Starlite Festival Marbella 2026

Starlite Festival, Marbella - June to August 2026

Contemporary music and dance festivals in Andalucia

by Chris Chaplow

The XV edition of festival Starlite Festival in Marbella 2026 will take place as always in the Cantera de Nagüeles in Marbella, with 49 nights of concerts taking place between 19 June and 29 August 2026. International Artists include Lenny Kravitz, Alan Parsons. Gypsy Kings, Danny Ocean, Grupo Frontera, Maroon 5 Deep Purple, Rick Astley Elvis Crespo, Jean Michelle Jarre,  Anastasia, Yandel Sinfónico, John Legend, Diana Krall, Kool and the Gang and  Ara Malikian.

Star-themed fashion at the Starlite Festival.

The stage is surrounded by 60 metre-high rock walls, which creates an interesting, intimate atmosphere, like a secret, hidden venue beneath the stars for the 3,500 seat auditorium. Access is slightly complicated, but worth the effort. Except for VIPs, cars need to be parked a mile away and minibuses shuttle guests up and down the hill.

The festival set is slightly different every year and the complex has to be reconstructed each season. It is impressive, logistically, to appreciate that everything down to the last bottle of water, in this glamorous 5 open air lounge and concert venue, has to be brought up the hill to the former quarry. In the main auditorium, VIP attendees sit in "Bubble Boxes" (eight-seater boxes) behind and elevated above the 15 rows of stalls and where waiters serve drinks during the concerts.

This year will be the 15^th edition and to celebrate there is special ticket offer:  From the 15^th May to the 15^th June any Marbella resident can enjoy a 15% discount on the purchase of up to four tickets.    There is a quota so if this is interesting to you, we suggest you buy your tickets as soon as possible. To obtain you discount, visit starlitemarbella15.es , complete the form, receive a discount code by email and then purchase your tickets online in the normal way. Flash sales were universally offered for Saint Valentines Day in February and for the Spanish Mothers day in May.  

The Premios Juventud awards ceremony, a gala produced by Televisa Univision and broadcast in the United States and Latin America (not Europe), will be held at the Starlite Festival site in Marbella on 3rd September 2026.  All previous editions have taken place in the USA, with the exception of last year's ceremony in Panama City, where Bad Bunny won three of the 41 awards. It is certainly a coup for Starlite and hence Marbella to be the 2026 location. This event will be re-branded as PJ Fest.

2026 Artists line up 

About the Artists

Ozuna
A Puerto Rican artiste born in 1992, Ozuna is a reggaeton, pop and trap singer known for his high-pitched voice who rose to fame in 2016: he has since sold more than 15 million records, making him a bestselling Latin artist.

Lenny Kravitz
New York singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Lenny Kravitz is no stranger to Andalucía’s impressive festival scene, having performed at the Starlite festival in Marbella in 2015, and at Marenostrum Fuengirola in 2020. The American rocker, whose hits include Are You Gonna Go My Way, It Ain’t Over Til It’s Over and American Woman, has sold over 40 million albums worldwide.  Known for his energetic live show, Kravitz moves freely through genres ranging from blues to ballads, to reggae, rock, soul and funk. Since his career took off in the early 1990s, Kravitz has continued to record and tour extensively, as well as acting in several films. He won Music Icon of the Year at the 49^th People’s Choice Awards in 2024, the same year in which he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Kravitz released Blue Electric Light, his 12th album, later that year, which was described in the music press as "A typically diverse collection pulsating with positive energy."

Gypsy Kings
The group of travelling musicians formed in Arles, France, in 1979, born to gitano parents, Spanish Romanis who fled Spain in the 30s during the Civil War. They are known for adding a Catalin twist to their covers of popular English-language songs - including their 1987 track “A Mi Manera”, a cover of Frank Sinatra’s “My Way”. Other covers include Bob Marley’s “One Love” which they collaborated on with the famed reggae singer’s son Ziggy. Collectively, they have globalised rumba and flamenco music and found real success with their self titled 1987 album, which was one of few Spanish-language albums to spend 40 weeks in the US charts.

Massive in the USA, where their recordings often sell platinum, the Gypsy Kings are probably the most popular, and populist, nuevo flamenco band in the world. Famed for their 1987 hit, 'Bamboleo', they bring a distinctive French influence from their origins in the gypsy culture around Arles, Montpelier, where Spain's roma legacy overlaps the border of France. Recommended albums: Best Of, Gypsy Kings, Tierra Gitana

Maroon 5
Maroon 5 is an American pop/rock band from Los Angeles, California, who released their first album, Songs About Jane, in 2002, which brought the group relative success with the singles Harder to Breath and She Will be Loved. The band has since enjoyed success with hits like Moves Like Jagger (2011), which reached number one on the American Billboard charts, while the single One More Night topped the Billboard Hot 100 for nine consecutive weeks the following year. Maroon 5 has sold over 135 million records throughout their career, with their most recent release, Love is Like (2025), receiving mixed critical and commercial responses.

Deep Purple
Deep Purple, one of the most important bands in rock history, is returning to Spain in 2026 with four concerts as part of their Mad in Europe Tour. Formed in London in 1968, the band was originally part of the ‘unholy trinity’ of British hard rock and heavy metal in the early to mid-'70s. Famed for rock anthems like Smoke on the Water, Black Night and Child in Time, the group has undergone several line-up changes over the years.

Deep Purple has stayed true to its musical roots, creating a distinctive sound that defines the band today, which is demonstrated on their 2024 album, =1.  Original members Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Ian Paice continue with renewed vitality, pushing the boundaries of hard rock to audiences around the globe, proving that Deep Purple are very much here to stay.

Elvis Crespo
Named after the King of rock and roll, Elvis Crespo is an American merengue singer who found fame in the 1990s with the Puerto Rican band Grupo Mania. Although born in New York in 1971, Crespo was raised in Puerto Rico. Since concentrating on his solo career, which took off in 1998, he has enjoyed chart success in Latin America and in the USA.

His debut album, which went platinum in the Venezuelan and Central American markets and gold in Chile, was mainly influenced by merengue, a music and dance style which has become popular throughout Latin America and among Latin communities in the USA.

Jean-Michell Jarre
Born in Lyon in 1948, Jean-Michell Jarre is considered a pioneer for spearheading the electronic age of synthesised pop music performed at large-scale events accompanied by spectacular laser and light shows. His concerts are performed to audiences of up to one million people in iconic locations like the Acropolis in Athens, the Palace of Versailles, the Pyramids of Egypt, Tiananmen Square in Beijing, and the Eiffel Tower in Paris. His largest event was performing to approximately 3.5 million people in Moscow 1997.

He first received mainstream success with the 1976 album Oxygéne, which sold around 18 million copies, even though it was recorded in a makeshift studio in the musician’s house. The recording has been described as the album that ‘led the synthesizer revolution of the 1970s’. This was followed two years later with Équinoxe, an album which, as of 2016, had sold an estimated 18 million copies and is one of the best-selling French, electronic and instrumental albums in history.

Miguel Bosé
Pop singer and actor Miguel Bosé was born in Panama in 1956 and began his movie career in 1971, which was instigated by his famous family and the circle within which they mixed. The son of Italian actress Lucia Bosé and Spanish bullfighter extraordinaire Luis Miguel Dominguín, Bosé was raised between Madrid and Colombia and was surround by celebrated family friends like Pablo Picasso, Luchino Visconti and Ernest Hemmingway, so it was almost a foregone conclusion that he would choose the path of the arts.

His music career took off in 1975 with the release of his first single, and two years later he signed to CBS Records.

He had seven top ten hits between 1977 and 1982, which turned him into a major teen idol in Italy, Spain, Southern Europe and in most of Latin America. He has since recorded more than 25 albums and countless singles of commercial pop and light rock music.

In 2008 he announced he would take a break form music to concentrate on literature projects and his acting, although by 2010 he was back in the recording studio. He has continued to balance both his acting and music careers, making him one of Spain’s most productive performers.

Sergio Dalma
Born in Catalonia in 1964, Sergio Dalma, is one of Spain's best-selling recording artists, having topped Spain's official national album chart nine times, including an unbroken string of five number one albums between 2008 and 2013. Known for his romantic, melodic style rooted in Latin pop and contemporary music, his sound combines emotional ballads with polished pop arrangements.

Finishing in fourth place in the Eurovision in 1991 with the song Bailar Pegados, Dalma went on to enjoy international success, especially with Hispanic audiences in the USA. He has performed in Spanish throughout his career, but has also recorded in Italian, English and French.

Gente de Zona
Cuban two-piece, Gente de Zona will take to the Starlite stage this summer with their Carribean beats. The duo rose to fame in 2016 after featuring on Enrique Iglesias’ hit song ‘Bailando’. The song spent 41 weeks at Number 1 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart and received six Latin Grammy awards, amongst many other accolades. During their career, spanning over a decade and a half, their Cuban reggaeton or ‘cubaton’ hits have won them six Latin Grammys, including the award for Best Tropical Fusion Album in 2016. Their newest album ‘Demasiado’ brings south American dance to Andalusia, the Starlite festival describes their newest record as “an album for everyone who wants to dance, have fun, and enjoy life.”

Antoñito Molina
Born and raised in Rota, Cádiz (1989), Antonio Caballero Molina, known artistically as Antoñito Molina, is a singer who rose to stardom with his 2006 recording El tren de los sueños.  In 2010, he teamed up with the Sevillian singer, Mara, and the couple recorded three CDS, which turned them into the most popular Andalusian pop duo in Spain.   Since 2016, Antoñito Molina has concentrated on his solo career, and his popularity among the Spanish flamenco-pop fans is supported by around 250,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.

Love of Lesbian
One of the most iconic bands of Spanish alternative pop, Love of Lesbian began in Barcelona in 1997, and came to the attention of the music-buying public after coming second in a competition in the Ruta 66 magazine. In their early years the band sang in English, a language in which they recorded three albums. One of the highlights of this period was supporting The Cure on their Drean Tour in 2000.

Describing this period as a ‘learning the process’, the group began performing and recording in Spanish in 2005. Their 2009 recording (1999)) was considered a turning point in their career, winning the Rolling Stone magazine awards for Group of the Year and Tour of the Year. They promoted the album by touring Spain constantly for two years, before heading to the UK, and to Buenos Aires, their first venture into Latin America.

Rosario
The youngest daughter of singer/guitarist Antonio González, El Pescaílla, and the mythical artist Lola Flores, Rosario Flores, known artistically as Rosario, has become one of Spain’s top female singers.

Rising from the streets of Madrid’s flamenco scene, and often overshadowed by the iconic talent of her mother, Rosario carved a lucrative career with a style of pop, copla and flamenco-infused music, often called ‘flamenquito’, that has earned her many accolades, including a Latin Grammy for best female pop vocal album in 2002, and again in 2004. She has twelve platinum and three gold discs, selling more than 2 million records world-wide.

Rosario has inherited her mother’s incredible vocal talent, along with her sense of humour and impeccable compás, but she has risen above the legend of Lola to become an artiste in her own right.

In 2020 she received the Gold Medal for Merit in the Fine Arts of Spain.

History

The first use of the former Puerto Banus stone quarry site, situated above Marbella, was in 1983. Alfonso Hohenlohe, who founded the Marbella Club Hotel, and singers Julio Iglesias and Plácido Domingo, decided to create the Auditorio de Marbella open-air auditorium, and to found an internationally-renowned music festival. They held a successful Tenors concert, however the annual festival didn't happen. David and Elizabeth Brockman did try and revive it with the Festival International de Music Marbella in 1989. The quarry was then left abandoned for 23 years. 

In 2012 the quarry site was cleaned up and a new auditorium constructed for the inaugural Starlite Festival. 13 acts performed  It has been held annually ever since and grown to become on of Spain's leading music festivals. Over the years Enrique Iglesias, Elton John, Lenny Kravitz, Lionel Richie, Andrea Bocelli, Ricky Martin, Tom Jones, Pet Shop Boys, Alejandro Sanz, Eros Ramazzotti, Luis Fonsi, Plácido Domingo and Anastacia have all played. 

The second edition of the Platino Awards took place at Starlite on 18 July 2015, just before the opening of the fourth edition. It was the second Platino Awards Gala, taking over from Panama. It is a global event that supports and promotes the film industry in 23 Spanish-speaking countries in the Americas and Iberia.  The first edition of the festival in Mexico took place in 2016, from 3 to 12 March. 

The 2017 edition was overshadowed by a  late license dispute with the Marbella town Hall, and 'Marbella' was removed from the Starlite Festival name and logo. The Lounge concept was dropped in favour of Sessions stage and VIP areas to avoid allegations of unfair competing with Marbella nightclubs. Due to the nature of the open air all-seated venue the now Starlite Ocidental festival was able to continue in Summer 2020 and 2021 albeit with social distancing few international performers. In 2026 the Marbella name returned to the logo as a location and not a sponsorship. 

A parallel event, the Starlite Gala, a star-studded charity concert and dinner which was launched in 2010 at Villa Padierna Hotel and moved to the present venue in 2012. The Starlite Gala usually takes place on second Saturday in August, and is led by Antonio Banderas.

Buena Vista Social Club at Starlite Festival 2013

Starlite Sessions

Starlite Sessions (called Starlite Nights in 2017 and prior to 2016 called Starlite Disco) start in the lounge area at 22.30. On some nights (13 in 2022) an artist performs on the sessions stage and tickets need to be purchases. On other nights when there is an artist in the Auditorium one may enjoy a drink and dance in the sessions area.   Pre 2017 entrance was free before 24:00, 12€ from 24:00 to 03:00 hrs, and 20€ after 03:00 including one drink). Entrance is also open to those exiting the concert shortly after midnight; stopping at the disco is encouraged to disperse the 'rush hour' queue for the buses back down the hill to the car parking area. o the concert. However the open session area is quite small and  the former open lounge areas are now six different VIP areas and table must be reserved. The Starlite Sesions closes at 05.00. On nights that there is no concert in the Audirorium (most non August Sundays in 2022) the Starlite sessions in closed as well. 

Starlite Auditorium Concerts

The 'Under the Stars' auditorium is divided into three areas: the Stalls (plateas), the six seat Boxes (palcos) and the Podium (tribunas) which used to be called Granstand. Each of these is sub-divided; the stalls have a Super Premium area (centre front), Premium (centre), General (centre/side) and Lateral Stalls (sides). The boxes have Platinum, Starlite (was Gold) and Gold (at the sides) and Silver (further sides), and in the rear Podium or grandstand there are Podium Club (front rows centre), Podium A (front), Podium B (centre) and Podium C (back).

Starlite Restaurants

Dining at the 'Starlite Restaurant' is in two sittings: one before the concert (20.15 or 20:45 hrs), during the concert (22:00hrs, and without visibility of the show), and one after (23.59 hrs). In 2023 the restaurants were re-branded as Temazo (grill), Anima (Mexican), Tana Bata (Japenese), Rafella (Italian), and Sandra’s Caviar Bar. Temazo is the most economical, there are two menus;  Menu Starlite 4 course for 70€ per person and Menú Glut a complete selection from the menu for 100 € per person (plus drinks). The other three are a la carte with a 30€ per person reservation.

In the last few years restaurants had been unbranded, and prior to 2018 the restaurants, were aligned to each of the VIP areas in the Starlite Lounge, and each giving access to the VIP area for the five persons dining. Table reservations ranged from 250€ to 3500€.

Tanabat

In earlier years the restaurants were run and branded by famous restaurateurs such as MIL LUNAS BY MILLESIME (2015 & 2016) or Danni Garcia in 2012.

VIP AREAS

VIP areas adjoining the lounge were introduced in 2015. Since then these have been expanded into areas previously open to concert ticket holders and visitors. Names and locations have also changed.

LE PRIVEE, is the liveliest VIP area and where the celebrities tend to go. The Mezanine area within Le Privee is called Up le Privèe  (not to be confused with a classic Carry On film) and TOP Le Privé Tables can be reserved for 4-6-8 people with a minimum consumption of 150-300-400€ respectively. Le Plus and Le Plus Up is more select and located on the quieter side of the session stage. La Reserve over the entrance has 6 person tables for 300€. Le Club is the most exclusive and largest VIP zone located on a raised platform overlooking the sessions stage and the dancefloor. This is where the clients of the auditorium concert boxes meet after the concert. Tables can be reserved for 8 persons with a 400€ minimum consumption. In 2016 Le Club was called The Stage where one could share the space with the DJs on the Moonbeds where no sunshade was required.

Starlite Lounge

The impressive former Starlite lounge concept had a mix of general seating and several drinks brand-sponsored cocktail bar areas serving pre-concert drinks. The Starlite Lounge was replaced in name after 2017 with the Sessions dance floor and the VIP areas. It opens at 20.00. The carefully-designed lighting comes into maximum effect as the sun set.

On concert nights, this area filled quickly to standing room only, now that it is much smaller concert goers hang out under the grandstand. The lounge also featured retail outlets, bars and other stalls selling sweets and costume jewelry. By 2017 shopping had increased to 21 stands and were being called Starlite Shopping and Starlite Gourmet.  Both are now located under the grandstand. The shopping is now closer to a brand display in a upmarket department store. In 2017 when the licensing dispute with Marbella council erupted the lounge concept disappeared from the Starlite website.

Starlite Events

The Starlite Festival had also included fashion shows, open-air film premier's, art exhibitions and nightclub style events on nights when there were no concert.  There has been less focus on the parallel events since 2017. Starlite TV seems is another iniciative.  The lounge had come a long way since the opening year in 2012 when the catering was provided out of shipping containers, albeit chicly decorated ones.

Starlite Festival is a major event in the Marbella cultural and social calendar.

ACCESS AND PARKING

From centre of Marbella, at Plaza Bocanegra near the Palacio de Congresos (Exhibition Centre), take Avenida Don Jaime de Mora, cross the motorway and turn into Avenida Buchinger, which becomes Avenida Albinoni. Keep going up, following the other cars, and look out for Starlite signs. On reaching the checkpoint you will be directed left into an unmade car park - the VIP area is first, and then the public car park. It looks a bit shabby in daylight. Don't wear your best shoes and have your mobile phone light or a torch ready, as you'll need them when you return to the unlit car park. Here is the location map of the car park that you have to drive to.

After parking the car, walk back (gently uphill) to the AstroTurf corridor entrance where a fleet of minibuses ferry the visitors one mile up the steep hill to the bottom of about 50 steps which you have to climb to reach the Starlite entrance. There is a VIP car park nearer the venue and this is only available to those with Gold and Silver boxes for the concerts. The entrance area is much enlarged and improved since the early years.  Valet parking is for Platinum box ticket holders.

BUS SERVICE

Since 2016 Starlite have provided a free shuttle bus service from Marbella town. The bus route is from Marbella Alameda, Farmacia Berdaguer, Edificio Portillo,  Porcelanosa near Plaza Bocanegra to Starlite. It runs about every half hour from 22.30 hrs to 05.30 hrs. Link to timetable for this local bus number 10 on Marbella bus page.

All this sounds complicated to first-timers, but once in the venue you will see it was worth the effort.

All editions of Starlite festival

Line up and notes about the other editions of the Starlite festival:

Contemporary music and dance festivals in Andalucia