Shows

Yard 2026: Diary

Wide view of Yard at dusk: a dense crowd around a small stage ringed by warm lights, in front of white sand walls with large YARD letters

On 25 July 2026, Yard invited us to play the sunset slot at White Sand Mountains. Right after Live Over Porto, this would be our first festival show without a lighting structure above us. That changed how we prepared.

MXGPU YARD 2026 SETLIST

The venue

Yard is built on detail, from the sound system (designed by Rafael Pereira of L-Acoustics) to the bars, the art installations and the artist catering. Its crowd is loyal and diverse, and it showed up early for sunset.

Lighting

Yard’s lighting relies heavily on warm white, a match for its white sand walls. It flatters the crowd and looks cinematic next to the saturated colour of modern LED fixtures.

The light design for this specific event was created by Niklas Gerstner, who surrounded our B-stage with conventional PAR cans.

The renders below are from his lighting previz for the night.

The two members of MXGPU in matching bright orange suits walking across white sand, with sand cliffs behind them

We played in the round, in our immersive 360° format, wearing the bright orange suits Luis Carvalho had just designed for us. Under warm white light, they carried the stage.

Lighting previz render: beams over the crowd in front of Yard's sand wall
Lighting previz render from above: the B-stage ringed by PAR cans
Lighting previz render: the B-stage in front of the YARD lettering on the sand wall
Lighting previz render: warm light over the crowd, seen from behind

The show

We went on at 20:00, with the sun still up over the sand walls. Dancers joined us on the platforms, and we premiered a new song, ‘the hush’. Then ‘take me home’ came in right at sunset. We could not have timed it better if we had tried.

Credits

Road manager: João Cardielos

Production: Nadine Saize

Photo and video: Ana Viotti, Diogo Branco

Suits: Luis Carvalho

Styling: Walter Neto

Sound system design: Rafael Pereira (L-Acoustics)

Lighting design and previz: Niklas Gerstner

360° camera view from the centre of our rig at dusk: the machines, the orange suits and the crowd around us
MXGPU in orange suits dancing around the rig on the B-stage
MXGPU on the platforms above the crowd under white light
The crowd around our stage at dusk, seen from the back
Our stage in front of Yard's lit sand wall at night
The sun setting behind our stage, the crowd in silhouette
MXGPU in the orange suits at the backstage door
MXGPU posing in the orange suits against a white wall
Sunset over the sand walls and the crowd
Yard's sand wall lit up behind the crowd at dusk
The crowd in front of our stage, arms in the air
Aerial view of Yard at sunset, the crowd around our stage
MXGPU sign on the backstage door