Artists and speakers announced for FOCUS Wales conference

The FOCUS Wales Festival Conference is back in 2026, taking place between May 7 and 9 in Wrexham.

The conference is an internationally recognised global meeting point, providing an environment to open up important conversations and developmental discussions in the music industry.

The event provides vital networking opportunities for hundreds of Welsh professionals, as well as international industry delegates and artists across a wide range of musical genres and backgrounds.

This year, the FOCUS Wales conference will centre on the theme “A Fairer Future for Music,” exploring how the global music industry can move beyond inclusion as a buzzword, towards meaningful equity in practice.

Building on the success of 2025’s theme ‘A Healthier Future for Music”, next year’s discussions, panels, and workshops will shine a light on how artists, organisations, and communities can build a more representative and sustainable ecosystem for music – one that values accessibility, cultural diversity, and social justice at its core. 

Sarah Jones, director and conference co-programmer at FOCUS Wales said: “What was really evident at the conference this year was how much the conversation has shifted.  It’s no longer just about talking representation, it’s about getting practical: how do we actually support under-represented voices, and what’s genuinely working?

“There’s a real appetite to reflect, learn from each other, and move things forward in ways that make a tangible difference.”

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The 2026 FOCUS Wales Music Conference will see industry delegates, artists, and expert speakers from around the world, accessing over 30 panel discussions, workshops, Q&A’s, and 100+ bespoke networking events across the 3 days.

This year’s delegate list already includes representatives from Sub Pop Records (USA), Zandari Festa (Korea), Billboard, Beggars Group, Maifield Derby Festival (Germany), Bangkok Music City (Thailand), Musicmex (Mexico), PIN Conference (North Macedonia), Austrian Music Export, BLACMEX, DHP, EBB Agency, Toucan Agency, Earth Agency, We Are The Unheard.

FOCUS Wales will be working with organisations such as British Council, Musicians Union, PPL, PRS Foundation, PRS for Music, and industry publications including IQ, and The Line of Best Fit. The conference panel programme and speakers will begin to be announced from January.

Last week, the festival revealed the first 75 acts on the 2026 music line-up, including Idlewild, shame, FatDog, Deerhoof, Gwenno, Bill Ryder-Jones, Moonchild Sanelly, The Moonlandingz, CLT DRP, Congratulations, YARD, and Gans.

Delegate Passes are on sale now via focuswales.com/tickets, and enable access to all conference events, private networking events, pre-festival showcase, online delegate database, and all live shows with priority access.