List of heavy metal festivals
| List of heavy metal festivals | |
|---|---|
 Brutal Assault 2012 | |
| General Information | |
| Related genres | Heavy metal, extreme metal, rock |
| Location | Europe and United States (origin) Worldwide (current) |
| Related events | Music festival, rock festival, punk rock festival, gothic festival, electronic music festival |
This is an incomplete list of heavy metal festivals. Heavy metal (or simply metal) is a genre of rock music[1] that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United States and the United Kingdom.[2] With roots in blues rock and psychedelic rock, the first heavy metal bands such as Black Sabbath and Deep Purple attracted large audiences, and during the late 1960s and mid-1970s these bands and others in their genre were featured at a number of historic rock festivals.[3] Judas Priest helped spur the genre's evolution by discarding much of its blues influence.[4][5]
After the genre fused with other related genres such as punk rock in the late 1970s, bands in the new wave of British heavy metal such as Iron Maiden and Saxon followed in a similar vein. Before the end of the decade, heavy metal fans became known as "metalheads" or "headbangers", and there were festivals worldwide, both touring and stationary, dedicated to heavy metal subgenres and heavy metal itself. During the 1980s, glam metal became a commercial force, while Underground scenes and extreme subgenres of metal such as death metal and black metal remained subcultural phenomena, though they have their own dedicated festivals as well. Since the mid-1990s, popular styles have further expanded the definition of the genre.
Historical heavy metal festivals
| Festival name | Location | Years | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Myponga Pop Festival | Australia | 1971 | pop festival headlined by Black Sabbath |
| Monsters of Rock | England | 1980 | music festival held in Castle Donington (later it branched into other locations) |
| Rock in Rio | Brazil | 1985–present | 1.5 million people attended the first event. |
| Dynamo Open Air | Netherlands | 1986–2005 | biggest annual metal festival during the 1990s, with 118,000 visitors in 1995 |
| Moscow Music Peace Festival | Russia | 1989 | part of an era of momentous change in the Soviet Union |
| Wacken Open Air | Germany | 1990–present | larger heavy metal festival |
| Sweden Rock Festival | Sweden | 1992–present | classic rock, hard rock and metal. |
| Graspop Metal Meeting | Belgium | 1996–present | larger heavy metal festival |
| Exit Festival | Serbia | 2000–present | Exit 2006 had 22 stages. |
| Download Festival | England | 2003–present | heavy metal and alt-rock focus |
| Hellfest Summer Open Air | France | 2006–present | larger heavy metal festival |
Current heavy metal festivals
Argentina
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maximus Festival | Buenos Aires | 2016 - 2017 | May | In the edition of 2017 Chester Bennington played for last time with Linkin Park in Argentina. |
| Monsters Of Rock | Buenos Aires | Last Festival - 2017 | various | |
| La Cumbre Del Metal | various | 2001 - 2017 | various | |
| Quilmes Rock | Buenos Aires | Last Festival - 2012 | various | Not only metal, but the genre had the lead in various editions of the festival. |
| Metal Rock Festival | various | Last Festival - 2003 | various |
Armenia
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MetalFront Fest | Yerevan | Last festival - 2008 | November |
Australia
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metal for the Brain | Canberra, Australia | 1991 - 2006 | October - December | Charity event; also held in Perth and Brisbane in 2005 |
| Big Day Out | Australia | 1993 - 2014 | Late January | Multi city festival cancelled in 2014 |
| Legion Fest[6] | Australia | Cancelled | Planned January | Crowdfunded festival; was being organised by John Sankey from Devil You Know to replace Soundwave; cancelled in November 2016 due to 'business decisions' |
| Soundwave Festival | Australia | 2004 - 2015 | Late January | In December 2015 Soundwave was cancelled for good.[7] |
| Download Festival[8] | Australia | 2018 - current | March | Melbourne and Sydney in 2019 |
Austria
Nova Rock Kaltenbach Open Air Rise up Festival
![[icon]](/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (April 2018) |
Bangladesh
Noize Fest Open Air https://www.facebook.com/noise.factory2009/?eid=ARArkQ8JrXinvfBBIpnSWTJT_wZ3rElhoR-xLnRzSfi-k_aoBf8BSsbAtCmRbDWdcfvKehzmvbcN4_NL
Belarus
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Belgium
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy Sound Festival | Poperinge | 1983–1985 | May / June | Slayer performed at this festival for the first time ever outside the US in 1985 |
| Graspop Metal Meeting | Dessel | 1996- | End of June | One of the biggest metal festivals in Europe |
| Alcatraz Metal Festival | Deinze, Kortrijk since 2013 | 2008- | Beginning of August | Started indoor but changed to an outdoor festival in 2013 |
| Headbanger's Balls Fest | Izegem | 2012- | Beginning of May | |
| Blast from the Past Festival | Kuurne | 2013- | December | Old school heavy metal festival |
| Metalworksfest | Kuurne | 2017- | Beginning or mid March | Metalworksfest (Website) |
Bosnia and Herzegovina
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Botswana
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overthrust Winter Metal Mania Festival[9] | Ghantsi | May | featuring local and African metal bands |
Brazil
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monsters of Rock | various | Last festival - 2015 | ||
| Rock in Rio | Rio de Janeiro | Active | September | |
| Live'n'Louder | São Paulo | Last festival - 2013 | ||
| Maximus Festival | São Paulo | Last festival - 2017 | ||
| Metal Open Air | São Luis | Last Festival - 2012 | ||
| Zoombie Ritual | Rio Negrinho | Last Festival - 2014 | December | |
| Maniacs Metal Meeting | Rio Negrinho | Active | December | |
| Armageddon Metal Festival | Joinville | Active | May/June |
Bulgaria
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hills of Rock |
Canada
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Covenant Festival | Vancouver, BC | Active | June-July | Underground black and death metal. |
| Heavy MTL | Montreal, QC | July-August | featuring popular metal, thrash metal, metalcore, nu-metal, hard rock | |
| Heavy T.O. | Toronto, ON | Last festival - 2012 | run by promoters of Heavy MTL | |
| Noctis Valkyries Metal Festival | Calgary, AB | Last festival - 2013 | September | featuring death, black, thrash metal |
| Montebello Rock | Montebello, QC | Last festival - 2018 | June | featuring different genres of metal and punk |
| Chaos Alberta | Edmonton, AB | Last festival - 2019 | July | thrash metal, nu-metal, metalcore, hard rock, Industrial metal, Progressive |
Chile
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monsters of Rock |
China
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Colombia
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rock al Parque | Bogotá | Active | August | rock festival with death, thrash metal |
Costa Rica
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knotfest | Centro Eventos Pedregal | Active | December |
Croatia
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Cyprus
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Czech Republic
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brutal Assault | Jaroměř | Active | August | extreme metal, heavy metal, hardcore punk, experimental music |
| Fluff Fest | Rokycany | Active | July | hardcore punk, grindcore, crust punk, sludge metal, metalcore, post-metal |
| Masters of Rock (festival) | Vizovice | Active | July | heavy metal, power metal |
| Metalfest | Pilsen | Active | June | heavy metal, power metal |
| Obscene Extreme | Trutnov | Active | July | grindcore, death metal, hardcore punk |
| Rock Heart | Moravský Krumlov | Last festival - 2019 | August | all styles of metal. Festival in castle garden. |
Denmark
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Copenhell | Copenhagen | Active | June | featuring death, thrash, black, doom, heavy, power metal and hard rock |
| Roskilde Festival | Roskilde | June | large music festival with only few metal bands | |
| Aalborg Metal Festival | Aalborg | Active | November | featuring death, thrash, black, doom, heavy, power metal and hard rock |
| Royal Metal Fest | Aarhus | Active | April | featuring death, thrash, black, doom, heavy, power metal and hard rock |
| Viborg Metal Fest | Viborg | Active | March | featuring death, thrash, black, doom, heavy, power metal and hard rock |
| Metal Magic Festival | Fredericia | Active | July | featuring death, thrash, black, doom, heavy, power metal and hard rock |
Ecuador
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quito Fest |
Estonia
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hard Rock Laager | Vana-Vigala | Active | June | all subgenres of metal, rock |
| Howls of Winter | Tallinn | Active | February | black metal |
Finland
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finnish Death Metal Maniacs | Pori | Last festival - 2017 | June | death metal |
| Jalometalli Metal Music Festival | Oulu | Last Festival 2016 | all subgenres of metal | |
| John Smith Rock Festival | Laukaa | Active | July | heavy metal, rock |
| Nummirock | Nummijärvi | Active | June | all subgenres of metal |
| Saarihelvetti | Tampere | Active | August | all subgenres of metal |
| Sauna Open Air | Tampere | Last festival - 2013 | June-July | metal |
| Steelchaos | Helsinki | Active | November | black metal |
| Steelfest Open Air | Hyvinkää | Active | May | black and death metal |
| Turku Saatanalle | Turku | Active | March | black metal |
| Tuska Open Air | Helsinki | Active | July | all subgenres of metal |
| Dark River Festival | Kotka | Active | August | all subgenres of metal |
France
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hellfest Summer Open Air | Clisson | Active | June | large festival, metal of all types |
| Motocultor Festival | Brittany | August | death, black, thrash metal | |
| Sylak Open Air | Saint-Maurice-de-Gourdans | Active | August | metal of all types, hardcore |
Germany
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bang Your Head!!! | Balingen | Active | July | heavy, thrash, death metal |
| Chronical Moshers Open Air | Mühlteich Hauptmannsgrün | Active | June | Death/black/thrash |
| Dong Open Air | Neukirchen-Vluyn | Active | July | all styles of metal |
| Doom Shall Rise | Göppingen | Last festival - 2013 | April | doom metal |
| Elbriot | Hamburg | August | one-day festival featuring rock, heavy metal and hardcore punk | |
| Euroblast Festival | Cologne | Active | October | progressive rock/metal |
| Force Attack | Süderholz | Last festival - 2012 | July | punk, ska, oi!, hardcore, psychobilly and metal |
| In Flammen | Torgau | Active | July | Death/black/thrash metal |
| Metal Frenzy | Gardelegen, Saxony-Anhalt | Active | June | Various |
| Monsters of Rock | various | Last festival - 2006 | Summer | 1980–1996, and 2006 |
| Party.San Open Air | Schlotheim, Thuringia | Active | August | Death, Black, Thrash Metal |
| Ragnarök Festival | Lichtenfels, Bavaria | Active | April | pagan, Viking, black, death, metal |
| Rhön Rock Open Air | Hünfeld-Oberfeld, Hesse | Active | August | |
| Rock Hard Festival | Gelsenkirchen | Active | June | heavy metal |
| Summer Breeze Open Air | Dinkelsbühl | Active | August | death, black, thrash metal |
| United Metal Maniacs | Bitterfeld | Last festival - 2010 | month | |
| Wacken Open Air | Wacken | Active | August | largest metal festival in Germany |
| Winternoise Festival | Georgsmarienhütte | Last festival - 2009 | January | |
| With Full Force | Löbnitz | Active | July | hardcore, metalcore, punk, and metal |
| Rock, um zu helfen! | Freiberg, Saxony | Active | October | metal and rock, all income will be donated to a good cause |
Greece
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rockwave Festival | Lamia, Athens | Active | August |
Hungary
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rockmaraton | Dunaújváros | Active | July |
|
Iceland
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eistnaflug | Neskaupstaður | Active | July | featuring death, black, thrash metal and other rock music |
India
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bangalore Open Air | Karnataka | Active | July | |
| NH7 Weekender | ||||
| Thunderstrock Festival | Ranchi, Jharkhand | Active | September |
Indonesia
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bandung Berisik | ||||
| Bandung Sonic Fair | Bandung | August–November | all heavy music | |
| Brotherground | Surabaya | Active | November–December | deathmetal, metalcore, deathcore, hardcore, etc |
| Doomsday Open Air | Bandung | Active | October | all heavy music |
| Hammersonic Festival | Jakarta | Active | March–April | all heavy music |
| Hellprint | Bandung | Active | November–March | All heavy music |
| Rock In Borneo | Kutai Kartanegara | Active | September | all heavy music |
| Rock In Celebes | Makassar | Active | November | Multi genre music |
| Rock in Solo | Surakarta | Active | October–November | heritage metal |
| Synchronize Festival | Purwokerto | Active | October | Multi genre music |
| Voice Hell | Purwokerto | Active | November | Metal, Punk, Hardcore, Hip-Hop |
Ireland
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day of Darkness | Ballylinan | Last festival - 2008 | July |
Italy
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agglutination Metal Festival | Chiaromonte | Active | August | |
| Gods of Metal | Monza | June | hard rock, heavy metal, metalcore | |
| Monsters of Rock | Como | Last festival - 2004 | July | hard rock, heavy metal |
| Play It Loud! Festival | Orzinuovi | Last festival - 2009 | February |
Japan
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loud Park Festival | Saitama City | 2006-2017 | October | active since 2006, featuring heavy, thrash, power, death, metalcore, nu metal |
| Ozzfest | Chiba City | 2013, 2015 | May, November | |
| Knotfest | Chiba City | 2014, 2016 | November | |
| Download Festival | Chiba City | Active, 2019- | March |
Latvia
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metal Show | Jekabpils | Active | August | All metal sub-genres; 2-3 days festival |
| Zobens un Lemess | Bauska | Active | June | Folk, pagan, metal genres; 3 days festival |
Lebanon
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beirut Rock Festival | Beirut | Unknown | July | featuring rock and metal; does not occur every year; last festival was 2013 |
| Summer Fusion Open Air | Jounieh | Unknown | August | featuring rock and metal; does not occur every year; last festival was 2010; next festival was scheduled for August 2015 |
Lithuania
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Devilstone | Anykščiai | Active | July (mid) | rock, metal |
| Kilkim Žaibu | Varniai | Active | June (end) | black, Viking metal, and folk music |
Malaysia
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Malta
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SinFest Metal Festival | Paola | Active | May | 3 Day Open-Air Metal Festival |
Mexico
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monterrey Metal Fest | Monterrey | Active | November | 1 Day |
| Hell & Heaven Metal Fest | Mexico City | Active | March | 2 Day Open-Air Metal Festival |
| México Metal Fest | Monterrey | Active | November | 1 Day |
| Domination Mx | Mexico City | Active | May | 2 Days |
| Northside Rock Park Meeting | Monterrey | Last festival - 2017 | November | 1 Day |
| Force Fest | Mexico City | Active | November | |
| Knotfest México | Mexico City | Active | November | |
| Total Death Over México | Mexico City | Active | May | 3 Day Death Metal Festival |
| Sangre y Fuego Para Mictlantecuhtli | Mexico City | Active | November | 3 Day Black Metal Festival |
| Fronterizo Fest | Tijuana | Active | October | |
| Candelabrum Metal Fest | León | Active | September |
Moldova
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Mongolia
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noise Metal Fest | Ulaanbaatar | Active | April-May | featuring local and international metal bands |
Namibia
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windhoek Metal Fest | Windhoek | Last festival - 2014 | June | featuring local and international metal bands |
| Swakop Rocks | Swakopmund | Active | September | 1 day Festival - Hard Rock, Punk & Metal Bands |
Nepal
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silence Fest | Kathmandu | 2011 - Present | September & November | Featuring local and international metal bands |
Netherlands
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amsterdam Metalfest | Amsterdam | April & October | one-day festival | |
| Arnhem Metal Meeting | Arnhem | Last festival - 2007 | December | |
| Dynamo Open Air | Eindhoven | 1986 - 2005 | May | Continued as a smaller festival |
| Dynamo Metalfest | Eindhoven | 2015 - Present | July | |
| Fortarock | Nijmegen | 2009 - Present | June/july | large festival featuring al kinds of metal |
| Into the Grave | Leeuwarden | 2010 - Active | August | www.intothegrave.nl |
| Fields of Rock | Nijmegen | Last festival - 2007 | June | |
| MidsummerProg | Valkenburg | Active | June | www.midsummerprog.com |
| Netherlands Deathfest | Eindhoven (Effenaar) | Active | May | https://www.facebook.com/NetherlandsDeathfest |
| Neurotic Deathfest | Tilburg | Last festival - 2015 | May | |
| ProgPower Europe | Baarlo | October | featuring power, progressive metal | |
| Roadburn Festival | Tilburg | Active | April | large festival featuring doom, stoner, death, black metal |
| Queenscore | Kaatsheuvel | 2001 - 2015 | April | small festival featuring metalcore and hardcore |
| Earthquake festival | Kaatsheuvel | 2001 - 2015 | April | Big festival featuring big names like Motörhead, Manowar, Pretty Maids, Vengeance and Warlock |
New Zealand
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Norway
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hole in the Sky | Bergen | Last festival - 2011 | August | active 2000–2011 |
| Inferno Metal Festival | Oslo | Active | April | featuring black, death, thrash, doom metal |
| Karmøygeddon Metal Festival | Kopervik | Active | May | wide range of metal genres |
Pakistan
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Philippines
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kaguluhan Music Festival | Cavite | Last festival - 2013 | November | |
| Pulp Summer Slam | Quezon City | Active | April | large festival featuring metalcore, hardcore, thrash, death metal |
Poland
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metalmania | Katowice | tivecc | March | activated in 2017 |
| Sonisphere Poland | Warsaw | Last festival - 2014 | July | part of a touring rock music festival, occurred in Poland in 2010 to 2014 |
| Siekiera fest | Wrocław | Upcoming | September | First edition 2019. 3 days, 22 bands. Various rock & metal genres. |
Portugal
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paredes de Coura Festival | Paredes de Coura | August | large rock festival featuring rock, pop, and few metal bands | |
| Rock in Rio Lisboa | Lisboa | May | large rock festival featuring rock, pop, and few metal bands | |
| Vagos Metal Fest | Calvão | Active | August | featuring power, death, black, thrash, doom metal |
| VOA | Lisboa | Active | June | featuring power, death, black, thrash, doom metal |
| SWR Barroselas Metalfest | Barroselas | Active | April | featuring power, death, black, thrash, doom metal |
| Mangualde HMF | Mangualde | Active | January | featuring power, death, black, thrash, doom metal |
| Laurus Nobilis | Famalicão | Active | August | featuring power, death, black, thrash, doom metal |
Puerto Rico
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Festival de Metal Boricua | Cayey | Last festival - 2006 | November |
Romania
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Artmania Festival | Sibiu | Active | August | art festival featuring gothic, doom, folk, heavy metal, progressive |
| Metalhead Meeting | Bucharest | Active | June/July | death metal, black metal, heavy metal |
| Rockstadt Extreme Festival | Rasnov | Active | August | death metal, black metal, heavy metal |
| Metal Gates Festival | Bucharest | Active | November | death metal, black metal, doom metal |
| Posada Rock Fest | Campulung Muscel | Active | Late August | Gothic Metal, Heavy Metal, Death metal |
| Psychosounds Fest | Bucharest | Active | October | Black metal, Death metall, Ghotic Metal |
Russia
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moscow Music Peace Festival | Moscow | Last festival - 1989 | August | one-time festival featuring heavy and glam metal |
| Big Gun | Moscow | Active | July | 4-days Heavy Metal fest www.big-gun.ru |
| Metal Over Russia | Moscow | Active | July | 3-days Doom, Death, Black, Dark, Pagan, Folk Metal fest metaloverrussia.ru/eng |
Serbia
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exit Festival | Novi Sad | Active | July | not strictly a metal festival; features pop, rock, electronic, hip hop, but has some death, black, thrash, doom metal |
Slovakia
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Slovenia
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metaldays | Tolmin | Active | July | previously known as Metalcamp, featuring death, black, folk, thrash metal |
South Africa
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RAMFest | Cape Town/Johannesburg | Last festival - 2014 | March | featuring rock, pop, metal, metal core |
| ReDoFest | Cape Town | Metal |
Spain
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BeProgMy Friend | Barcelona | Last Festival 2018 | June/July | Prog Rock |
| Resurrection Fest | Viveiro | Active | July | featuring hardcore, metalcore, thrash, death, black metal, punk, |
| Sonisphere | Madrid/Barcelona | Last festival - 2013 | May/June | part of a touring rock music festival, last occurred in Spain in 2013 |
| Via de la Plata Festival | Mérida | Last festival - 2008 | July | only active in 2008 |
| Rock Fest Barcelona | Barcelona | Active | July | featuring hardcore, metalcore, thrash, death, black metal, punk |
| Leyendas del Rock | Villena | Active | August | mostly power and gothic metal |
Sri Lanka
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Sweden
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gefle Metal Festival | Gävle | Active | July | all subgenres of metal |
| House of Metal | Umeå | Active | February or March | all subgenres of metal, rock |
| Metaltown Festival | Gothenburg | Last festival 2013 | June or July | featuring various metal bands including nu metal, metalcore, groove metal |
| Sabaton Open Air | Falun | Active | August | organized by Swedish heavy metal band Sabaton, featuring bands from all subgenres |
| Sweden Rock Festival | Sölvesborg | Active | June | featuring popular metal and rock bands worldwide |
| Jönköping Metal Fest | Jönköping | Active | Spring and fall | Black, death, thrash metal |
Switzerland
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenfield Festival | Interlaken | Last festival - 2018 | June | all rock and metal genres |
| Ice Rock | Wasen | Last festival - 2018 | January | |
| Meh Suff! Metal-Festival | Hüttikon ZH | Last festival - 2018 | September | mostly extreme genres |
| Meh Suff! Winter-Festival | Zürich | Last festival - 2019 | January | mostly extreme genres |
| MTV Headbanger's Ball | - | - | - | - |
| Sonisphere | Yverdon-les-Bains | Last festival - 2012 | May | part of a touring rock music festival, last occurred in Switzerland in 2012 |
| Rock the Hell | Alt St. Johann | Last festival - 2019 | May | mostly extreme genres |
| Rocknacht Tennwil | Tennwil | Last festival - 2019 | September | Heavy Metal, Hard Rock |
Tunisia
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Turkey
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rock'n Coke | Istanbul | Last festival - 2013 | September | featuring rock, indie rock, with some metal |
| RockIstanbul | Istanbul | Last festival - 2005 | June | |
| Sonisphere | Istanbul | Last festival - 2011 | June | part of a touring rock music festival, last occurred in Turkey in 2011 |
| Unirock Open Air Festival | Istanbul | Last festival - 2011 | August |
Ukraine
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United Arab Emirates
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dubai Desert Rock Festival | Dubai | Last festival - 2014 | May | active until 2009, but continued on as Dubai Rock Festival |
United Kingdom
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bloodstock Open Air | Catton Hall, Walton-on-Trent | Active | August | outdoor festival featuring death, black, thrash, folk metal, with attendance of 13,000 (2013) |
| Butserfest | Waterlooville, Hampshire | Last festival - 2016 | September | small alcohol/drug-free festival, targeted at people aged 14–20 |
| Damnation Festival | Leeds, England | Active | November | one-day festival featuring death, black, thrash, doom metal |
| Darkness Guides Us | Glasgow, Scotland | Active | November | two-day indoor festival featuring black, pagan, extreme metal |
| Download Festival | Donington Park, Leicestershire | Active | June | large rock festival featuring hard rock, nu-metal, metalcore, death metal, black metal and pro wrestling from NXT UK l |
| Hammerfest | Prestatyn, Wales | Active | March | |
| Hard Rock Hell | Gwynedd, North Wales | Active | November | featuring heavy metal, hard/heavy rock, rock |
| Hellfire Festival | Birmingham, England | Last festival - 2009 | November | active 2008–2009 |
| In-Fest | London | Last festival - 2010 | August | small indoor festival which featured metal, punk, and rock |
| Monsters of Rock | Castle Donington, England | Last festival - 2006 | Summer | active 1980–1996, and 2006 |
| ProgPower UK | The Centaur, Cheltenham UK | Last festival - 2007 | March |
United States
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aftershock | Sacramento, CA | Active | October | 2012–present, featuring grunge, hard rock, heavy metal, nu metal, thrash metal, death metal, metalcore, punk rock |
| Epicenter | Concord, NC | Active | early May | 2019–present, featuring hard rock, classic rock, post-hardcore, alternative rock, heavy metal, progressive metal |
| Emissions from the Monolith | OH/IL/TX | Last festival - 2007 | late May | active 2000–2007, featured doom, stoner, sludge metal |
| Flight of the Valkyries | St. Paul, MN/Baltimore, MD | Active | January | 2007–present, featuring classic, power, folk, and death metal, female lead vocalists |
| Louder Than Life | Louisville, KY | Active | September/October | 2014–present, featuring hard rock, heavy metal, grunge, melodic death metal, post-hardcore, metalcore, power metal, gothic metal |
| Maryland Deathfest | Baltimore, MD | Active | late May | 2003–present, featuring death, black, doom, grind with attendance of 2,000-3,000 |
| Mass Destruction Metal Fest | Atlanta, GA | Active | November | 2017–present, featuring black and death metal |
| Milwaukee Metal Fest | Milwaukee, WI | Last festival - 2007 | July/August | active 1987–2007, one of the first metal festivals in the United States to have international metal bands[10] |
| ProgPower USA | Atlanta, GA | Active | early September | 2001–present, featuring power, progressive, traditional metal |
| Rebel Rock | Orlando, FL | Active | September | featuring heavy metal, nu metal, metalcore, power metal, hard rock, post-hardcore |
| Rock Fest | Cadott, WI | Active | July | 1994–present, featuring classic rock, hard rock, heavy metal, nu metal, post-grunge, metalcore, thrash metal, post-hardcore |
| Rocklahoma | Pryor, OK | Active | late May | 2006–present, featuring heavy metal, hard rock, post-hardcore, thrash metal, death metal, nu metal, alternative rock, classic rock |
| Saints & Sinners Festival | Asbury Park, NJ | Last festival - 2007 | November | active 2006–2007, featured nu metal, metalcore |
| Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival | Columbus, OH | Active | May | 2019–present, featuring hard rock, alternative rock, heavy metal, nu metal, post-hardcore, metalcore, death metal, progressive metal |
| Welcome to Rockville | Jacksonville, FL | Active | April/May | 2011–present, featuring hard rock, alternative rock, heavy metal, metalcore, gothic metal, post-hardcore, industrial metal, death metal |
| 70000 Tons of Metal | Fort Lauderdale, FL | Active | January | 2011–present, featuring thrash, power, symphonic, folk, death, black metal, with about 2,000 attendees on a cruise ship |
Tours
The following is an incomplete list of traveling metal festivals, both active and defunct:
- Clash of the Titans
- Crüe Fest
- Family Values Tour
- Doomination
- G3
- Gigantour
- Jägermeister Music Tour
- Knotfest
- Magic Circle Festival
- Mayhem Festival
- Metal Masters Tour
- Monsters of Rock
- No Mercy Festival
- Ozzfest
- Sonisphere
- Sounds of the Underground
- The Summer Slaughter Tour
- Taste Of Chaos
- The Unholy Alliance
- Uproar Festival
- X-Mass Festival
See also
References
- ^ Du Noyer (2003), p. 96; Weinstein (2000), pp. 11–13.
- ^ Weinstein (2000), pp. 14, 118.
- ^ Fast (2005), pp. 89–91; Weinstein (2000), pp. 7, 8, 23, 36, 103, 104.
- ^ Walser (1993), p. 6.
- ^ "As much as Sabbath started it, Priest were the ones who took it out of the blues and straight into metal." Bowe, Brian J. Judas Priest: Metal Gods. ISBN 0-7660-3621-9.
- ^ http://legionmusicfest.com/
- ^ http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/soundwave-music-festival-cancelled-20151217-glpwbn.html
- ^ http://downloadfestival.com.au/
- ^ "African Heavy Metal Bands Give Back to their Communities". BORGEN. 2015-09-10. Retrieved 2016-05-21.
- ^ http://www.metalupdate.com/interviewfest.html
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Metal music events.
- All Metalfest - all metal festivals around the world
- Heavy metal festivals in Europe
- Festivalticker
- Metalstorm.Net Search events
- Metal festivals in Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz
- Heavy Metal.nl - festivals and concerts
- Lords of Metal ezine - gig guide
