An interdisciplinary arts organisation based in Amsterdam.

Biennial 2026

Sonic Acts

Taking place in Amsterdam from 5 February to 29 March 2026 – with the intensive festival weekend running from 26 February to 1 March – the Sonic Acts Biennial, _Melted for Love_ is spread across more than 80 events and 15 venues. The programme features cutting-edge performances, adventurous sound experiments, and multidisciplinary art by more than 200 international and local artists.

The Sonic Acts Biennial 2026 aims to offer a sanctuary for those searching for the sounds of home. As borders shift, voices are drowned out, and hostility intensifies, hospitality must be reimagined – not only as a gesture, but as a quiet rebellion against the forces that seek to divide us. With open ears and full hearts, we listen, attuned to the sounds, songs, transmissions, and resonances that hold us close to one another.

The title of the Sonic Acts Biennial 2026, _Melted for Love_, is inspired by a poem by the Palestinian national author Mahmoud Darwish, whose evocative verses speak to longing, loss, and resilience. Guided by collective listening practices, the programme brings together a wide array of artists, musicians, and thinkers across multiple iconic venues, such as Paradiso, Muziekgebouw, W139, Arti et Amicitiae, Rozenstraat – a rose is a rose is a rose, Stedelijk Museum, Eye Filmmuseum, Zone2Source, De Ateliers/Woonhuis, Het Documentaire Paviljoen/IDFA Institute, Oude Kerk, murmur, Singelkerk, Garage Noord, Athenaeum Nieuwscentrum, and Rijksakademie, alongside a special collaboration with Framer Framed.

In a world marked by crises, conflict, and displacement, we all long for a place to call home. But what happens when these places fail to offer a safe refuge, or when they are no longer within reach, taken from us, or lost to time? _Melted for Love_ reimagines home, not as a physical structure, but as a site of invitation, attentiveness, and care. It envisions a place built not from brick and mortar, but from kinship, solidarity, and the power of connection. Here, to be ‘melted for love’ means to dissolve into gentleness, allowing closeness to overcome distance, and creating a foundation for a new kind of belonging.

Since its beginnings in 1994 as a festival devoted to sound, Sonic Acts has expanded into an interdisciplinary platform bringing together a wide range of artistic practices. The 2026 Biennial programme features a large exhibition with newly commissioned artworks and public events, organised across five venues, weekly listening sessions, spatial sound concerts and performances, a two-day symposium, many artist talks, club nights, workshops, films, and more. Published alongside is the Biennial reader, _Ecoes_ #8 – a magazine delving into the theme of _Melted for Love_ through essays, images, and exclusive interviews with artists.

The Biennial’s visual identity is designed by the studio Knoth & Renner with Anja Kaiser. It builds on the theme by restructuring various elements from architectural blueprints to create a home that is fluid, transformative, and welcoming to all who come with love. 

The Sonic Acts Biennial 2026 is supported by Creative Industries Fund NL, Amsterdam Fund for the Arts, Fonds 21, Mondriaan Fonds, Het Cultuurfonds, Netherlands Film Fund, Cultuurloket DigitALL, and Performing Arts Fund NL, as well as _New Perspectives for Action_, a project by Re-Imagine Europe, co-funded by the European Union, and the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union, alongside a collaboration with presentation partner Hartwig Art Foundation.

Keep an eye on our website and social media, as more information and workshop open calls will be available soon.

Sonic Acts Biennial Is Set for 2026

Still Life of a Laid Table with Lecithin and Voice (2024) performance with Brackish Collective during Sonic Acts Biennial 2024 at W139, Amsterdam. Photo by Pieter Kers | beeld.nu.