It was somewhat of a surprise yesterday (November 21st) when it was revealed that the ‘Furnace Fest‘ will be returning for another instalment in 2025. The festival’s resurrection several years ago had proven successful and served as a must-attend annual function for countless hardcore, metalcore and emo fans.
However, this year’s edition was set to serve as the last. In fact, the promotion surrounding the fest frequently made mention of the event being ‘the end of an era’, with many fans and bands operating under the assumption that the fest was once again closing up shop.
That decision to once again retire the event was obviously not a welcome development, but few likely expected it to return so soon. And yet yesterday, November 21st, the organizers did just that, teasing the dates of October 03rd-05th of 2025. Admittedly, ‘the end of an era’ did leave them some wiggle room for future iterations of the festival.
As reported by Bham Now, the festival’s co-organizer Johnny Grimes has since explained the reversal of the festival’s fate, which occurred less than two months after the festival was put to bed. He’s also hinted at some changes having been made to the event. Here’s what he had to offer:
“We couldn’t be more thrilled to usher in a new era of Furnace Fest! Once we collectively decided to close this chapter of FF, I couldn’t shake the question: What does the next era look like?
I began reflecting on what the next four years could hold and how we could continue pouring into a community that means so much to us. After days of thinking, praying, and talking with friends, I approached Chad, my partner and the founder of FF, with an idea: Let’s restructure the company and do this again.
To my excitement, he agreed, and we’ve been working tirelessly over the past few weeks to make it happen. Together, we’ve reimagined the entire organization, streamlined leadership, simplified operations, and crafted a fresh vision for Furnace Fest.
We’re confident that the best days of Furnace Fest are still ahead. This new era is going to be something special, and we can’t wait to share more with you. Stay tuned!”
Johnny Grimes, Co-Organizer, Furnace Fest“
