With the sun having set over the weekend on this year’s sold out edition of the annual ‘Wacken Open Air‘ festival in Wacken, Germany, organizers have begun previewing what’s in store for 2026. Next year’s 35th anniversary edition of the metal and rock festival will thus feature top-billed sets from British arena rockers Def Leppard, German power metal outfit Powerwolf, pioneering Swedish melodic metal band In Flames and many more. The first 35 bands to be revealed include:
Def Leppard
Powerwolf
In Flames
Savatage
Runningwild (final show)
Emperor
Sepultura (final German show)
Lamb Of God
Airbourne
Europe
Blood Fire Death: A Tribute To Quorthon & Bathory (Germany exclusive)
Triptykon (exclusive best of set with several world life premieres)
The Gathering (only German show of 2026)
Nevermore
Orbit Culture
thrown
Paleface Swiss
The HARDKISS
H-Blockx
Mantar
Any Given Day
Pig Destroyer
Faun
Thunder Mother
Future Palace
Einherjer
Kupfergold
Grand Magus
ten56.
Allt
Blood Command
Broken By The Scream
Insanity Alert (15th anniversary set)
Luna Kills
Gutalax
Next year’s festival will be held July 29th to August 01st and pre-sales are scheduled to begin today, August 03rd via wacken.com.
