FESTIVAL SEASON IS COMING… Wondering which worldwide rock and metal music festivals you should be heading to this year? Need help deciding which ones you must not miss out on this Summer? I’ve got you covered with a handpicked selection of music events and festivals happening throughout the year that I, for one, am very excited to be shouting about! Check ’em all out right here and get your tix below!
Written by: @alexaliciamedia
– APRIL 2026 –
Nominated for ‘Best Small Festival’ in 2023, Takedown returns to Portsmouth Guildhall on Friday 3rd and Saturday 4th April 2026, once again delivering a packed lineup of heavy music to the south coast. Friday night headliners, Therapy? And headlining on Saturday night is PRESIDENT.
Tickets for Takedown Festival 2026 are on sale now via takedownfestival.com
– MAY 2026 –
PHOTO RIGHT: Photo credit: Sam Strutt / Slam Dunk Festival
Celebrating 20 YEARS of the UK’s biggest independent rock festival… SlamDunk Festival returns to Hatfield Park on Saturday, 23rd May and Leeds Temple Newsam on Sunday, 24th May 2026. SPECIALLY FOR THE FESTIVAL’S 20TH ANNIVERSARY ** TWO NEW SIDE-BY-SIDE MAIN STAGES DEDICATED TO NON-STOP METALCORE, HARDCORE & POST-HARDCORE WITH ZERO SET CLASHES ** Joining Good Charlotte, Sublime and others are Knocked Loose and 20+ other massive names set to take Slam Dunk by storm, delivering the best of pop-punk, emo, ska, metal and beyond.
Tickets are on sale NOW at www.slamdunkfestival.com.
– JUNE 2026 –
Download Festival, one of the greatest rock and metal festivals of all time, will take place on 10-14 June 2026 at the spiritual home of rock in Donington Park, Leicestershire. Headlined this year by Limp Bizkit, Guns N’ Roses and Linkin Park, and also featuring the likes of Scooter, Electric Callboy, A Day To Remember, Pendulum, Bad Omens, The Pretty Reckless, Cypress Hill, Trivium, Creeper, Halestorm, Hot Milk, BABYMETAL, Tom Morello and many more.
Tickets are now available at www.downloadfestival.co.uk.
ROCK FOR PEOPLE is Europe’s fast-growing alternative festival. Taking place 10-14 June, Park 360, Hradec Králové, Czechia.
LINE UP
Gorillaz, Limp Bizkit, Bring Me The Horizon, Halsey, Iron Maiden, Electric Callboy, Papa Roach, Megadeth, Three Days Grace, BABYMETAL, Knocked Loose, Loathe, Alexisonfire, Wolf Alice, Tom Morello, Nothing But Thieves, Within Temptation, Yard Act, Trivium, PRESIDENT, Don Broco, blackbear, The Wombats, Lottery Winners, The Royston Club, Venus Grrrls, Gurriers and many more
DON’T MISS
• One of Europe’s best value festival trips in Czechia, 90 mins from Prague
• Imaginative guitar-driven line-ups that stand out from the crowd
• Unbeatable production, quality food & drink, inclusive crowds and surprises
TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE: https://rockforpeople.cz/en/tickets/
NOVA ROCK is a staple music event in the Austrian festival calendar, taking place this year on 11-14 June. Featuring your headliners Volbeat, The Cure, Iron Maiden, and Bring Me the Horizon – don’t miss this!
TICKETS HERE: https://www.novarock.at/
From June 18 to 21, 2026, 183 artists will gather under the banner of extreme music at Hellfest in Clisson, France!
Tickets available here: https://hellfest.fr/en/news/hellfest-2026-dates
Established in 1992, this rock and metal festival brings genre legends to Sweden for a massive weekend. This year, the event will be held from June 3-6, 2026, in Sölvesborg, Sweden. With more exciting announcements still to come… grab your tickets now: https://swedenrock.com/en/
– JULY 2026 –
This is the biggest-selling 2000trees ever, so do not miss it! The multi-award-winning 2000TREES festival is taking place between July 8th and 11th near Cheltenham, and takes place on Upcote Farm, stretching over 5 stages, including the stunning Forest stage. Headliners include Alkaline Trio, Funeral For A Friend, and Neck Deep.
TICKETS ON SALE NOW: https://2000trees.co.uk/tickets
The award-winning, genre-busting RADAR Festival completes its 2026 line-up (poster above) and will be held at Manchester’s O2 Victoria Warehouse from 31st July to 2nd August. RADAR Festival is all about pushing boundaries – this year introducing fresh genres to the line-up and stages – and this is just the beginning.
Tickets are available from: www.radarfestival.co.uk/
– AUGUST 2026 –
BLOODSTOCK’s 25th anniversary is going to be truly unforgettable! With many more bands & additional on-site entertainment still to be announced, this is the must-attend celebration of 2026!
BLOODSTOCK 2026 is delighted to present RJD headliners LAMB OF GOD, SLAUGHTER TO PREVAIL, JUDAS PRIEST, and SAXON. Over on the Sophie Lancaster stage, the headliners are CRYPTOPSY (None So Vile 30th anniversary set), WEDNESDAY 13, LEPROUS, and CARPENTER BRUT. You’ll also be able to see BODY COUNT, SEPULTURA, MUNICIPAL WASTE, DEATH ANGEL, TESTAMENT, NORTHLANE, BLEED FROM WITHIN, VENDED, ORBIT CULTURE, THE SCRATCH, IMPERIAL AGE, LIFE OF AGONY, OF MICE & MEN, BIOHAZARD, 200 STAB WOUNDS, THE HELL, BLACK SPIDERS, SHINING, NEVERMORE, EVIL SCARECROW, HEAVYSAURUS, SKYND, PARTY CANNON, BATTLESNAKE, INHUMAN NATURE, KITTIE, CASTLE RAT, GRAPHIC NATURE, BOOTYARD BANDITS, EXCREMENTORY GRINDFUCKERS, HIDDEN INTENT, SELLSWORD, NECKBREAKKER, SEETHING AKIRA, HAMMER, STAMPIN GROUND, URNE, CELESTIAL SANCTUARY, THROWN INTO EXILE, VIKING SKULL, BOUND IN FEAR, IMPERIUM, FROGLORD, MUSHROOMHEAD, DREAM STATE, TRIVAX, MANTIS DEFEATS JAGUAR, BLOOD COUNTESS, GURT, OUTERGODS, FLAYED DISCIPLE, NOISEPICKER, ACID THRONE, and ALUNAH.
BLOODSTOCK 2026 will take place at Catton Park, Derbyshire, on 6th – 9th August, 2026.
Boomtown Festival takes place WEDNESDAY 12TH – SUNDAY 16TH AUGUST 2026 MATTERLEY ESTATE, HAMPSHIRE. The festival’s cross-genre ethos remains front and centre, and although not exclusively a rock festival, it features a significant amount of rock, punk, and metal alongside its primary focus on electronic dance music, reggae, and bass culture.
Over 90% sold out right now. Grab your tix here: www.boomtownfair.co.uk/tickets
The much-loved and award-winning ArcTanGent Festival returns this summer. Taking place between the 19th and 22nd August 2026 at Fernhill Farm near Bristol, the festival is a globally celebrated musical melting pot of rock, metal, doom, psych, math rock, post rock, folk rock, avant-garde and much more.
Tickets on sale now: https://arctangent.co.uk/tickets
Get your tickets online now: https://www.leedsfestival.com/tickets
– SEPTEMBER 2026 –
Louder Than Life returns to the Kentucky Exposition Centre in Louisville, Kentucky, USA, 17-20th September 2026 for its 12th edition, delivering the largest lineup in the festival’s history and the biggest bill ever assembled by producer Danny Wimmer Presents. TOOL and Limp Bizkit join previously announced headliners My Chemical Romance and Iron Maiden for an incredible four days of music at Louder Than Life 2026. America’s Largest Rock & Metal Festival will feature nearly 200 bands spanning all rock genres across seven stages.
Festival passes on sale now: https://louderthanlifefestival.com/passes/
Burn It Down is kicking back into gear for another year of spotlighting the best of the UK alternative scene’s talent, hosting the superstars of the moment, and delivering an unforgettable experience against the backdrop of sunny Devon. With even more surprises up its sleeve, too, Burn It Down 2026 is going to be a weekend to remember.
THURSDAY, FRIDAY & SATURDAY
3rd, 4th and 5th SEPTEMBER
TORQUAY, DEVON, UK
Tickets are now on sale: https://www.skiddle.com/festivals/burn-it-down-festival/
– OCTOBER 2026 –
Aftershock Festival is the West Coast’s largest rock, punk & metal festival. Taking place this October 1-4, 2026, at Discovery Park in sunny Sacramento, CA. Do not miss this one!
Tickets and passes available here: https://aftershockfestival.com/passes/
