The Best Punk, Rock and Metal Festivals
Stick on your battle jacket, raise your horns to the sky, and open up the pit at these incredible rock, metal, and punk festivals in 2026.
Skiddle Staff
Last updated: 27th May 2026
If there’s one thing you know as a fan of heavier tunes, it’s that festivals are the best. Surrounded by some of the kindest people you’ll ever meet and the sounds of distorted downtuned guitars, it’s heaven on earth.
Some of the most celebrated and longest-standing punk, rock, and metal festivals boast gorgeous lineups this festival season. Covering just about everything from math-rock and post-rock to pop-punk, nu-metal, doom, thrash, metalcore, death, prog, and beyond, this year's wealth of quality options is mindblowing.
So, to help you choose your fest(s), we've gathered some of the best headbanging, horn-throwing, and mosh pit-encouraging festivals across the UK and beyond. Let’s have a look.
When: Wednesday 10th - Sunday 14th June 2026
Where: Donington Park in Derby, England
2026 lineup: Limp Bizkit, Guns N’ Roses, Linkin Park, Cypress Hill, Trivium, Bad Omens, Halestorm, Architects, A Day To Remember, Behemoth, and more
You can’t talk about heavier festivals without mentioning Download. The UK’s spiritual home of rock and heavy metal, Download is the premier live music event for metalheads, punks, and rockers alike.
The annual gathering welcomes performances from some of the biggest names in the game. You can find plenty of heavy sounds, including metal, punk, hardcore, rock, alt-rock, death metal, metalcore, nu-metal, and everything in between, with a droplet of electronic music (Scooter, Pendulum, Electric Callboy) and also heavy DJ sets in the evenings to top it off. It’s also the perfect crowd for introducing your little moshers to festivals because everyone’s just so bloody lovely.
Known for its super-friendly atmosphere, if you go to Download alone, or even in a group, you’ll likely end up with plenty of new mates and the photos and numbers in your phone to prove it (speaking from experience).
Hellfest Open Air Festival
When: Thursday 18th - Saturday 20th June 2026
Where: Clisson in Pays de la Loire, France
2026 lineup: Bring Me The Horizon, Iron Maiden, Limp Bizkit, The Offspring, A Perfect Circle, The Hives, Rise Against, Sabaton, Bad Omens, Hatebreed, and more
One of the champion metal festivals that always sells out in seconds, France’s Hellfest is back again - thank the metal gods!
The monstrous metal Mecca is renowned for its fantastic sound quality, brilliant atmosphere, and seriously impressive lineups featuring around 180 bands across six stages. Over 280,000 people gather over four days, soaking in disgusting riffs, metal sculptures around the site, markets, tattoo and piercing booths, and breaking their necks from headbanging. This year, they’ll also have a statue in memory of Ozzy.
On mainstages one and two, you'll find metal, rock, and punk. Warzone is all about punk and hardcore, Valley is for stoner, doom, and post-metal sounds, Altar is where you'll find death, grind, and seriously brutal sounds, while Temple is for black and pagan metal.
With all this in mind, it’s no surprise tickets have sold out. But the fest has a resale platform on its website, so you might be able to snag a ticket from someone who can no longer go…
When: Thursday 3rd - Saturday 5th September 2026
Where: multiple venues in Torquay, England
2026 lineup: Drug Church, As It Is, Meryl Streek, Pintglass, The Meffs, Defiance, Trauma Ray, and more
Winner of Best Metropolitan Festival 2024 and Best Micro Festival 2023, Burn It Down is a much more intimate affair than Hellfest and Download. Bringing rock, punk, metal, hardcore, and emo talent to venues in Torquay, Burn It Down puts you in the pit for the genres’ hot up-and-comers and faves.
The festival has a bit of a knack for identifying bands that blow up shortly after. The top spot for finding the scene’s future stars, they’ve previously booked Malevolence (2018) and Static Dress (2022) - just some examples. Oh, and this year, after loads of fans asked, the mainstage on Friday will have no barrier all day to ensure the craziest energy.
Soak in the English Riviera’s pretty beaches with clear waters and palm trees before heading inside for some wholesome chaos in the pit.
Find tickets for Burn It Down Festival
When: Thursday 6th - Sunday 9th August 2026
Where: Winter Gardens in Blackpool, England
2026 lineup: The Stranglers, Stiff Little Fingers, Buzzcocks, Sham 69, Skids, Die Toten Hosen, Discharge, Ferocious Dog, and more
Of all punk festivals in the UK, Rebellion is the largest, attracting thousands to Blackpool for four days of jamming.
Set indoors so you don’t have to worry about rain, the festival hosts over 300 acts, including new punk bands, legendary bands from yesteryear, and a splash of other alternative sounds across nine stages, including an acoustic stage.
Outside the tunes, there’s the literary stage (Irvine Welsh, John Robb), art and craft market, and Rebellion Radio with exclusive festival interviews and highlights to sink your teeth into. New for this year, they're putting on some extra gigs from the Monday to Wednesday before the fest kicks off (Adam Ant, The Undertones, Neville Staple of The Specials, etc.).
Rebellion is a super family-friendly festival, and children under 12 go free, so if you’ve been desperate to introduce the kids to some banging tunes, this is the perfect festival for it.
Full Metal Cruise
When: Thursday 1st - Tuesday 6th & Tuesday 6th - Sunday 11th October 2026
Where: depart from Palma de Mallorca in Spain
2026 lineup: Alestorm, Destruction, Victory, Ozzyfied, The Baboon Show, and more
Festival season doesn’t have to end when the weather starts getting a bit naff. Full Metal Cruise kicks off in October with two metal cruises - easily one of the most creative and interesting heavy metal festivals out there.
The first part of the cruise goes from Palma to Barcelona, Marseilles, and back to Palma, while the second goes from Palma to Palermo, Cagliari, then back to Palma. And if you can hack it, you can do both parts. The two lineups differ slightly, but all bands listed above will play both parts of the cruise.
The ship, Mein Schiff 6, hosts multiple stages, including the open-air pool deck. There’s a hot tub, cocktails, metal karaoke, and plenty of chances to do nothing and soak up the sun in between tearing up the pits. There’s also a fitness studio, wellness area with a spa and sauna, and plenty more onboard to check out.
If you want to cruise the Mediterranean Sea with other headbangers and obviously loads of stupid riffs, there's no better choice.
When: Thursday 18th - Sunday 21st June 2026
Where: Dessel in Belgium
2026 lineup: The Offspring, Alice Cooper, Bring Me The Horizon, Sabaton, Limp Bizkit, Knocked Loose, Bad Omens, Def Leppard, Anthrax, Architects, BABYMETAL, and more
Known for its great organisation, crowd surfing, ace lineups, and quality sound, Graspop has long been considered one of the greatest metal festivals the world has to offer.
Boasting a wide variety of music, including hard rock, punk, metal, death metal, black metal, and hardcore, you’ll find bands on stage until the early hours of the morning at Graspop. Revered by heavy music fans across the continent and beyond since its inception in ‘96, around 60,000 make the pilgrimage to the Belgian field each year.
If you're a light sleeper, they have accommodation further out and much quieter, like Devil's Lake, with frequent shuttles to run you to and from the site. And if you’re a late-nighter, they have tribute bands in the evening to keep the party going. But, perhaps more importantly, Graspop has real toilets all over!
It’s one of those festivals where you’ll definitely make a friend or two (although to be fair, that’s most rock and metal-leaning festivals). And the excellent organisation is definitely a strong point. The only issue is choosing between set clashes - it’ll probably be a nightmare.
Rock am Ring & Rock im Park
When: Friday 5th - Sunday 7th June 2026
Where: Rock am Ring - Nürburgring in the Eifel region, Germany / Rock im Park - Nuremberg in Bavaria, Germany
2026 lineup: Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, Bad Omens, Iron Maiden, The Offspring, Sabaton, Volbeat, Electric Callboy
What was originally planned as a one-off event has grown into one of Europe's biggest and most adored rock festivals, if not the world's.
Launched back in 1984, Rock am Ring became so popular in the global rock and metal scene that its organisers created the sister event Rock im Park. Welcoming up to 150,000 devoted music fans across both events over the same weekend, you can expect to mosh day to night to some of the greatest punk, metal, and rock acts the world has to offer.
Their on-site accommodation means you can skip lugging your tent and sleeping bag to and from the airport - easily one of the worst parts of doing festivals abroad.
Set to be one of the best rock festivals in 2026, it’s no wonder they’re sold out. But hey, great one to keep an eye on for next year if you can’t get some last-minute tickets, isn’t it?
ArcTanGent Festival
When: Wednesday 19th - Saturday 22nd August 2026
Where: Fernhill Farm near Bristol, England
2026 lineup: Chelsea Wolfe, Primus, Igorrr, Napalm Death, Maruja, Perturbator, Sikth, Cult of Luna and Julie Christmas, Arcane Roots, and more
An award-winning independent music festival based on a farm on the outskirts of Bristol, ArcTanGent is one of Britain's most progressive live music events, created with fans of “radically innovative” rock and heavy music in mind.
You’ll find “post-rock, polyrhythmic metal, and abrasive electronics,” plus experimental rock, industrial, prog, math, post, and hardcore. Over 100 acts will play across two alternating stages on the fest’s relatively small site, basically making it impossible to miss any band’s set (unless your hangover keeps you from waking up in time or something). And when all the bands have left the stage, you can hit up their silent disco every night until 3am.
ArcTanGent gets the best food traders they can find, spanning vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free, plus independent and local beer and cider.
Regularly hosting the best mosh-inducing bands and artists, the festival welcomes thousands of music lovers each year, routinely selling out. We can't wait to see how this year's edition goes down.
When: Thursday 6th - Sunday 9th August 2026
Where: Catton Park in Derbyshire, England
2026 lineup: Lamb Of God, Saxon, Slaughter To Prevail, Judas Priest, Bleed From Within, Sepultura, Body Count, Evil Scarecrow, and more
Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, Bloodstock has been providing its devoted following with four days of some of the darkest, heaviest, and most chaotic music known to man since its unholy inception back in 2005.
Set upon the grounds of Derbyshire's Catton Park, the festival welcomes 20,000 metal and punk fans each year, presenting a mammoth lineup of over a hundred prominent international acts over four stages.
Alongside performances, Bloodstock also has a signing tent for you to meet your favourite bands and get a picture with them. Head to Bloodstock Open Air this year, put your horns to the sky, and open up the pit.
(If you miss this year’s event or just need more Bloodstock in your life, they have their winter gathering in December, too.)
When: Friday 26th - Sunday 28th June 2026
Where: BEC Arena in Manchester, England
2026 lineup: The Front Bottoms (Talon Of The Hawk in full), Basement, Alexisonfire (Crisis in full), Converge, PUP, Suicidal Tendencies, Hatebreed, High Vis, and more
Outbreak Fest brings an absolutely monstrous selection of bands to the moshing Mancunian masses as it celebrates its 15th anniversary.
Since its launch in 2011, the festival programme has grown to include skateboarding, art and photography exhibitions, record and zine fairs, a marketplace, talks and panel discussions, and cracking street food. Built to celebrate counterculture and underground music, Outbreak Festival is truly one of the best about.
Outbreak also brings a day festival with All Points East to London in August with Deftones, Idles, Amyl and The Sniffers, Interpol, and more.
When: Wednesday 8th - Saturday 11th July 2026
Where: Upcote Farm in Cheltenham, England
2026 lineup: Alkaline Trio, Funeral For A Friend, Glassjaw, Neck Deep, High Vis, Lambrini Girls, Cancer Bats, PUP, Marmozets, and many more
2000trees shines a light on over 80 emo, punk, rock, and metal artists. The award-winning fest is adored by fans of hard tunes and strong mosh pits, thanks to its cracking lineups, welcoming atmosphere, and relatively cheap tickets.
More on the medium-small end of the scale, 2000trees welcomes around 15,000 fans to the farm, where they can enjoy huge, mosh-worthy tunes or acoustic vibes. Trees also prioritises sustainability, going on to be nominated for the UK Festival Awards’ first Transport Impact Innovator Award in 2023.
With that "everyone's welcome here" metal vibe, checking out 2000trees is a great shout. Head over, enjoy the tunes, make some mates, and make this festival season one to remember.
When: Wednesday 29th July - Saturday 1st August 2026
Where: Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
2026 lineup: Def Leppard, Judas Priest, Powerwolf, Hämatom, In Flames, Savatage, Arch Enemy, Saxon, Lamb Of God, and many more
Wacken Open Air became one of Europe’s biggest heavy metal festivals after winning the hearts of metalheads worldwide with its stellar lineups, passionate crowds, and immaculate sound. It returns for its 35th edition this year.
Wacken tries to ensure the bands they book cover as many styles of hard rock and metal as possible, and this year will be no different, with punk, death metal, nu-metal, thrash, metalcore and more - including niche sounds like “medieval rock” - over its eight stages.
Wacken has a double main stage, a beer garden, attractions, a farmer's market, the metal church stage, and more. If it gets absolutely boiling and/or you're insanely hungover, you can head out of the festival into Wacken for the outdoor pool. A cracking festival and one that’s going down in a country known for its brilliant beer, Wacken is a belter.
When: Thursday 11th - Sunday 14th June 2026
Where: Pannonia Fields in Nickelsdorf, Austria
2026 lineup: Volbeat, The Cure, Iron Maiden, Bring Me The Horizon, The Offspring, A Perfect Circle, Ice Nine Kills, A Day To Remember, Architects, and more
One of the largest rock festivals, each year Nova Rock welcomes 55,000 rock and heavy music fans through its gates to mosh out to some of the biggest names in the game.
Alongside the tunes, there’s loads to get up to. Attendees get a discount on PODOBEACH lido admission, but there’s plenty of on-site fun too. Last year, the fest had a roller disco, a silent disco, rides, and cocktails - we’re talking half-litre mojitos. Nova dishes out breakfast every day, including pastries from a bakery around the corner. There’s also Grill & Chill, where you can barbecue your food for free and then kick back in a hammock.
Tied together by excellent sound, fantastic stage designs, and a cracking atmosphere, Nova is a brilliant four-day event for any fan of heavier tunes.
Euroblast Festival
When: Friday 25th - Sunday 27th September 2026
Where: Essigfabrik in Cologne, Germany
2026 lineup: Decapitated, Haken, Humanity's Last Breath, Textures, The Dear Hunter, Swallow The Sun, Einar Solberg, Vildhjarta, and more
Euroblast is a progressive festival that books over 40 bands each year. Going since 2008, the festival emphasises community and putting its attendees onto new upcoming bands.
The fest does its best to ensure minimal clashes - if you went to last year's event and tried hard enough, you could've seen every single band perform, and it’s the same again this year. Small and indoors, and with a welcoming atmosphere, don't worry if you can't get a mate to come along with you, you'll definitely make some there.
Finally, they have some afterparties going, so you can hang out with the new mates you just made.
When: Friday 31st - Sunday 2nd August 2026
Where: O2 Victoria Warehouse in Manchester, England
2026 lineup: Thy Art Is Murder, Skindred, Animals As Leaders, Chelsea Grin, Northland, The Pineapple Thief, Sikth, and more
If you want the mosh without the mud, consider RADAR Festival. Winner of Best New Festival in 2022, RADAR was born from a passion for progressive music and community in 2019.
The fest considers “progressive” to mean anything interesting and boundary-pushing, so if that’s where your tastes lie, it’s definitely a festival to watch. Stage One at this indoor fest is all about showcasing the biggest acts over a world-leading PA, while Stage Two is usually for the heavier and up-and-coming bands.
Alongside the music, RADAR has a music and video game market and masterclasses from some of the musicians who'll be performing. If you’ve been to Germany’s Euroblast and enjoyed it, know that RADAR was inspired by it.
When: Saturday 7th - Sunday 8th November 2026
Where: BEC Arena in Manchester, England
2026 lineup: Cult of Luna, Satyricon, Igorrr, Carcass, Health, Wolves In The Throne Room, Walls of Jericho, EyeHateGod, Triptykon, and many more
Damnation is Europe’s biggest indoor extreme music festival. Going down in winter, you can head out to some outdoor fests in summer and have this bad boy to cheer you up when the post-festival/winter blues kick in.
Since it’s in Manchester, there are plenty of decent transport links. And tickets, despite their cracking lineups, are a bargain, with payment plan options available too. Damnation never relies on the headliners to do the heavy lifting, instead ensuring the entire lineup is banging from top to bottom. You’ll find bands summoning the devil across three stages.
More bands are still to be announced, but it’s already shaping up to be a highlight in the metal festival calendar.
Find tickets for Damnation Festival
Mighty Sounds
When: Friday 26th - Sunday 28th June 2026
Where: Airport Tábor in Tábor, Czech Republic
2026 lineup: Pennywise, Skindred, Asian Dub Foundation, Agnostic Front, The Selecter, The Baboon Show, The Casualties, The Menzingers, and more
Punk, hardcore, and ska, plus some rock, folk, and country, make up the soundtrack for Mighty Sounds. Celebrating 20 years in 2026, the fest guarantees you won't find a similar lineup in the Czech Republic.
Over 120 artists play, taking over four live stages and a DJ stage. Mighty Sounds also offers fun outside of music, bringing football, netball, graffiti, and more to take the experience up a level.
Tasty but cheap pints, ceramic toilets and showers (even in standard camping), and even blood-alcohol tests if you need to check before driving home, Mighty Sounds has an awful lot going for it.
Revolution Calling
When: Friday 20th - Saturday 21st November 2026
Where: Klokgebouw 50 in Eindhoven, Netherlands
2026 lineup: Cock Sparrer, Blood For Blood, Foundation, Youth Of Today, The Hope Conspiracy, Alone In A Crowd, The Last Resort, Shelter, and more
“Europe's loudest indoor hardcore punk festival” boasts three stages - all with no barriers. For two days, the fest brings the most influential bands in hardcore to an indoor venue for pits, stage diving, and general chaos.
RC is considered the "worldwide home of hardcore" thanks to bringing together people from over 55 different nationalities. All ages are welcome to head down and do some hXc dancing and stage diving.
If you want to get into the pits and fancy chucking yourself off the stage, there are lockers you can stash your stuff in so you can freely enjoy the madness without worrying about losing your belongings. You don’t have to worry about pictures and videos either - they’ll film and post all the sets online after the fest.
When: Friday 26th - Sunday 28th March 2027
Where: multiple venues in Manchester, England
2026 lineup: Dead To Me, Strike Anywhere, Laura Jane Grace, Fucked Up, Ignite, Chewie, Dave Hause, Inner Terrestrials, and more
MPF is one of the best punk festivals in the UK, winning Best Small Festival in 2024. Of course the festival’s 2026 edition has now wrapped up, but we still had to give it (and the following fests on this list) its flowers and put it on your radar for next year. And we're keeping this year's lineup there just to give you a taste of what the fest's about.
Going for over 10 years now, the fest takes over multiple (seven in 2026) city centre venues to showcase over 120 bands.
Simply creating the festival so that people could enjoy the bands they love and bands they've never heard of while providing those bands with a space to play for their friends and strangers, MPF developed a strong following among punks.
Between celebrating the UK’s DIY scene and mixing in international acts for good measure, it’s no surprise the festival has such a loyal fan base - and why those fans say every edition feels like a “family reunion.”
Desertfest London
When: 2027 TBA
Where: multiple venues in Camden, London, England
2026 lineup: Clutch, Green Lung, Hermano, The Sword, Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs, Earthless, Truckfighters, Causa Sui, and more
Lovers of stoner rock, doom, psych, sludge, and underground heavy music - this is the one.
Desertfest is an independent festival that’s been going since 2012. A multi-venue fest, you get belting riffs, legendary Camden venues, and the promise of no rain. Or at least the promise that you won’t get drenched.
Desertfest takes over Roundhouse, The Electric Ballroom, The Underworld, The Black Heart, and The Devonshire - all within walking distance. Music starts at around 12pm, finishing at around 11pm each night, followed by afterparties if you're hungry for more. And if there’s just one day you’re dying for, you can grab a day ticket.
Desertfest will also hold editions in Berlin, New York, and Oslo this year, if you fancy checking those out!
When: 2027 TBA
Where: Hatfield Park in Hatfield, England / Temple Newsam in Leeds, England
2026 lineup: Good Charlotte, Knocked Loose, Sublime, Taking Back Sunday (Louder Now 20th celebration), Malevolence, Bury Tomorrow, Motion City Soundtrack, Dashboard Confessional, and many more
If songs about pizza, loving your friends and hating the town you’re from have your heart, Slam Dunk is the one for you.
Slam Dunk was born at The Cockpit music venue in Leeds, starting as a club night for fans of alternative music, such as punk, pop-punk, rock, emo, and metal. Now a huge annual, two-part event, Slam Dunk has become one of the most sought-after live music festivals for pop-punks, rockers and metalheads.
This year, the fest has two new heavy stages (no set clashes) dedicated to non-stop metalcore, hardcore, and post-hardcore. Also new for 2026, the brand new rotating stage, Scott’s Key Club, means the fest can pack more tunes into the day, as, while a band is playing, another is setting up, ready to spin into place - no waiting around.
Celebrating 20 years of pop-punk, emo, metal, metalcore, ska, and much more, the two-part festival brings in over 50,000 fans across its two homes in Hatfield and Leeds, with lineups featuring scene legends and upcoming talent to keep the skaters, emos, and scene kids buzzing.
When: 2027 TBA
Where: Catton Park in Derbyshire, England
2026 lineup: Pixies, Garbage, Skunk Anansie, CMAT, The Damned, Kae Tempest, Fat Dog, Everything Everything, Sprints, Lambrini Girls, and more
This multi-award-winning family-friendly fest goes down in the heart of the National Forest. Bordering the West Midlands, South Derbyshire, and Staffordshire, the festival is only a two-hour journey away for half of the UK population.
Bearded Theory has earned itself countless awards, including some that recognise its programme for kids, its decent toilets (massive win, no one likes festival toilets), best grassroots, and best small festival. There’s an award-winning bar too, but you can also bring your own alcohol into the arenas!
Explore eight areas of music (including a stage with a giant pink octopus on top), DJ sets, cinema, and the occasional fire show. Bearded Theory stays smashing it as it takes feedback from attendees and does what it can to implement suggestions, be they for the lineup or the festival experience as a whole.
Roadburn Festival
When: Thursday 15th - Sunday 18th April 2027
Where: Tilburg in The Netherlands
2026 lineup: Maruja, Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs, Mandy Indiana, Milkweed, Cult of Luna, Boris, Oathbreaker, 137, Acid Mothers Temple
With the slogan “redefining heavy”, Tilburg's annual Roadburn Festival has attracted a myriad of scene-defining artists and thousands of fans from all over the world since 1999. While Roadburn focuses on heavy music, it’s far from uncommon for them to welcome some rock, alternative hip-hop, and electronic too.
Known for championing underground artists whose music pushes the boundaries of genre and art, the boutique festival hosts live shows across multiple venues, with the city's renowned 013 music venue usually at the festival's epicentre.
Creating a platform to facilitate more unique and challenging live setups and performances, the event's mission is to provide its audience with an unforgettable, immersive, once-in-a-lifetime live music experience.
Of course this year’s event has been and gone, but keep an eye on this one for 2027!
Think Festivals Think Skiddle. Find tickets for countless festivals across the UK and beyond now.
Check out our What's On Guide to discover even more rowdy raves and sweaty gigs taking place over the coming weeks and months. For festivals, lifestyle events and more, head on over to our Things To Do page or be inspired by the event selections on our Inspire Me page.
Header Image: Download Festival / Facebook.com
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