🤘 Planet Rockstock 2026 – Four Days Of Rock ’N’ Roll Mayhem Return To Porthcawl

📅 Dates: Thursday 26 – Sunday 29 November 2026
🍛 Optional Curry Night: Wednesday 25 November 2026
📍 Venue: Trecco Bay Holiday Park
🌍 Location: Porthcawl, Bridgend, South Wales
🏴 Country: Wales
🎸 Event Type: Rock Festival
🔞 Age Restriction: Strictly 18+
🎟️ Tickets: Day tickets and limited non-accommodation weekend tickets available
🏕️ Accommodation Packages: Sold out
🎙️ Organised By: Planet Rock

The end of November might normally mean dark evenings, dodgy weather and everyone beginning to argue about whether it’s acceptable to put the Christmas decorations up yet.

At Trecco Bay in Porthcawl, however, November means something completely different.

It means Planet Rockstock.

One of the UK’s most established indoor rock weekends returns to the South Wales coast from Thursday 26 to Sunday 29 November 2026, bringing four days of classic rock, hard rock, blues, metal, emerging talent and properly enthusiastic rock fans back to Porthcawl.

And for us here at The Riff Report, there’s an added bonus.

It’s happening in Cymru. 🐉

Not London.

Not Birmingham.

Not somewhere involving a six-hour motorway slog before you’ve even heard the opening riff.

South Wales.

Tidy.

🔥 Planet Rockstock Returns For Its 13th Edition

Planet Rockstock 2026 marks the 13th edition of Planet Rock’s annual rock gathering.

Over the years, the event has developed its own distinctive place in the UK festival calendar.

This isn’t an enormous outdoor festival involving muddy fields, tents attempting to achieve flight and the eternal question of whether those clouds are definitely heading your way.

Planet Rockstock offers something very different.

The festival takes over Trecco Bay Holiday Park in Porthcawl, combining a holiday-park weekend with several days of live music, bars, activities, interviews and the sort of rock community atmosphere that makes wandering around in a band shirt feel practically compulsory.

Everything is concentrated around the resort.

Your accommodation is nearby.

The bands are nearby.

The bars are nearby.

And when the final band finishes, you don’t have to begin an expedition through three miles of dark campsite while desperately trying to remember which flag your tent was underneath.

That’s a pretty convincing sales pitch by itself.

🎤 Planet Rockstock 2026 Headliners

Each night brings another major name to the Bernie Marsden Stage, and the 2026 headliners offer four very different flavours of rock.

⚡ Thursday – Ricky Warwick & The Fighting Hearts

Opening the main festival weekend are Ricky Warwick & The Fighting Hearts.

Warwick has spent decades living and breathing rock ‘n’ roll through The Almighty, Black Star Riders, Thin Lizzy and his own solo career, making him a perfect choice to fire the starting pistol on four days of Trecco Bay chaos.

Expect attitude.

Expect huge guitars.

And expect Thursday night to feel significantly less like the beginning of the weekend and considerably more like somebody has already kicked the doors off.

🔥 Friday – The Temperance Movement

Friday night belongs to The Temperance Movement.

After returning to action and once again reminding audiences just how powerful they can be live, the British rockers will headline Planet Rockstock with their blend of blues, soul and emotionally charged rock ‘n’ roll.

They’re a band capable of going from a subtle simmer to full-throttle festival anthem territory in the space of a single song.

Trecco Bay should suit them beautifully.

🎸 Saturday – Magnum

Saturday sees British melodic rock legends Magnum take the headline slot.

Few bands have a catalogue quite like theirs.

Decades of sweeping melodies, massive choruses and songs built for packed rooms have made Magnum one of British rock’s most enduring names.

Their Planet Rockstock appearance forms part of the band’s continuing A Passage In Time era, celebrating the extraordinary musical legacy of late guitarist and songwriter Tony Clarkin.

There could be some properly emotional moments in this one.

💀 Sunday – Geoff Tate

Closing Planet Rockstock 2026 is former Queensrÿche frontman Geoff Tate.

And he isn’t arriving with an ordinary greatest-hits show.

Tate will perform Queensrÿche’s legendary concept album Operation: Mindcrime in full.

For progressive metal fans, that’s massive.

Released in 1988, Operation: Mindcrime remains one of the defining concept albums in heavy music history, combining progressive ambition, political storytelling, huge melodies and Tate’s unmistakable vocals.

Hearing the album performed from beginning to end should give Planet Rockstock 2026 one hell of a finale.

🤘 The Bernie Marsden Stage

Away from the four headline performances, the main stage is stacked with familiar names and plenty of musicians who know exactly how to command a rock crowd.

The Bernie Marsden Stage line-up includes:

Ricky Warwick & The Fighting Hearts

The Temperance Movement

Magnum

Geoff Tate – performing Operation: Mindcrime

The Fell

Blaze Bayley

Girlschool

King King

John Corabi & Friends

Alcatrazz

Raven

The Dead Collective

Jayler

Seven Sisters

Cassidy Paris

Häxan

Parker Barrow

Blue Nation

There’s plenty of variety hidden inside that list.

You’ve got classic British heavy metal.

Melodic rock.

Blues rock.

Hard rock.

NWOBHM heritage.

Young bands steadily climbing the ladder.

And some musicians with CVs that would require considerably more space than we’ve got here.

💥 The Fell Bring Some Serious Pedigree

One particularly interesting addition is The Fell, featuring legendary bassist Billy Sheehan.

Anyone with even a passing interest in virtuoso rock musicianship will recognise that name.

Sheehan’s career includes Mr. Big, David Lee Roth, The Winery Dogs and Sons Of Apollo, among plenty of other projects.

The new band brings together serious musicianship with modern hard rock, making them one of the intriguing acts on the weekend.

🔥 Blaze Bayley Returns

Former Iron Maiden vocalist Blaze Bayley also returns to Planet Rockstock.

His appearance will include material connected to his Maiden years, making this another particularly tasty booking for British metal fans.

Songs from the The X Factor and Virtual XI eras have developed a much stronger appreciation over the years, and hearing them delivered by Blaze in an intimate festival environment should be cracking.

🤘 Girlschool Keep Flying The Flag

Then you’ve got Girlschool.

Absolute legends.

One of the longest-running female rock bands in history and forever connected to the golden age of British heavy metal, Girlschool continue to prove that experience doesn’t have to mean slowing down.

Trecco Bay, meet riffs.

Lots of them.

🌱 The Graham Harding Stage – Discover Something New

Planet Rockstock isn’t only about household names.

One of the festival’s most important features is the Graham Harding Stage, which gives developing and emerging artists the opportunity to get themselves in front of a room packed with dedicated rock fans.

And this is where things can get dangerous for your Spotify library.

You arrive thinking you’ll watch one band.

Six hours later, you’ve followed seven new artists, bought three CDs, accidentally purchased another shirt and are explaining to everyone within listening distance that you’ve discovered “the next massive band”.

Exactly how a rock festival should work.

🎸 Thursday

The Thursday Graham Harding Stage includes:

Big River

Cancel The Transmission

Gone Savage

Greyfox Conspiracy

🔥 Friday

Friday brings:

Fangslinger

Fireheart

The Last Privateers

Star Circus

The Soul Revival

🤘 Saturday

Saturday’s emerging-band action includes:

All Stars Too

Crowley

Gwailo

Juliet’s Not Dead

White Skies

💀 Sunday

Finishing the Graham Harding Stage weekend are:

AK & The Red Kites

Cinema Stereo

Syncolima

Luna Marble

Revenant

Our usual advice applies.

Don’t ignore the second stage.

The band you’ve never heard of at lunchtime could easily become the band you’re shouting about by teatime.

🍛 Nicko McBrain Joins The Wednesday Curry Night

Planet Rockstock can actually begin a day early for fans heading to Porthcawl on Wednesday.

The traditional Planet Rockstock Curry Night takes place on Wednesday 25 November 2026, and this year’s special guest is none other than Nicko McBrain.

Yes.

That Nicko McBrain.

The legendary Iron Maiden drummer will be the special guest for the pre-festival evening.

The Curry Night has become one of Planet Rockstock’s more unusual traditions, combining food with an intimate conversation involving a major figure from the rock world.

Previous guests have included musicians such as Mick Box, Danny Bowes, Luke Morley and K.K. Downing.

Adding Nicko McBrain to that list is absolutely massive.

Tickets for the Curry Night are separate and limited, so anyone hoping to add the Wednesday night to their Planet Rockstock adventure should check availability before making plans.

🎙️ More Than Just Bands

Part of Planet Rockstock’s charm is that the weekend doesn’t immediately grind to a halt when the guitars stop.

There are additional activities running throughout the festival.

Planet Rock broadcasts and interviews form part of the weekend, giving fans opportunities to see another side of the artists appearing at the event.

There is also after-show music in the Trooper Lounge, helping keep things moving once the main stages finish.

Then there’s Rockaoke.

Yes.

Rock karaoke.

Saturday night.

Several days into a festival.

After people have possibly consumed one or two refreshing beverages.

What could possibly go wrong?

We strongly suspect absolutely nothing sensible.

Sunday also features the traditional morning quiz, allowing anyone whose brain is still functioning after several nights of rock ‘n’ roll to test their musical knowledge.

🏖️ Rock ’N’ Roll By The Welsh Seaside

The location is one of the things that makes Planet Rockstock particularly distinctive.

Trecco Bay Holiday Park sits in Porthcawl on the South Wales coast, turning the festival into something halfway between a rock weekender and a seaside getaway.

Porthcawl will already be familiar to plenty of Welsh gig-goers.

The coastal town has a long tradition of live entertainment and attracts visitors throughout the year, while Trecco Bay itself provides the accommodation and facilities needed to create a self-contained festival environment.

Admittedly, late November in Porthcawl isn’t exactly Ibiza.

Packing the swimming shorts might be optimistic.

Packing a decent coat would probably be cleverer.

But there’s something undeniably entertaining about thousands of rock fans descending on a Welsh holiday park just as winter starts kicking the door in.

🏠 Staying At Trecco Bay

One of Planet Rockstock’s defining features is the ability to stay directly at the festival.

Accommodation packages traditionally include caravan accommodation at Trecco Bay alongside festival access.

For Planet Rockstock 2026, official accommodation packages have now sold out.

That’s worth emphasising.

The accommodation is gone.

Anyone still hoping to stay on site should check with the organisers regarding the waiting list or potential cancellations.

Alternatively, there are hotels, guest houses and other accommodation options around Porthcawl and the surrounding South Wales area.

If you’re travelling, sorting accommodation sooner rather than later would be a very wise move.

♿ Accessibility At Planet Rockstock

The festival provides accessibility arrangements for guests who need additional support.

Accessible accommodation units are available at Trecco Bay, although the festival’s accommodation allocation has sold out for 2026.

Guests with accessible accommodation receive access to the raised viewing platform.

Those attending without accommodation who require accessibility support should contact the festival team directly before travelling.

There is also limited seating available for people with qualifying medical requirements, but this must be arranged with the organisers and availability cannot be guaranteed.

The main Planet Rockstock event remains predominantly a standing festival.

Festival-goers should check the official accessibility information before booking or travelling if they have specific requirements.

🍔 Food, Drink & Festival Survival

Trecco Bay has multiple food options across the holiday park, meaning you aren’t going to be attempting to survive four days purely on crisps and optimism.

There are also bars inside the festival venues and the Trooper Lounge.

Guests staying in accommodation can keep their own food and drink inside their caravans, although personal food and drink cannot be taken into the live music venues.

Our festival survival advice remains pretty straightforward:

Eat properly.

Drink some water between the pints.

Wear comfortable footwear.

Protect your hearing.

And don’t attempt Rockaoke after convincing yourself that four lagers have somehow transformed you into Ronnie James Dio.

They haven’t.

👂 Protect Those Lugholes

Planet Rockstock is loud.

Obviously.

That’s why we’re all here.

But four consecutive days of amplified rock can give your ears an absolute battering.

Ear protection is highly recommended, particularly if you’re someone who spends a lot of time standing close to the stage.

Modern concert earplugs can reduce dangerous volume levels without turning the music into muffled soup.

Look after your hearing.

You need those ears for next year’s festival too.

🎟️ Planet Rockstock 2026 Tickets

Demand for the 2026 festival has already been strong.

Weekend accommodation tickets are sold out.

However:

🎟️ Day tickets remain available

🎟️ Limited non-accommodation weekend tickets remain available

Availability can change quickly, particularly as November approaches, so anyone planning to attend should check the official ticket page rather than assuming tickets will still be hanging around nearer the festival.

🌐 Planet Rockstock Website & Official Social Media

For the latest Planet Rockstock news, ticket availability, line-up changes, stage information and festival updates, keep an eye on Planet Rock and its official channels.

🌐 Festival Information: Planet Rock / Planet Rockstock on Rayo

🎟️ Official Tickets: Planet Rock Tickets / Gigantic

📘 Facebook: Planet Rock – @planetrockradio

📸 Instagram: @planetrockradio

❌ X / Twitter: @PlanetRockRadio

▶️ YouTube: PlanetRockRadio

Planet Rock’s social channels regularly carry Rockstock announcements alongside rock news, interviews, competitions and updates from across the wider Planet Rock world.

📻 Planet Rock – Where Rock Lives

Planet Rockstock is, of course, an extension of Planet Rock, one of the UK’s biggest dedicated rock radio brands.

The station has spent years championing everything from classic giants to contemporary British rock bands and regularly supports tours, festivals and new artists.

That connection gives Rockstock a slightly different atmosphere to many conventional festivals.

Presenters, listeners, bands and fans who interact throughout the year suddenly end up in the same place for four days.

There’s a genuine community element to it.

For many attendees, Rockstock isn’t simply another festival ticket.

It’s an annual reunion.

And judging by how quickly the accommodation disappears every year, people clearly bloody love it.

🐉 A Major Rock Weekend For Wales

From The Riff Report’s perspective, there’s another reason Planet Rockstock deserves attention.

It’s another major rock event taking place here in Wales.

Cymru has a phenomenal heavy music history.

From enormous internationally recognised artists to grassroots venues, independent promoters, local festivals and new bands slowly climbing the ladder, Welsh rock and metal continues to punch miles above its weight.

Having thousands of rock fans descending on Porthcawl for a four-day festival weekend is another brilliant addition to that story.

Local accommodation benefits.

Local businesses benefit.

The town gets busy.

And Wales gets another weekend filled with loud guitars.

We’ll happily take that.

🗓️ Save The Date

Thursday 26 November – Sunday 29 November 2026.

And if you’re attending the Nicko McBrain Curry Night:

Wednesday 25 November 2026.

That’s potentially five nights of Planet Rockstock action on the South Wales coast.

The headliners are set.

The stages are stacked.

The accommodation has already sold out.

And Trecco Bay is preparing for another invasion of denim, leather, band shirts and extremely enthusiastic air guitar.

🔥 Ricky Warwick & The Fighting Hearts.

🔥 The Temperance Movement.

🔥 Magnum.

🔥 Geoff Tate performing Operation: Mindcrime.

🔥 Nicko McBrain.

🔥 Blaze Bayley.

🔥 Girlschool.

🔥 King King.

🔥 Dozens more across two stages.

Add four days beside the Welsh seaside and you’ve got one of the most distinctive weekends on the UK rock calendar.

🐉 The Riff Report Festival Calendar

The Riff Report Festival Calendar tracks rock, metal, punk, hardcore and alternative festivals happening across Wales, the wider UK and beyond.

From gigantic outdoor monsters to grassroots venue takeovers and holiday-park rock ‘n’ roll weekends, we’re keeping the dates together so you can spend less time searching and more time planning your next musical adventure.

And when one of those festivals happens to take place in South Wales?

Even better.

Planet Rockstock 2026 – Porthcawl is about to get loud. 🤘🐉🔥