Festivals Get excited about… NOS Alive 2026

If there’s one thing that just about everyone knows these days, it’s that Foo Fighters know how to put on a show. Returning to Portugal for the first time in almost a decade - the band last played at NOS Alive back in 2017 - it’ll undoubtedly be an emotional but explosive affair for bands and fans alike, not least because they’re currently in the midst of celebrating their full throttle 12th studio album, ‘Your Favorite Toy’. There’ll undoubtedly be plenty of opportunity for nostalgia, too, following the 30th anniversary of their iconic self-titled debut last year; expect a greatest hits set with plenty of gut-punches. 

Foo Fighters play the NOS Stage on Friday 10th July at 10.45pm.

Currently playing their first shows together as a band since 2018, the news of Alabama Shakes’ latest album is literally hot off the press: the Athens, Alabama trio announced details of their forthcoming third album (and first in 11 years!) ‘I Feel Hope Coming’ just yesterday. Speaking about the album’s first preview and title track - which will be released officially this Friday - the band’s Brittany Howard has said: “This younger generation makes me feel hopeful because they can see through all the political lies - that song’s about holding onto that hope, and refusing to give up.” What’s even better is that it’s likely that NOS Alive’ attendees will get a preview of it first. 

Alabama Shakes play the Heineken Stage on Thursday 9th July at 8pm.

For anyone who was lucky enough to bear witness to Lorde’s epic UK and European tour late last year, or Florence + The Machine’s majestic run across arenas earlier in 2026, you’ll already know that something very special will be afoot by the time that NOS Alive’s final day draws to a close this weekend. Two absolute pros when it comes to both the live stage and the festival circuit - with two incredible, albeit strikingly different new albums in tow - these feminist icons are sure to bring the whole festival to its knees by the end of their back-to-back sets. 

Lorde plays the NOS Stage on Saturday 11th July at 8.35pm, before Florence + The Machine plays at 10.35pm.

For anyone heading to NOS Alive from overseas, it’s easy to be dazzled by the musical giants on display across some of the festival’s bigger stages, but across its three days, we can highly recommend exploring the wider site. In among brand activations and endless merch giveaways, sits the Galp Fado Café; a gorgeously-tiled structure that reflects the city’s architecture, and houses performances from some of the country’s most esteemed fado performers. Renowned as a genre that’s powerful and poignant, it’s well worth a visit to this little corner of tradition. 

The Galp Fado Café opens at 5.30pm every day and hosts five performances a day.

It’s been well over a decade now since DIY first saw Wolf Alice play in the - ahem - intimate confines of London’s Old Blue Last, and yet it’s till hard to comprehend just how far the North London quartet have come since then. It’s now, though, that they really feels to be getting their flowers, thanks to their stunning, BRIT Award-winning fourth album ‘The Clearing’. After warming up with a handful of festival performances last summer, now, over a year on from the record’s release, their set is a slick, well-oiled machine and - fresh from an epic turn at London’s Finsbury Park last weekend, for their biggest UK show to date - now is an undeniably special time to be watching them live. 

Wolf Alice play the NOS Stage on Friday 10th July at 9pm.

NOS Alive 2026 takes place from Thursday 9th to Saturday 11th July at Passeio Marítimo de Algés in Lisbon. To get final tickets for Thursday, to discover the rest of the schedule, or just to find out more, head over to their website now.

Tags: Features, Festivals, Foo Fighters, NOS Alive