Visorfest

With just over a month to go, the countdown to Visor Fest 2026 is officially entering the danger zone — the good kind. On September 25 and 26, Marina Norte in València will become ground zero for two days of heavyweight alternative rock, indie, post-punk and guitar music, with a line-up that looks increasingly like someone raided the record collections of an entire generation and somehow persuaded everyone to come to the same party. And frankly, we’re not complaining.

Visorfest confirms the festival will return to La Marina de València with its deliberately old-school approach: one main stage, no clashes, no sprinting between venues and no choosing between two bands you actually want to see. The idea is beautifully simple — turn up, find a decent spot, get a drink, and watch the bloody concert.

The 2026 edition has assembled eight seriously heavyweight names across the two days:

Friday September 25 gets things moving with Ocean Colour Scene, The Damned, New Model Army and Hoodoo Gurus. Ocean Colour Scene arrive with the added ammunition of the 30th anniversary of Moseley Shoals, while The Damned are celebrating half a century of punk-rock mischief. New Model Army bring their famously intense alternative-rock catalogue, while Australia's Hoodoo Gurus add a glorious dose of garage-pop swagger.

Saturday September 26 might be even harder to resist, with Manic Street Preachers, RIDE, Gene and The Wannadies. The Manics need little introduction: decades of huge songs, political bite and arena-sized ambition condensed into one of Britain's most enduring rock bands. RIDE, meanwhile, remain one of the defining names of the shoegaze generation, bringing those enormous walls of guitar and beautifully bruised melodies to the waterfront. Then there's Gene, appearing for their only Spanish show of the year, alongside Swedish favourites The Wannadies — which means anyone expecting Visor to simply recycle the obvious hits of the past is going to have to think again.

And that's really the point of Visor. This isn't a festival designed around TikTok moments, VIP influencer compounds or a ridiculous timetable that requires military-grade logistics. Its whole philosophy is built around something increasingly radical: watching bands play music.

The organisers describe Visor as a festival that combines the best of a festival with the best of a live venue, giving every act the space to play without overlapping sets. It's an approach that makes particular sense with a bill like this. These aren't artists you want to see for 25 minutes before legging it across a field to catch somebody else.

There are anniversaries everywhere you look, but Visor isn't simply turning the past into a museum exhibit.

The Damned are still making noise. RIDE remain creatively active. The Manic Street Preachers continue to write and record. New Model Army are still ferociously relevant. Hoodoo Gurus remain one of Australia's great live exports. Gene's return has generated serious interest in the UK. This is music with history, certainly — but it is also music that still has somewhere to go.

The festival has also revealed its DJ line-up, with Eneida Fever! and Luis Bonias taking care of Friday night, followed by Alesa DJ and Mario Oldies on Saturday. Once the guitars stop, the records keep spinning.

Day tickets are now available, meaning you don't necessarily have to commit to the full two-day experience — although looking at the Saturday bill in particular, that might be a difficult decision to make. Marina Norte gives Visor something plenty of festivals would kill for: València in September. The Mediterranean is right there, the city is five minutes away, and the whole thing takes place with the sea lurking around the edges of the experience. It's a very different proposition from spending two days trapped in a field somewhere wondering whether that brown liquid in your plastic cup was ever technically beer.

With just over a month to go, the stage is set. If your record collection was built somewhere between 1980 and 2000, September 25 and 26 may already be looking suspiciously like your diary's most important weekend.

For tickets and more information: Visorfest