Momentum is the toughest thing for any recurring fetsival to sustain, but UNTOLD has now sustained it for 11 years running, closing its 2026 edition with record numbers and an immediate announcement of next year’s dates.UNTOLD, one of Europe’s largest and most beloved music festivals, drew more than 500,000 attendees across four days in Cluj-Napoca, with the closing night alone pulling in 120,000 people.
Nine stages thundered from August 6-9 as EDM fans from all corners of the world danced under the Romanian sky.The headline booking was Sting, who opened the weekend with his first stadium show in the country.
Watching a Grammy-winning rock icon command a crowd typically built for dance music was a loud reminder that UNTOLD bets big and wins bigger.The Chainsmokers threw down a 10-year anniversary set tied to their generational dance anthem ‘Closer,’ turning a single track into a mass singalong that showed just how far from Tucson Halsey’s nostalgic vocals have come.
Elsewhere, Afrojack’s b2b set with R3HAB and Steve Aoki’s closing performance gave the EDM faithful their due, not to mention standout performances by Alan Walker and EDM.com Class of 2024 artist Sara Landry.Scroll to continue more from edm GRiZ Announces Community Program for Solo Ravers at Seven Stars Festival Meanwhile, Lewis Capaldi belted onstage for one of the weekend’s most talked-about sets, his aching ballads landing with their signature emotional weight.
The same goes for the surprise appearance from Romanian star Loredana Groza, who took the stage during Lost Frequencies’ set to deliver UNTOLD ONE a distinctly local moment inside a largely international weekend.Looking back, perhaps what stood out most was the operational scale.
Running nine stages on the grounds of Cluj Arena simultaneously for four straight nights, without the logistics buckling, was its own kind of achievement.Cluj-Napoca is a city better known...