11 rock and metal festivals to look forward to in 2024
Take a look through our ultimate guide
Kerrang! Radio presents 11 rock and metal festivals that we’re totally stoked for this year. Featuring massive weekenders like Download, Bloodstock and Reading and Leeds, take a look at the rock and metal festivals you don't want to miss, including the all-important dates and who is headlining.
Check out all the festival details below and get those dates in your calendar - and, if you're quick, there might even be some tickets left on Aloud.com.
11 rock and metal festivals to look forward to in 2024:
Sick New World 2024
When: Saturday 27th April 2024
Where: Las Vegas Festival Grounds
Headliners: System of a Down, Slipknot, A Perfect Circle, Alice In Chains, Bring Me The Horizon.
Nu-metal's answer to When We Were Young Festival will also see performances from the likes of Primus, Slowdive, Ice Nine Kills, Lamb of God and Skindred among plenty of others.
Bearded Theory 2024
When: Thursday 23rd - Sunday 26th May 2024
Where: Catton Hall, Derbyshire
Headliners: Jane's Addiction, Amyl and The Sniffers, Future Islands, Sleaford Mods, Orbital and Dinosaur Jr.
The multi-award-winning four-day festival will return for 2024. Other performing artists include Bob Vylan, New Model Army, Ibibio Sound Machine, Jane Weaver, Pip Blom and Panic Shack.
Slam Dunk Festival 2024
When: Saturday 25th May 2024 (Hatfield Park) & Sunday 26th May 2024 (Leeds, Temple Newsam)
Where: Hatfield Park and Leeds, Temple Newsam
Headliners: You Me At Six, The All American Rejects, I Prevail, Funeral for a Friend and Boys Like Girls.
The UK's biggest independent rock festival, Slam Dunk, will return in 2024. Alongside the headliners, huge pop-punk, emo, metal and alternative music acts such as Asking Alexandria, Waterparks, Palaye Royale and Pale Waves join the bill. You Me At Six's headline performance will serve as their final UK festival performance.
Download Festival 2024
When: Friday 14th June to Sunday 16th June 2024
Where: Donington Park, Leicestershire
Headliners: Queens of the Stone Age, Fall Out Boy, Avenged Sevenfold, Royal Blood, The Offspring and Limp Bizkit.
The festival organisers have announced that it will return to its traditional format of three days next year. 2023's 20th anniversary extravaganza saw the main arena open for four days for the first time in the festival's history. Other acts include Pantera (their first UK show in 20 years), Corey Taylor, Those Damn Crows, Machine Head, Sum 41, Fear Factory, BABYMETAL, Lord of the Lost, While She Sleeps, Billy Talent, Biohazard and Bowling For Soup. A further eight acts were announced in March 2024 - including Slayer legend Kerry King, Welsh power trio Florence Black, gothic rockers Creeper, New York punk rockers Bayside and more.
The Bristol four-piece Mallavora will also play Download Festival 2024, after winning our competition The Deal.
Glastonbury Festival 2024
When: Wednesday 26th June – Sunday 30th June 2023
Where: Worthy Farm, Pilton, Somerset
Headliners: Dua Lipa, Coldplay, SZA and Shania Twain top the bill, with other acts including Paloma Faith, Avril Lavigne and Nothing But Thieves.
One of the most anticipated music festivals of the year, Glastonbury brings some of the biggest music acts together. Expect some huge names in rock and pop music to take to Glastonbury's fields next year - with more names such as Cyndi Lauper, Bombay Bicycle Club and The Last Dinner Party joining the bill.
Hellfest 2024
When: Thursday 27th - Sunday 30th June 2024
Where: Clisson, France
Headliners: Avenged Sevenfold, Machine Head, Metallica, Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age, Megadeth, Royal Blood, Tom Morello and Mass Hysteria.
The blockbuster 179-band line-up for France rock and metal institution Hellfest is a sight to behold. Attended by more than 60,000 people in 2022, it's fair to say 2023's iteration was even bigger and better - and more hellish.
2000trees 2024
When: Wednesday 10th - Saturday 13th July 2024
Where: Upcote Farm, Gloucestershire
Headliners: The Gaslight Anthem, The Chats, Manchester Orchestra, Kids In Glass Houses, Creeper and Hot Mulligan.
This independent festival returns to bring together the best of new and underground British music. The three-day extravaganza will again take place in the Cotswold Hills, promising no genre distinction, with the caveat that 'most of the bands do tend to hold guitars.'
Steelhouse Festival 2024
When: Friday 26th - Sunday 28th July 2024
Where: Hafod-Y-Dafal Farm, Ebbw Vale, Wales
Headliners: King King, Elles Bailey, Oli Brown & The Dead Collective and The Zac Schulze Gang (Friday). Skindred, The Almighty, Living Colour, Phil Campbell & The Bastard Sons, Dan Byrne, Mr. Big, The Last Internationale, The Commoners, Jared James Nichols, James And The Cold Gun, Creeping Jean and Zac & The New Men, Accept, The Warning, South of Salem and Cassidy Paris (across the weekend).
Steelhouse Festival returns in 2024, and has announced that it will include Berniefest Friday - a day of celebration of the life and music of Bernie Marsden.
Bloodstock Open Air 2024
When: Thursday 8th - Sunday 11th August 2024
Where: Catton Park, Derbyshire
Headliners: Opeth, Architects, Amon Amarth, Hellripper, Igorrr, Korpiklaani, Infected Rain, Soen, Raised by Owls, Ignea, Deitus and more.
Also confirmed for the Ronnie James Dio main stage at next year's Bloodstock are Rotting Christ, The Night Flight Orchestra, Malevolence, Unleash The Archers, Septicflesh and Green Lunch.
ArcTanGent 2024
When: Wednesday 14th - Saturday 17th August 2024
Where: Fernhill Farm, Bristol
Headliners: And So I Watch You From Afar, Plini, Red Fang and Three Trapped Tigers.
Critically acclaimed independent festival ArcTanGent celebrates all things heavy with their three-day festival. Showcasing the best math-rock, post-rock and noise rock acts around, the festival will also include a silent disco till late.
Reading & Leeds Festival 2024
When: Wednesday 21st - Sunday 25th August 2024
Where: Reading's Richfield Avenue and Leeds' Bramham Park
Headliners: Fred again.., Lana Del Rey, Blink-182, Liam Gallagher, Catfish and the Bottlemen and Gerry Cinnamon.
The epic festivals will return for 2024, with headliners, as usual, playing over three days. On top of the huge six headliners that were announced in November 2023, it was also revealed that 21 Savage, Raye, Skrillex, Spiritbox and Digga D will be performing.
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