Get ready to bang your head, fellow metal wizards. If you are a fan of the harder stuff, then Europe is the only place to spend your summer. Below are just a few of the many, many metal festivals taking place from England to Romania and all points in between.
Rock Am Ring 2024
When: June 7-9, 2024
Where: Nürburg, Germany
The Scene: The simultaneous Rock Am Park/Rock Im Ring is Germany's largest mega-festival with a combined attendance of 150,000 at both festivals. The same artists play two different locations during the first weekend in June. Festivals may evolve and change over the years, but rock music will always remain the core of these festivals.
The Lineup: 311, Atreyu, Avenged Sevenfold, Bad Omens, Beartooth, Billy Talent, Body Count, Descendents, Dropkick Murphys, Electric Callboy, Enter Shikari, Green Day, Hatebreed, Kreator, Of Mice & Men, Parkway Drive, Pendulum, Pennywise, Queens of the Stone Age, Royal Blood, While She Sleeps
More Info: Rock Am Ring 2024 Guide
Mystic Festival 2024
When: June 5-8, 2024
Where: Gdańsk, Poland
The Scene: Mystic Festival is a heavy metal music festival held at the Kraków Arena in Poland. Huge international names from the world of metal descend for two days of the heaviest music around.
The Lineup: Body Count, Bring Me The Horizon, Chelsea Wolfe, Enter Shikari, Kreator, Megadeth
More Info: Mystic Festival 2024 Guide
Nova Rock 2024
When: June 13-16, 2024
Where: Nickelsdorf, Austria
The Scene: The king of Austrian rock festivals sees 50,000 hard-partying fans descend on Pannonia Fields in the eastern part of the country. The lineup is one of the best in the country and has become an important part of the Austrian festival calendar.
The Lineup: Alice Cooper, Avenged Sevenfold, Avril Lavigne, Bad Omens, Billy Talent, Body Count, Bring Me The Horizon, Dropkick Murphys, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, Green Day, Jane's Addiction, Maneskin, Of Mice & Men, Parkway Drive, Pendulum, Steel Panther, Sum 41
More Info: Nova Rock 2024 Guide
Greenfield Festival 2024
When: June 13-15, 2024
Where: Interlaken, Switzerland
The Scene: Switzerland’s biggest rock festival takes place in Interlaken in the heart of the Swiss mountains.
The Lineup: Bring Me The Horizon, Dropkick Murphys, Escape the Fate, Green Day, Imminence, The Prodigy
More Info: Greenfield Festival 2024 Guide
Download Festival 2024
When: June 14-16, 2024
Where: Donington Park, UK
The Scene: It's loud. It’s crazy. Download isn't pretty and the metal fans that make the annual pilgrimage to the spiritual home of rock in Donington Park wouldn't have it any other way. The largest rock and metal festival in the UK has featured genre legends like Faith No More, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Slipknot, Motörhead, and System of a Down.
The Lineup: 311, Atreyu, Avenged Sevenfold, Bad Omens, Billy Talent, Bowling for Soup, Fall Out Boy, Hoobastank, Imminence, Queens of the Stone Age, Royal Blood, Sum 41, The Offspring, The Used, While She Sleeps
More Info: Download Festival 2024 Guide
Into The Grave 2024
When: June 7-9, 2024
Where: Leeuwarden, Netherlands
The Scene: This Dutch metal festival makes brings out the hard rock during the sunny days of June at the foot of the Oldehove (an unfinished medieval tower) in Leeuwarden. The small two-day festival is perfect for metal fans who want to some incredible bands in a close atmosphere.
More Info: Into The Grave 2024 Guide
Hellfest 2024
When: June 27-30, 2024
Where: Clisson, France
The Scene: The postcard-perfect French village of Clisson, known for its historic ruins and picturesque river, transforms one weekend each June into the heavy metal mecca known as Hellfest. More than 160 bands show up to perform on six stages with subgenres that include pagan metal, stoner, punk, thrash, grind, and black metal. The 150,000+ extreme music typically spend the weekend camping and exploring the wide-ranging Hellfest experience. Act quick. Hellfest sells out every year.<br />
The Lineup: 311, All Them Witches, Avenged Sevenfold, Bad Omens, Body Count, Chelsea Wolfe, Dropkick Murphys, Enter Shikari, Foo Fighters, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, Megadeth, Metallica, Queens of the Stone Age, Rival Sons, Royal Blood, Simple Plan, Steel Panther, Suicidal Tendencies, The Offspring, The Prodigy, While She Sleeps
More Info: Hellfest 2024 Guide
Graspop Metal Meeting 2024
When: June 20-23, 2024
Where: Dessel, Belgium
The Scene: When it comes to metal festivals, there's few that can match the worldwide reputation of the famous Graspop Metal Meeting. 150,000 hard core festival fans make their way to Dessel for a weekend of hard rock, punk, metal, and everything else that's loud. The only thing wilder than this four-day festival is the camping. Bring a tent!
The Lineup: Alice Cooper, All Them Witches, Atreyu, Avenged Sevenfold, Bring Me The Horizon, Deep Purple, Electric Callboy, Five Finger Death Punch, Judas Priest, Limp Bizkit, Megadeth, Of Mice & Men, Pendulum, Rival Sons, Scorpions, Steel Panther, Tool, Turnstile, While She Sleeps, Wolfmother
More Info: Graspop Metal Meeting 2024 Guide
Full Force Festival 2024
When: June 21-23, 2024
Where: Ferropolis, Germany
The Scene: Welcome to the City of Metal and Iron! Full Force Festival is three-day camping and metal fest that takes place in one of Germany's most iconic venues - Ferropolis.
The Lineup: Bad Religion, Dropkick Murphys, Five Finger Death Punch, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, Imminence, Simple Plan, Zeal & Ardor
More Info: Full Force Festival 2024 Guide
Resurrection Fest 2024
When: June 26-29, 2024
Where: Vivero, Spain
The Scene: Heavy metal is reborn in Spain every summer during Resurrection Fest in Viveiro. 55,000+ worshipers of hardcore, punk rock, and metal congregate for four days of headbanging in this tiny northwestern coastal town.
The Lineup: Alice Cooper, Avenged Sevenfold, Bad Omens, Bring Me The Horizon, Delain, Electric Callboy, Finntroll, Imminence, Megadeth, Sum 41, The Offspring
More Info: Resurrection Fest 2024 Guide
Tuska Metal Festival 2024
When: June 28-30, 2024
Where: Helsinki, Finland
The Scene: In Finnish, Tuska translates to pain and agony, which seems to be an apt name for this hard rock and heavy metal music festival. Up to 40,000 metalheads make their way to the 'Capital of Metal' (Helsinki) for this annual fest.
The Lineup: Bring Me The Horizon
More Info: Tuska Metal Festival 2024 Guide
Masters of Rock 2024
When: July 11-14, 2024
Where: Vizovice, Czech
The Scene: Do you like power metal? Speed metal? Heavy metal? Then you're going to love Masters of Rock, a 25,000 strong metal festival held in the Czech Republic.
The Lineup: Delain, Electric Callboy, Judas Priest
More Info: Masters of Rock 2024 Guide
Amphi Festival 2024
When: July 27-28, 2024
Where: Cologne, Germany
The Scene: Cologne's sublime goth and industrial festival. Amphi is where the dark music world meets!
More Info: Amphi Festival 2024 Guide
Wacken 2024
When: July 31-August 3, 2024
Where: Wacken, Germany
The Scene: It's been dubbed The Mecca of Heavy Metal Culture. For three days in August, the population of the tiny town of Wacken swells from 2,000 to 75,000 for this annual gathering of German metalheads. This monster of a festival started off small in 1990 as a showcase for local bands, but has become a juggernaut of the metal festival scene.
The Lineup: Amon Amarth, Butcher Babies, Flogging Molly, Korn, Motionless in White, Red Fang, Scorpions, Testament, The Darkness
More Info: Wacken 2024 Guide
Rockstadt Extreme Fest 2024
When: July 31-August 4, 2024
Where: Râșnov, Romania
The Scene: Romania's most metal festival meets the stunning scenery of Transylvania for this epic five-day camping celebration.
The Lineup: Amon Amarth, Baroness, Converge, Delain, Hatebreed, Imminence, Jinjer, Kreator, Pendulum, Suicidal Tendencies, Testament
More Info: Rockstadt Extreme Fest 2024 Guide
Brutal Assault 2024
When: August 7-10, 2024
Where: Jaroměř, Czech
The Scene: It's metal to the extreme at this open-air festival held in an 18th-century army fortress. Started in 1996, this camping festival hosts about 15,000 attendees.
The Lineup: Baroness, Jinjer, Motionless in White, Red Fang, Testament
More Info: Brutal Assault 2024 Guide
Bloodstock 2024
When: August 8-11, 2024
Where: Derbyshire, UK
The Scene: Over 100 international rock and metal acts descend on the peaceful village of Walton on Trent in Derbyshire for four days of mayhem. Bloodstock has earned a fan favorite reputation 'by consistently showcasing the strongest metal line up on UK soil.
The Lineup: Amon Amarth, Clutch, Flogging Molly, Hatebreed
More Info: Bloodstock 2024 Guide
M’era Luna 2024
When: August 10-11, 2024
Where: Hildesheim, Germany
The Scene: Heavy metal and goth mix it up at this German festival outside of Hannover at a former British military airbase. The atmospheric experience is only heightened by with a fine selection of gothic, industrial, and metal artists.
More Info: M’era Luna 2024 Guide
Summer Breeze 2024
When: August 14-17, 2024
Where: Dinkelsbuhl, Germany
The Scene: With such a whimsical name, one hardly expects what the Summer Breeze Open Air Festival actually delivers -- heavy metal and lots of it to over 40,000 attendees. Summer Breeze just turned twenty years old, so if you're looking for experience and hard metal in Germany, then this is the place.
The Lineup: Amon Amarth, Delain, Flogging Molly, Jinjer, Motionless in White
More Info: Summer Breeze 2024 Guide
Rock Castle 2024
When: August 15-17, 2024
Where: Moravsky Krumlov, Czech
The Scene: Rock Castle is an open-air music festival focusing on quality international rock and metal music. Thanks to the perfect location of the castle park, nearby meadows and the beautiful surroundings of Moravský Krumlov, this is one of the most unique spots to festival.
The Lineup: Amon Amarth
More Info: Rock Castle 2024 Guide
Freak Valley Festival 2024
When: May 30-June 1, 2024
Where: Netphen, Germany
The Scene: Welcome to a weekend of metal at this heavy-psych-stoner-blues open air festival held in Germany.
The Lineup: Amyl & The Sniffers, Osees
More Info: Freak Valley Festival 2024 Guide