MOMO Festival returns 16–18 April 2026 in Rotterdam, with over 60 names already announced. Today we’re adding the part that keeps you up all night: MOMO Nights 2026.

We’re bringing two nights in retro arcade, bar & club: 160K. Each with their own energy, their own program and their own performances and artists. Because the festival doesn’t stop when the last show ends. For us, the night is an essential part of what MOMO is. A place to lose yourself in music and dance, to express yourself and to discover something new.

Friday 17 April — MOMO Nights invites: CIRCUS PAARDENRAVE
Rotterdam’s wildest club and performance concept is taking over MOMO Festival, and they’re bringing the whole herd. CIRCUS PAARDENRAVE is a boundary-pushing, genre-fluid force of nature that turns any stage into a crazy rodeo of energy, fantasy and pure unbridled chaos. Expect high-octane DJs, performances and art colliding at full speed, because standing still simply isn’t an option.

Saturday 18 April — MOMO Nights: afterparty
MOMO Festival doesn’t end when the last show does. Saturday night, 160K becomes the place to be for an afterparty spread across two spaces, where club energy meets spontaneous live moments. Kossa Kossa holds down one room in a living, breathing celebration of Black music connecting Rotterdam to Accra, where musicians and vocalists are invited to join the jam session and step into the circle. In the other room, Edna Martinez opens with a polyrhythmic journey through African, Caribbean and Arab sounds, followed by Cheb Runner who fearlessly collides Moroccan chaabi, deep techno and Dutch gabber, with Rotational closing out the night with a global dig into kuduro, baile funk and beyond.

Both nights run from 23:00 to 05:00 at 160K Rotterdam. Accessible with a MOMO Festival 2026 Passe-partout, a Friday ticket for CIRCUS PAARDENRAVE or a Saturday ticket for MOMO Nights: afterparty. Separate night tickets available too.

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For the fourth time, MOMO Festival invites an artist for a multi-day residency in Rotterdam. This year, it’s Nusantara Beat.

The Amsterdam-based six-piece will perform over all three festival days, 16, 17 and 18 April, at different locations across the city. Each show its own format, each setting a surprise. Nusantara Beat follows in the footsteps of caroline, Black Country, New Road and Tom Skinner, who each left their own mark on the residency series with performances in unexpected spaces across Rotterdam.

A new sound for the residency

Where previous editions brought alternative indie, post-rock and jazz, Nusantara Beat adds something new to the mix. Bringing together musicians from Jungle by Night, Pom and EUT, the band writes songs deeply rooted in their Indonesian background and culture. Resonant, evocative and cinematic, their work meditates on family, memory and ancestral connection — always with a spiritual, playful or nostalgic undertone. From 60s rock to modern neo-psychedelia, a Nusantara Beat show filters many flavours through their distinct sound. As 3voor12 puts it: “Musically they weave a fine-meshed net together, dynamic and groovy but always subtle and layered.”

Their performance at MOMO Festival 2023 left a lasting impression. This residency is a chance to go deeper.

The space to experiment

The residency is one of MOMO Festival’s most distinctive formats. Head of programming Enoma Amayo: “The residency gives artists the space to experiment. Different formats, line-ups or locations lead to new collaborations and often truly extraordinary shows. That space rarely exists within a regular festival setup, but it’s precisely in the experiment that unforgettable experiences are born.“

More details on locations and shows will follow.

MOMO Festival takes place from Thursday 16 to Saturday 18 April 2026 at various locations in Rotterdam. Passe-partout tickets (€100) and day tickets (from €35) are available.

tickets

Through the slipstream of the two sisters’ voices in perfect harmony there are a lot of scars, memories, warnings and the coping of severe change embedded within. If anything, Sarah Julia are proving that songs – even one’s own songs – can be a form of time traveling where one gets to relive things all over again.

As much as their music can feel like personal mementos, Sarah Julia have quickly captured hearts, minds and imaginations on an international scale. We got the chance to get to know them a bit, before their Rotterdam homecoming show during MOMO Festival 2026. Grab your ticket now!

Buckle up: we’ve added 28 new names to the line-up for MOMO Festival 2026!

Abel Ghekiere // Abel Natürlich // Beattie // Bonsai // Brui5er & Viki // Crybabies // Devon Rexi // Elisa Zuppini // FAST DE // Fellatio // Grote Geelstaart // Helena Casella // holybones // Ibrah Jackson // Illnoledge // KAGAMI // Man/Woman/Chainsaw // Marta Del Grandi // NEWĀRK // Nusantara Beat // plonki // PUNCHBAG // QUANZA // Sorvina // stay away from dante! // Susobrino // Welly // Wesley Joseph

& more to be announced

line-up

These artists join the line-up alongside Obongjayar, Weval,  Zimmer90, Mandy, Indiana, Tyler Ballgame and many more. And even more program is coming you way soon.

Go all in with a Passe-partout: three full days and nights for just €100. Or choose your favourite day with a Day ticket. Grab your tickets now.

Less than two months to go. Ready to experience it all?

At Motel Mozaïque, artists aren’t just the heart of what we do, they’re the reason we exist. That’s why we’re committed to using our platform to champion fairer, more transparent ways of supporting the people who make the music we love. Lately, though, we’ve shared the growing unease many artists and fans feel about the direction of mainstream streaming platforms. From low artist payouts, to algorithms that decide what and who gets recommended, to investments with revenue made off artists’ work.

That’s why we’re happy to announce our partnership with Qobuz as the official streaming partner of MOMO Festival 2026. Qobuz is a platform built on ethical practices, fair compensation, and a deep respect for both artists and listeners.

What this means in practice

Artists earn more – Qobuz pays out up to five times more in royalties than other major platforms, ensuring creators are fairly compensated for their work.
Fans can support directly – Beyond streaming, Qobuz lets you buy music outright—allowing you to directly support the artists you love.
Quality matters – Qobuz offers hi-fi streaming, so you can experience your favorite tracks in the highest possible definition.

MOMO playlists on Qobuz

As part of this collaboration, we’ll be sharing our festival playlists and streaming links to Qobuz. And to make your own transition easy, Qobuz offers a free migration service, so you can bring all your beloved playlists with you in just a few clicks.

Exclusive offer for MOMO friends

Qobuz is giving MOMO friends an exclusive 2-month free trial. Stay tuned to our newsletter for details – we’ll share the link as soon as it’s live.

This partnership is about choosing a music industry that values fairness, transparency, and the people who make it all possible. We’re excited to take this step, and we hope you’ll join us.

The combination of music and spoken words becomes something profoundly unique in the hands of master poet Joshua Idehen and producer Ludvig Parment . We travelled to Amsterdam to check out their Paradiso show as support for Baxter Dury, and we were able to catch them for a quick chat on their project and their unique live show energy.

Joshua Idehen is set to release his debut solo album, I Know You’re Hurting, Everyone Is Hurting, Everyone Is Trying, You Have Got To Try, on 6 March 2026. Curious? Be sure to grab a ticket for MOMO Festival to check them out in April!

 

The performance days for Boko Yout and Rival Consoles at MOMO Festival 2026 have changed due to scheduling reasons. Both artists will now perform on a different festival day than previously announced.

Boko Yout will perform on Saturday 18 April
Rival Consoles will perform on Friday 17 April

This change has been updated on our website. You can find the correct day overview on the artist pages and on the line-up.

More MOMO Festival 2026 program announcements will follow in the coming period. Times and locations will be shared later, together with the full timetable.

We’re excited to announce that NÉNÉ will be this year’s Black Box Resident at MOMO Festival 2026.

The Black Box Residency is an annual program of MOMO Festival. Each year, we invite an artist to take over a space for three days: the Black Box. It’s an empty room, ready to be filled entirely according to the artist’s own vision. We provide the physical and financial space to research, experiment, and develop new work. The creative process becomes visible and accessible to the public, who are invited to experience the work as it unfolds.

“With the Black Box residency, we create space for artists who want to experiment, deepen their practice and take risks beyond the pressure of a finished product. I’m incredibly excited about what NÉNÉ will create. Her perspective on the world, her choice of collaborations and her work are deeply inspiring.”
– Enoma Amayo (Head of Program, Motel Mozaïque)

NÉNÉ is an artist based in Rotterdam. Her paintings, installations, and spatial explorations are inspired by her interest in Afrofuturism. This philosophy and art movement offer her new perspectives on how African history emerged before the colonial past and continues to flow through the present.

In her work, NÉNÉ is interested in how people move within structures. She reflects on how present-day questions are shaped by colonial systems. Systems that are so layered and normalized that they often become invisible and block our vision. Within her practice, she explores whether and how it is possible to step out of these structures, to move freely, and when that freedom is not accessible, how we can still communicate, connect, and coexist within those same structures.

During her Black Box residency at MOMO, NÉNÉ explores current developments surrounding anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in parts of Africa. This research is rooted in her time in Ghana, where she traveled to engage with textile practices and symbols as living forms of knowledge, storytelling, and resistance. From this place, she works in close collaboration with visual and fashion artists from Ghana, Neal and Kwasi, to create a wearable artwork that allows self-expression and resistance through hidden codes embedded in textiles. These garments become a language; holding stories, identities, and gestures of protest that can exist, move, and connect within restrictive systems.

Visit NÉNÉ’s Black Box during MOMO Festival 2026, April 16-18. Location to be announced.

Help make MOMO Festival accessible for everyone. Donate a ticket through Ticketbank between 20-30 December and receive a free MOMO ’25 Magazine as a thank you!

Ticketbank connects cultural organizations with people who have limited budgets but want to experience live events. Through the “Geef een Toegift” initiative, we’re working towards a more inclusive festival landscape.

How to donate a ticket:
During this temporary action period (20-30 December), you don’t need to buy a ticket for yourself to participate.

Simply visit our ticket shop, select “Geef een Toegift,” and donate a ticket for €22 (Day ticket) or €50 (Passe-partout ticket).

After 30 December, we’ll send you an email to arrange delivery of your MOMO Magazine.

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