Sunny Side Festival 2026: House Music Takes Over Malta This May
Malta. Five days. House music royalty. Sunny Side Festival 2026 is running from 14 to 18 May and the lineup is genuinely something else. Chez Damier, Ben UFO, Helena Hauff, Satoshi Tomiie live, KiNK, tINI and so many more across vineyards, beach clubs, a record store and boat parties on the Mediterranean. This is the one.
Secure your spot now
If you have not heard about Sunny Side Festival yet, now is the time to pay attention. Malta, 14 to 18 May, five days straight. This year the festival has grown beyond what it has ever been before, and honestly the lineup alone is enough reason to book flights without even thinking twice about it.
For anyone who genuinely cares about house music, not the watered down festival kind but the real deep rooted underground stuff, this one is for you.
So What Actually is Sunny Side?
At its core, Sunny Side is a gathering built for people who are serious about electronic music, covering the full spectrum of house, techno, electro and breaks with more than 30 performances across the event. It is not trying to be a massive commercial rave. It is the kind of festival where the people around you actually know the artists, know the records, and are there purely because they love the music. That energy is rare and it is what keeps people coming back year after year.
The whole concept sits at the intersection of a high quality music event and a Mediterranean holiday, and the five day format gjves you enough breathing room to properly enjoy both sides of that. One afternoon you are at a beach club with your friends, the next evening you are in a dark room losing your mind to a four in the morning DJ set. That is literally the dream.
This Year Is Different Though
The festival has jumped from three days to five, which means more time, more venues and more music woven into the streets and spaces of Malta between 14 and 18 May. Two new locations have been added to the map this year and both of them sound incredible. Big Ron's Records is opening up for the first night, which is the kind of low key record store setting that is perfect for meeting people and getting into the right headspace before the week really kicks off. Then there is Maria Rosa Estate, a vineyard where you can dance from the afternoon all the way through to the stars coming out overhead.
Add that to the returning spots at UNO Malta, Tortuga Beach Club and the boat parties out on the Mediterranean, and you have got a program that covers every mood across five days.
The DJs You Need to Know About
Right, this is the part where things get serious. The headliners for 2026 include Ben UFO, one of the most respected selectors in underground music, and Chez Damier, a genuine pioneer of Detriot house.
Chez Damier is not just a name to drop. He is one of the people who actually built house music from the ground up in Detriot during the late 80s and 90s. Deep, soulful, spiritual house. If you have ever fallen in love with that warm, late night feeling that only the best house records can give you, Damier is part of the reason that sound exists. Seeing him play is not something you take for granted.
Ben UFO, the Hessle Audio co-founder, bridges house, techno and everything in between like nobody else, and he is playing back to back with Moopie on the opening night alongside Helena Hauff. That alone is worth the flight.
Samuel Deep brings that warm, hypnotic deep house sound that hits differently in an outdoor setting, and Jen Cardini is another long standing French underground favourite who never misses.
Satoshi Tomiie performing live is a genuinely big deal. He worked closely with Frankie Knuckles in the early 90s and helped bring house music to audiences across Asia. A live set from him in Malta is not something you get to see every day.
KiNK, Mathew Jonson and Garrett David are all performing live too, joined by Ben & Macelli, Giammarco Orsini and the back to back pairing of tINI and Jennifer Loveless at the Tortuga Beach Club daytime session. Exactly the vibe you want in May.
The afterparty runs from sunrise at a secret location with Danny Vibe, Sofiane Vial, Sam Bangura, Hugo Martinez back to back with MATO and Jigz, plus two surprise guests. Note that the afterparty ticket is sold separately.
They are Looking Out for the Locals Too
Something that stands about how this year is being run is the focus on making it accessible beyond just the international crowd flying in. The team behind Sunny Side have introduced day tickets, individual venue entry options and reduced rates for weekend passes specifically aimed at people based in Malta, making sure the local community stays at the centre eof everything rather than being priced out of their own backyard.
They have also launched a community program for Malta based creatives and music fans that includes a VIP access and involvement behind the scenes. That kind of thinking matters and it shows the festival is actually invested in the island rather than just using it as a backdrop.
The Bottom Line:
Sunny Side Festival has firmly established itself as one of the standout events on the European calendar, and the 2026 edition is the biggest and most carefully put together version of it yet. If you are around 20 to 30 years old, care about house music in any meaningful way and have been looking for the kind of festival experience that actually delivers on what it promises, this is it.
