists the first-year attendance at 15,700. The early editions moved between industrial and civic sites: Les Subsistances in the first years, the SLI factory in 2008, the Marché Gare from 2009 to 2011, the Brossette factories in 2012 and 2013, and the Confluence district between the Rhône and the Saône in 2014 and 2015. From 2017 to 2023 the main nights were held at the former Fagor-Brandt factories in Lyon's 7th arrondissement.

The format has changed more than the location logic. Daytime concerts, the NS Days, were added in 2011. From 2024 the Days took priority: the main concerts now run from 16:00 to midnight at Les Grandes Locos, a former SNCF maintenance site in La Mulatière, while the Nuits (nights) are held at La Sucrière, on Lyon's Confluence quays. The 2026 press kit describes three Sucrière stages (a central dancefloor, a club room and a live space called Le Sucre) and four stages at the Grandes Locos. French Wikipedia also lists a yearly carte blanche to a different city, Marseille in 2003 through Amsterdam in 2018, and a Sunday closing event.

Curation has long been shared with artists. Ben Klock was given a stage in 2015, and Motor City Drum Ensemble and Seth Troxler had carte blanche in 2016. Nina Kraviz was one of the 2017 curators, and Four Tet one of four artists with a Day in 2018. For 2019 the Days were handed to Bonobo, Peggy Gou, Maceo Plex and Lena Willikens, and Juan Atkins played that year as Model 500, according to the 2026 press kit.

Attendance rose to a reported 143,000 in 2018, fell to 131,000 in 2019, and the 2020 edition was cancelled because of the pandemic. The festival's own 2026 recap thanks 98,000 people.

Getting there and practical info

Nuits Sonores is a city festival rather than a remote site, so travel means getting to Lyon and then to whichever venues the organizers pick. The 2027 sites have not been named. The 2026 press kit places the Days at the Grandes Locos in La Mulatière and the Nuits at La Sucrière on the Confluence quays, and the organizers' own base, Hôtel71, is also in the Confluence area.

• Airport: Lyon-Saint-Exupéry, about 20 km south-east of the centre. The Rhônexpress tram links it to Lyon Part-Dieu station in roughly 30 minutes, per Wikipedia.
• Rail: the airport's own station, Gare de Lyon Saint-Exupéry, is also served by the LGV Rhône-Alpes high-speed line, per Wikipedia.
• Tickets: not on sale for 2027. The official page is a save-the-date with a pre-registration form only.
• 2026 as a guide: the main events (Days, Nuits and Closing Day) were 18 and over with ID checked at the door, and tickets were sold through the festival's site and the Shotgun app, which also ran the official resale. Treat this as a past pattern, not a 2027 rule.
• Not yet published for 2027: venues, programme, ticket prices and sale date, age policy.

FAQ

When is Nuits Sonores 2027?

May 5 to 9, 2027, according to the festival's official site, which presents it as a save-the-date for the 24th edition.

Where is Nuits Sonores held?

In Lyon, France. The 2027 venues have not been announced. In 2026 the Days were at Les Grandes Locos in La Mulatière and the Nuits at La Sucrière.

How do I get to Nuits Sonores?

Fly or take a train to Lyon. Lyon-Saint-Exupéry airport is about 20 km from the centre and connected to Part-Dieu by the Rhônexpress tram. Venue-specific travel details for 2027 will depend on the sites announced.

When do Nuits Sonores tickets go on sale and how much are they?

No on-sale date or prices have been published for 2027. The official site offers a pre-registration form, so sign up there and check the site for updates.

Who has played Nuits Sonores?

The 2026 programme included Carl Craig b2b Seth Troxler, Ben Klock, Ben UFO, Amelie Lens, Four Tet, Juan Atkins, Batu and Tri/xon, the project of Trikk and Dixon, as listed in the 2026 press kit. English Wikipedia also names Kraftwerk, Autechre, Laurent Garnier and The Chemical Brothers among past performers.

What is the difference between the Days and the Nuits?

The Days are the daytime programme, running 16:00 to midnight at Les Grandes Locos in 2026. The Nuits are the night programme, running 22:00 to 05:00 at La Sucrière that year. Both are part of the same festival and sold separately.

RTS.FM artists connected to this festival

• Amelie Lens
• Batu
• Ben Klock
• Ben UFO
• Carl Craig
• Dixon
• Four Tet
• Juan Atkins
• Maceo Plex
• Motor City Drum Ensemble
• Nina Kraviz
• Seth Troxler

Only sourced appearances at past editions or on announced lineups are listed.