‘Awaken the core’ theme announced for Sunburn Festival 2026

Sunburn Festival 2026 returns for its 19th edition in Mumbai with a new two-day format at Mahalaxmi Racecourse and a finale at NSCI Dome. The event, themed “Awaken the Core,” aims to deliver a more intense and focused experience

Mumbai: One of India’s biggest electronic music festivals, Sunburn, is returning for its 19th edition with a new venue, a reimagined format and a fresh creative identity. Billed as one of its most defining chapters yet, the festival will be held on December 18 and 19, 2026, at Mahalaxmi Racecourse in Mumbai, one of the city’s most centrally located large-format event venues, followed by a closing party at NSCI Dome on December 20.

The shift to a condensed two-day format is a deliberate move, organisers say, designed to deliver sharper programming and a more concentrated flow of performances, with the NSCI Dome finale extending the experience beyond the main event, a press release said. The theme for the 2026 edition is “Awaken the Core”, which the festival describes as a signal of its evolution from spectacle to depth, from scale to intensity, it added.

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Mahalaxmi Racecourse has hosted several of its landmark Mumbai moments — Avicii’s early India performance in 2011, Swedish House Mafia in 2013, Martin Garrix in 2016 and, more recently, a Keinemusik set earlier this year.

Tickets will be available on BookMyShow, with an exclusive pre-sale for RuPay Credit Card holders opening on May 14 at noon, followed by a registered users’ pre-sale on May 16 at noon. General ticket sales open for all on May 18 at noon. “Sunburn Festival has always been built with the audience at its core, evolving each year into a defining cultural tradition for India’s music community,” said Karan Singh, CEO of Sunburn.

“As we enter our 19th edition, every decision – from moving to a venue like Mahalaxmi Racecourse to reimagining the festival format – has been made with a clear focus on enhancing how fans experience the festival,” he added.