In partnership with Open’er Festival
Taking place on the northern Baltic coast of Poland, Open’er is a heavyweight of the European festival calendar – boasting world-class line-ups and diverse cultural offerings spanning theatre, music, fashion and more. This year’s edition – which takes place July 1-4 – features headline sets from Florence + The Machine, The xx, Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds, The Cure and Calvin Harris. The four-day event is also absolutely stacked with the most vibrant and exciting pop music around.
Before the action kicks off at Gdynia-Kosakowo Airfield next month, we’ve put together this banger-stuffed playlist of tunes you can hear live at the festival – it proves pop stans can’t afford to miss out.
JENNIE
Where to see them: Orange Main Stage, Wednesday July 1, 20:00
BLACKPINK were the first K-pop group to headline Coachella and a major British festival (with BST Hyde Park 2023) so longtime member JENNIE has experience with putting on a summer spectacular. Her excellent 2025 solo debut ‘Ruby’ proved she was more than capable of doing it by herself too, with a collection of pop, hip-hop and R&B-inspired anthems displaying a playful confidence. “She asserts herself not just as a global star, but as a fully realised artist,” we wrote in a four-star review of the record. What better place to see that come to life than Open’er?
Addison Rae
Where to see them: Orange Main Stage, Saturday July 4, 18:15
Addison Rae is the hottest pop star around. After becoming one of the most-followed creators on TikTok, she launched a music career that’s proved just as popular. She announced herself in 2024 with a fiery Charli XCX collab (‘Von Dutch (Remix)’), and followed that up with first proper single ‘Diet Pepsi’ five months later – also a smash. Last year, Rae went out on a critically acclaimed first headline tour – so expect her Open’er set to be professional and well-rehearsed in the best way possible.
Halsey
Where to see them: Orange Main Stage, Thursday July 2, 19:00
Halsey has comfortably straddled the worlds of pop and alternative music over the years. Tracks such as ‘Closer’ and ‘Without Me’ are undeniable radio-friendly bangers, but they also teamed up with post-punk icons Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross from Nine Inch Nails’ for their 2021 album ‘If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power’. It’s that blistering, industrial record that lays the foundations for Halsey’s current ‘The Girl In The Tower’ festival run, defiant and empowering in its furious rage.
Ethel Cain
Where to see them: Tent Stage, Friday July 3, 23:30
Ethel Cain has always done things a little differently. Her achingly gorgeous debut album ‘Preacher’s Daughter’ connected with millions but rather than continue down that path, she released the experimental ‘Perverts’ on which she replaced her usual brand of country-pop and had a go at intense drone music instead. Latest album ‘Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You’ was a return to devastating form with songs about heartbreak, longing and regret set to shoegaze and Americana sounds.
HorsegiirL
Where to see them: Alter Stage, Saturday July 4, 2:00
We guarantee you won’t see another musician like this masked German DJ (AKA Stella Stallion) this summer. HorsegiirL spent their early years playing hallowed techno spaces such as Berghain, HÖR and Detroit’s Movement Festival but their ace debut album ‘Nature Is Healing’ has brought them confidently into the mainstream. Full of fierce, funny anthems that pull from house, tropical pop and happy hardcore, it’s going to go off at Open’er.
JADE
Where to see them: Tent Stage, Saturday July 4, 21:15
JADE adores pop music and after a decade in one of the biggest girl bands to ever come out of the UK, the ex-Little Mix star’s debut solo album ‘That’s Showbiz Baby!’ allowed her to flex her songwriting muscles a little more in her own style. As a student of the greats though, she knows you can’t just copy what’s come before so tracks such as ‘Angel Of My Dreams’ and ‘FUFN’ are progressive and full of personality while her live shows also pull influences from Motown and the drag community. Come see a master at work.
PinkPantheress
Where to see them: Tent Stage, Saturday July 4, 23:30
PinkPantheress started off making tracks in her bedroom but quickly developed into a bonafide popstar. That’s just as well because ‘Boy’s A Liar Pt.2’, ‘Pain’ and ‘Illegal’ have all become absolutely massive hits while a remix of ‘Stateside’ featuring Zara Larsson is a worthy nominee for Song Of The Summer 2026. There’s a reason she was named Producer Of The Year at this year’s BRIT Awards, becoming the first woman to ever win the trophy.
Reneé Rapp
Where to see them: Tent Stage, Thursday July 2, 22:30
Actor-turned-musician Reneé Rapp has had plenty of experience putting herself in someone else’s headspace, which is perhaps why her music is so brutally intimate. ‘Snow Angel’, her 2023 debut, tackles anxiety, pain and vengeance while she described its 2025 follow-up ‘Bite Me’ as “deeply personal and emotionally messy in the best way [possible]”. Rapp’s never shied away from the fun or theatrics of being a proper popstar though, so expect a giddy, cathartic show – but maybe pack some tissues.
Zara Larsson
Where to see them: Orange Main Stage, Wednesday July 1, 20:00
On her 2025 album ‘Midnight Sun’, Zara Larsson stopped caring about chart success and focused on the music she loved making instead. The result was a euphoric, wonderfully over-the-top collection of bangers that have turned her from your-pop-star’s-favourite-pop-star to one of the biggest artists around. Tracks such as ‘Pretty Ugly’, ‘Eurosummer’ and ‘Girl’s Girl’ were written for sunny festival stages while her tightly-choreographed live show is a celebration of all things pop. Get ready for ‘Midnight Sun Summer’.
Open’er Festival 2026 takes place July 1-4. Get tickets here
The post Open’er 2026 is a pop stan’s paradise appeared first on NME.
