Bloodstock Open Air is back, butt… and the 2026 line-up is absolutely ridiculous! 🤘🔥
If there was ever a year to dust off your battle jacket, patch up those ripped denim shorts and prepare your neck muscles for four solid days of headbanging, this is it.
From 6–9 August 2026, the UK’s biggest independent metal festival returns to Catton Park, Derbyshire, celebrating its 25th anniversary with one of the most explosive line-ups in its history.
Whether you’re into classic heavy metal, brutal deathcore, thrash, hardcore or the weird and wonderful corners of the underground, Bloodstock has delivered something for everyone.
👑 The Headliners
Thursday
🦅 Saxon
Opening the festival in true NWOBHM style are British legends Saxon. Expect wall-to-wall classics, soaring vocals and enough denim and leather to make 1982 proud.
Friday
🔥 Lamb Of God
Randy Blythe and company return to Bloodstock with one mission…
Absolute destruction.
Circle pits? Guaranteed.
Walls of death? Definitely.
Neighbours wondering why your voice has disappeared on Monday morning? Almost certain.
Saturday
☠️ Slaughter To Prevail
Possibly the heaviest headliner Bloodstock has ever welcomed.
Alex Terrible and the Russian deathcore giants have become one of the biggest names in modern metal, and Saturday night promises chaos on an industrial scale.
Expect blast beats.
Expect pyro.
Expect the biggest pits of the weekend.
Sunday
⚡ Judas Priest
Metal royalty close the festival.
Rob Halford, leather, studs, screaming guitars and decades of legendary anthems.
Bloodstock celebrating 25 years with Judas Priest on the final night?
That’s about as metal as it gets.
🤘 Massive Bands Across The Weekend
The supporting bill is absolutely loaded…
- Bleed From Within
- Orbit Culture
- Sepultura
- Municipal Waste
- Biohazard
- Death Angel
- Northlane
- Life Of Agony
- Of Mice & Men
- Vended
- Wednesday 13
- SKYND
- Party Cannon
- Leprous
- Carpenter Brut
- Mushroomhead
- Kittie
- Dream State
- Nevermore
- Cryptopsy
- The Scratch
- Graphic Nature
- 200 Stab Wounds
- Urne
- Inhuman Nature
- Castle Rat
- Black Spiders
- Battlesnake
- Neckbreakker
- Hidden Intent
- Hammer
- Evil Scarecrow
- Heavysaurus
- The Hell
…and that’s only scratching the surface.
Wherever you wander around Catton Park, you’re almost guaranteed to discover your next favourite band.
📅 Day-by-Day Highlights
Thursday
- Saxon
- Evil Scarecrow
- Cryptopsy
- Black Spiders
- Heavysaurus
A perfect warm-up before the madness truly begins.
Friday
Things get seriously heavy with:
- Lamb Of God
- Sepultura
- Municipal Waste
- Biohazard
- Wednesday 13
- SKYND
- Party Cannon
Friday is shaping up to be one giant mosh pit.
Saturday
Many fans are already calling this the strongest day of the festival.
Featuring:
- Slaughter To Prevail
- Bleed From Within
- Northlane
- Death Angel
- Nevermore
- Leprous
- Vended
Bring comfortable boots…
You’ll be running between stages all day.
Sunday
Bloodstock finishes with a monster finale featuring:
- Judas Priest
- Orbit Culture
- Carpenter Brut
- Mushroomhead
- Kittie
- Dream State
- Graphic Nature
What a way to end the weekend.
🍺 Bloodstock Never Loses Its Spirit
One of the reasons Bloodstock continues to grow is because it never forgets where it came from.
Unlike many giant festivals, Bloodstock still feels like it’s built by metalheads, for metalheads.
You’ll find friendly campsites, independent traders, fantastic food, incredible merchandise, and one of the best atmospheres anywhere in the UK festival scene.
Whether it’s your first visit or your twentieth, you’ll instantly feel part of the family.
🎸 The Riff Report’s Verdict
Bloodstock has always been one of our favourite weekends of the year, and 2026 looks absolutely stacked.
Classic metal.
Modern metal.
Deathcore.
Thrash.
Hardcore.
Industrial.
Progressive.
There’s something for every riff-loving maniac.
If you’re heading to Catton Park this August, prepare yourself for four days of unforgettable performances, sore necks, muddy boots, new friends and enough riffs to keep you buzzing until next summer.
We’ll hopefully be there soaking it all in, snapping photos, chatting with bands, and bringing you all the chaos, reviews and backstage stories right here on The Riff Report.
See you in the pit, mun! 🤘🔥
🤘 Who are you most excited to see at Bloodstock 2026?
Drop your must-see bands in the comments and let us know which set is going to blow the roof off Catton Park!
Proudly Welsh. Proudly Loud.
The Riff Report 🤘
