Wacken Open Air Festival returned to its hallowed grounds this past weekend, and already the hype has begun for the next run. The lineup for 2026 now has a total of 35 bands announced in honor of the festival's 35th anniversary, including a couple of relevant names to those of us in the nu world.
Among the thirty-five acts who will take over the namesake town in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany are ten56., Paleface Swiss, and Sepultura, the latter of which will be playing their final show in the country as part of their farewell tour.
The full list of those in this first round of announcements is as follows:
- Def Leppard
- In Flames
- Powerwolf
- Savatage
- Allt
- Airbourne
- Any Given Day
- Blood Command
- Blood Fire Death – A Tribute To Bathory
- Broken By The Scream
- Einherjer
- Emperor
- Europe
- Faun
- Future Palace
- Gutalax
- Grand Magus
- Insanity Alert
- H-Blockx
- Kupfergold
- Lamb Of God
- Luna Kills
- Mantar
- Nevermore
- Orbit Culture
- Paleface Swiss
- Pig Destroyer
- Running Wild
- Sepultura
- Ten56.
- The Gathering
- The Hardkiss
- Thundermother
- Thrown
- Tryptikon
Tickets are available but moving fast at the festival's official website.
Check out the official W:O:A announcement video below:
