Heading the line-up are Gorillaz, Robbie Williams and Twenty One Pilots. Together, they bring an animated universe where hip-hop, dub, rock and electronica merge into a multi-coloured musical blend, the enduring appeal of a British stadium superstar with countless hit singles to his name, and a duo whose mix of alt-pop, rap, electronica and rock has won over a huge and devoted fanbase. They will be joined by Lorde, Tom Odell, Charlotte Cardin, Chet Faker, Parcels, Becky Hill, Paul Kalkbrenner, Faithless, Major Lazer and many others. BitterSweet 2026 explores the many faces of contemporary pop, ranging from MTV-era nostalgia to the streaming era, from R&B to Polish rap, and from choruses sung by thousands to the sounds emerging from intimate club venues, showcase festivals and late-night dance floors.
"Our main stages will host world-class stars. With such a diverse line-up, there is something to appeal to every taste. Equally important is BitterSweet Festival's commitment to showcasing music that audiences may not yet have discovered. Many of the international artists performing at the festival will be making their first appearances in Poland, but we have a strong feeling that they will keep returning," says Szymon Liedtke, BitterSweet's press officer at Good Taste Production, the festival's organiser.
This year's festival opens with a bang, presenting two distinctly different approaches to pop. At different points in the 21st century, both Gorillaz and Lorde have redefined the mainstream. From the outset, Gorillaz were conceived as a project to be followed and explored as well as heard. Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett brought together alternative rock, hip-hop, dub, electronic music, animation, visual art and a pop sensibility in a single creative universe that captured audiences' imaginations from the outset.
Almost three decades on, the project continues to reinvent itself. Gorillaz are both a cartoon band born in the age of music television and an international collective of guest artists, weaving a multilingual story about a world connected through beat, bass and visual images. "Having Gorillaz on the line-up reflects the scale of our ambitions and proves we're capable of achieving them. We want to put Poznań and the BitterSweet Festival on the map of European festivals and to regularly bring artists of this stature here. In my view, their willingness to accept our invitation is a clear sign that the festival's first edition is poised to be a resounding success," Liedtke explains.
New Zealand singer Lorde brings a completely different kind of pop intensity. Her debut album, Pure Heroine (2013), introduced a minimalist sound and teenage confidence that felt like an antidote to the excesses of mainstream pop in the early 2010s. The defining example was the hit single "Royals', an unmistakable rejection of pop's glittering spectacle. Since then, her music has evolved through the emotional drama of Melodrama (2017), the sun-soaked reflections of Solar Power (2021) and the more visceral, unfiltered approach of Virgin (2025). Placed alongside Gorillaz, the result is a striking contrast: pop as an animated, shape-shifting universe wearing multiple masks on the one hand, and as an intimate personal journal on the other, inviting listeners to see something of themselves in its pages.
The opening day of the festival also presents an appealing range of musical styles. Charlotte Cardin will add refined soul-pop chill and dramatic, self-assured vocals, while Jessie J brings together pop R&B and soulful finesse. Charlie Jeer blends the breezy feel of jazz house with club-ready melodic lines, while Becky Hill delivers a crazy dose of house and dance-pop. Representing the festival's electronic side are two celebrated names on the club scene: MEUTE, known for pushing its way through the club circuit, and Paul Kalkbrenner. Yet the evening's greatest revelation may be Sophia Stel, a Canadian singer still awaiting wider recognition, whose honest and irreverent indie-rock songwriting combines a strong generational perspective with the natural authenticity of the digital age.
Day two will surely be dominated by Twenty One Pilots, the eccentric yet emotionally charged duo of Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun. Over the past decade, they have built one of the most engaging artistic mythologies in modern alt-pop, inspiring a level of fan devotion more commonly associated with television dramas, video games and comic-book universes. Even in the musical landscape that seems to have seen it all, the pair have developed a language that is unmistakably their own. Their songs blend rap, electronica, rock and pop-punk, shifting effortlessly between stadium-filling spectacle and the fragile introspection of tracks such as "Stressed Out', "Ride' and "Heavydirtysoul'.
Friday also embraces the worlds of indie rock and Britpop, with Tom Odell, a firm favourite with Polish audiences, taking centre stage. His enchanting voice and piano-led performances win over audiences and invite them to join in songs that capture the intimate dramas of everyday life. On the same night, Rita Ora brings back the radio-friendly dance hits of 2010s mainstream pop, while Alok keeps the dancefloor moving with late-night electronic rhythms. Ashnikko injects the line-up with the exaggerated, irreverent and boldly colourful energy of internet pop, before Chet Faker, not unlike Odell, rounds off the evening with his resonant vocals, hypnotic beats and dreamlike late-night atmosphere. Don't miss Leisure and Parcels, who promise easy-going, guitar-driven grooves infused with funk, ideally suited to an open-air summer setting, while Poland's Mrozu highlights the black side of pop, showing that the genre is at its most compelling when built on solid foundations of soul, blues and the enduring craft of exceptional songwriting.
The final day of this year's BitterSweet is headlined by an artist whom many members of the audience will want to see, perhaps simply out of curiosity. This comes as no surprise, as Robbie Williams has long grown beyond being defined by his music alone. He is a genuine stage force - witty, self-deprecating, cheeky, emotional and capable of moments of disarming tenderness. His journey, from his beginnings as a member of the boy band Take That to his solo career in the 1990s and 2000s, from the unforgettable "Angels' to the equally popular "Rock DJ', and from larger-than-life stage presence to timeless ballads shared by generations of listeners, makes him an ideal fit for the BitterSweet format. "He captures everything our festival stands for. A bit of theatrical exuberance and plenty of dance-floor appeal - that's what we want every festival-goer to experience. And, of course, his music is pure nostalgia," says Szymon Liedtke. Yet Robbie Williams is not simply appearing to celebrate past triumphs. With his latest album Britpop (2026), he has once again demonstrated that his greatest talent lies in balancing a pop ego with an ability to laugh at himself.
Saturday's line-up offers plenty more to discover. Major Lazer, the famously unpredictable collective fronted by Diplo, will bring a wave of dancefloor energy to Citadel Park, driven by hits that include "Lean On', "pAPi' and "Light It Up'. Ciara's performance is also set to be one of the evening's major attractions. Not so long ago, her American pop R&B helped define the choreography and visual language of dance music, something still evident in videos for tracks such as "1, 2 Step' and "Like a Boy'. Faithless, the pioneering British act, will also take to the stage - albeit without their iconic club philosopher frontman Maxi Jazz, who passed away in 2022 - and are sure to rekindle the spirit of club music they helped shape by combining electronic sounds, spoken word and trance-like rhythms into a seamless whole.
Giant Rooks will add a dose of indie-rock accessibility to this colourful musical mix, while Morad will bring the unfiltered energy of a Spanish courtyard filled with the sounds of rap. When it comes to hip-hop, the contribution of Polish artists deserves special attention. Oki, one of the most influential voices in contemporary Polish rap, will be joined by Sobel, whose sound reflects the habits of a generation raised on streaming and individually curated playlists, and Fukaj, who explores a more introspective side of trap-pop embraced by the youngest mainstream listeners.
A fascinating feature of the upcoming BitterSweet Festival 2026 is that the presence of major names does not overshadow the Next Stage - a platform for artists who have already made an impact in their home countries but are now beginning their international journey. Among the most intriguing of them are Bricknasty, an Irish collective combining rap, soul, jazz, psychedelia and the garage spirit of the 1990s; EBBB, a British group known for their interplay of contrasting vocals, ambient soundscapes and industrial rhythms, described as "Brian Wilson meets Death Grips"; and MPH, whose sound is rooted in the atmosphere of UK garage and drum'n'bass.
The final touches will come from Borderline, whose New Zealand indie-pop style captures the youthful energy of a group of friends; the producer known as Myd, combining a uniquely French sense of humour with a wild approach to synthesised sounds; Dutch rock-breakbeat artist ZEP; and Max Baby, a genre-defying postmodern multi-instrumentalist who has never fitted neatly into a single category. The programme also includes the English beat duo In Parallel and Sophia Stel, the emerging Canadian princess of nostalgic indie rock. Representing Poland on the Next Stage is a real gem - maks.tachasiuk, winner of the Poznań Next Fest Music Showcase & Conference 2026 award, whose approach shows that "minimalism" can mean refinement and concentration rather than a shortage of creative ideas.
The festival's social and cultural dimension plays a central role. Major festivals today compete not only through their line-ups, but also through the stories they create around values, safety, emotions and ways of spending time together. BitterSweet is no exception. "A key element we want to draw attention to is BitterSweet Talks - a format that brings together music, discussion and social engagement. We have created a space where festival-goers can engage in honest conversations about mental health and community. Without lecturing, but with empathy and care," says Szymon Liedtke.
The festival representative highlights that Good Taste Production, the organiser of the event, is genuinely proud to have the opportunity to bring world-famous artists to the city in which the team lives and works every day. "We simply cannot imagine another place for this festival than Poznań. We want the people of Poznań to take pride in seeing their city host an event of this calibre," says Liedtke. In August, Citadel Park will become a meeting point for those wishing to return to their favourite songs as well as those eager to discover something new. Should this vision come true, Poznań will gain something much greater than another large-scale festival.
Sebastian Gabryel
translation: Krzysztof Kotkowski
BitterSweet Festival 2026
Park Cytadela, 13-15.08.
for more, see: bittersweetfestival.pl
© Wydawnictwo Miejskie Posnania 2026
