Max SteventonESNS’s European Talent Exchange initiative has resulted in 256 confirmed festival performances for 115 artists this summer.
These artists are from 32 different countries with performances across 73 partner festivals in 28 countries.
The figures reflect bookings secured by artists who performed at Eurosonic Noorderslag (ESNS), whose participants automatically join European Talent Exchange, a programme supported through the EU’s Creative Europe initiative and coordinated by ESNS.
With 30,000 festivalgoers and 4,000 industry delegates in attendance, the ESNS conference and multi-venue event ran from 14-17 January in venues across the northern Netherlands city of Groningen. It is an independent platform focused on showcasing and supporting the development of European music talent internationally.
The European Talent Exchange connects emerging artists with a network of around 130 partner festivals across Europe and international markets, with organisers citing continued growth in cross-border festival bookings for new acts.
Among the artists with the highest number of confirmed festival appearances are:
- Madra Salach (Ireland) – 16 bookings, including appearances at Beaches Brew, Haldern Pop Festival, Pinkpop and Roskilde Festival.
- Joshua Idehen (Sweden) – 13 bookings, including performances at Colours of Ostrava, OFF Festival Katowice and Das Fest.
- Dove Ellis (Ireland) – 10 bookings, including appearances at MS Dockville, Lowlands and Poplar Festival.
- Florence Road (Ireland) – 10 bookings, including appearances at Primavera Sound, Rock Werchter, Southside Festivaland Rock en Seine.
Among the festivals recording the highest number of bookings are Rock Werchter with seven bookings, Best Kept Secret with six bookings, Electric Castle with four bookings, and Primavera Sound, OFF Festival Katowice and OpenAir St. Gallen with three bookings each.
European Talent Exchange said the programme continues to operate through partnerships with industry organisations, broadcasters, export offices and festival networks across Europe. UK artists participating in the programme receive support from the PRS Foundation, while Swiss artists are supported through partnerships with Pro Helvetia and Swiss Music Export.
ESNS will return from 13–16 January 2027 in Groningen, with Ireland confirmed as the focus country for the next edition.
“We believe festivals are about discovering fresh new music and giving emerging artists the chance to connect with new audiences,” said Colours of Ostrava festival artistic director Filip Košťálek. “European Talent Exchange and Eurosonic Noorderslag help us identify some of the most promising acts and see them perform in person.”