Electric Castle 2026 launched its opening day at Bánffy Castle in Transylvania, with Sleaford Mods delivering an energetic early set that set the tone for the 24-hour festival's 13th edition. The Nottingham duo, led by frontman Jason Williamson alongside Andrew Fearn on beats, mixed sharp social commentary with playful crowd interaction, previewing the festival's eclectic line-up of pop, indie, dance, rock and hip-hop acts across the weekend.

Sleaford Mods' hour-long set at the Hangar stage leaned heavily on this year's album 'The Demise of Planet X', featuring tracks such as 'Megaton' and 'No Touch', alongside older favourites including 'Double Diamond', 'TCR' and 'Mork N Mindy'. The set closed with a cover of Pet Shop Boys' 'West End Girls' and The Prodigy's remix of 'Elitist G.O.A.T.'. This year's festival also features headliners including Twenty One Pilots, The Cure, Teddy Swims and Wet Leg, with Kneecap and Afro House artist Kitty Amor also among day one's performers.