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 Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple attracted large audiences, and during the late 1960s and mid-1970s these band 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 |
| 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
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legion Fest[6] | Australia | Cancelled | 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 | Last festival - 2015 | In December 2015 Soundwave was cancelled for good.[7] | |
Austria
Nova Rock Kaltenbach Open Air Rise up Festival
Belgium
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Headbanger's Balls Fest | Izegem | 2012- | Beginning of May | |
| 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 |
Botswana
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overthrust Winter Metal Mania Festival[8] | Ghantsi | May | featuring local and African metal bands |
Brazil
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Reference/external link | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monsters of Rock | |||||
| Rock in Rio |
Bulgaria
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hills of Rock | ||||
Canada
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy MTL | Montreal, QC | 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 | September | featuring death, black, thrash metal | |
Chile
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monsters of Rock | ||||
Colombia
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rock al Parque | Bogotá | August | rock festival with death, thrash metal |
Costa Rica
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Festival Siembra y Lucha |
Croatia
GoatHell Metal Fest
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 |
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 | |
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 | July | 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 | 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 |
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 |
Germany
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bang Your Head!!! | Balingen | Active | July | heavy, thrash, death metal |
| 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 |
| Monsters of Rock | various | Last festival - 2006 | Summer | 1980–1996, and 2006 |
| Ragnarök Festival | Lichtenfels, Bavaria | Active | April | pagan, Viking, black, death, metal |
| 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 | ||||
| NH7 Weekender |
Indonesia
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bandung Berisik | ||||
| Hammersonic Festival | Jakarta | Active | March–April | all heavy music |
| Hellprint | Bandung | Active | November–March | All heavy music |
| Rock in Solo | Surakarta | Active | October–November | heritage metal |
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 |
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 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hell & Heaven Metal Fest | Mexico City | Active | May 4 & 5, 2018 | Since 2010 |
| Knotfest | Toluca | Active | TBA | Since 2015 |
| Force Fest | Teotihuacan | Active | October 6 & 7, 2018 | Since 2013 |
| Northside | Monterrey | Active | TBA | Since 2016 |
| Mother of All | Monterrey | Active | TBA | Since 2017 |
| México Metal Fest | Monterrey | Active | October 6, 2018 | Since 2016 |
Namibia
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windhoek Metal Fest | Windhoek | Last festival - 2014 | June | 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 | |
| Dynamo Metalfest | Eindhoven | 2015 - Present | July | |
| Into the Grave | Leeuwarden | 2010 - Active | August | www.intothegrave.nl |
| Fields of Rock | Nijmegen | Last festival - 2007 | June | |
| 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 |
| Fortarock | Nijmegen | Active | June/july | large festival featuring al kinds of metal |
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 |
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 |
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 Open Air | Calvão | 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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
Spain
| Festival name | Location | Status | Approx. time of year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
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 |
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! Festival | Hüttikon ZH | Last festival - 2017 | September | mostly extreme genres |
| Meh Suff! Winter Festival | Zürich | Last festival - 2018 | 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 |
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 |
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 | September | small alcohol/drug-free festival, targeted at people aged 14–20 | |
| Damnation Festival | Leeds, England | November | one-day festival featuring death, black, thrash, doom metal | |
| Download Festival | Donington Park, Leicestershire | Active | June | large rock festival featuring hard rock, nu-metal, metalcore, death, black meta 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 70000 Tons of Metal (cruise ship) | Miami, FL to Caribbean | Active | January | active since 2011, featuring thrash, power, folk, death, black metal, with about 2,000 attendees on a cruise ship |
| Aftershock Festival | Sacramento, CA | Active | October | active since 2012, featuring Heavy metal, Hard rock, Post-Hardcore, Thrash metal, Death metal, Nu metal, Alternative Rock |
| Carolina Rebellion | Concord, NC | Active | early May | active since 2011 |
| Chicago Open Air | Bridgeview, IL (suburb of Chicago) | Active | July | inaugural year was 2016 attracted 160,000 people over its first two years; features many genres of 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 | active since 2007, featuring classic, power, folk, and death metal, female lead vocalists |
| Knotfest Ozzfest | San Bernardino, CA | September-October | 2014–present, all different metal genres | |
| Maryland Deathfest | Baltimore, MD | Active | end of May | active since 2003, featuring death, black, doom, grind with attendance of 2,000-3,000 |
| Mass Destruction Metal Fest | Atlanta, GA | Active | November | active since 2017, 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[9] |
| New England Metal and Hardcore Festival | Worcester, MA | Active | April/May | active since 1999, featuring metalcore, hardcore, death metal |
| ProgPower USA | Atlanta, GA | Active | early September | featuring power, progressive, traditional metal |
| Robot Mosh Fest | Milwaukee, WI | Last festival - 2008 | June | active 2001–2008, featured metalcore, hardcore, metal |
| Rock on the Range | Columbus, OH | Active | May | featuring heavy metal, hard rock, post-hardcore, thrash metal, death metal, nu metal, alternative rock, hair bands, and classic metal; attendance of 120,000 |
| Rocklahoma | Pryor, OK | Active | Memorial Day weekend - late May | active since 2006, featuring heavy metal, hard rock, post-hardcore, thrash metal, death metal, nu metal, alternative rock, hair bands, classic metal |
| Saints & Sinners Festival | Asbury Park, NJ | Last festival - 2007 | November | active 2006–2007, featuring nu metal, metalcore |
| Scion Rock Fest | Pomona, CA/various | Active | March/June | featuring death metal, grindcore, doom metal, metalcore |
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
- Magic Circle Festival
- Mayhem Festival
- Metal Masters Tour
- Monsters of Rock
- No Mercy Festival
- Ozzfest
- Pledge of Allegiance
- 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
- ↑ "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
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