The Top 5 Heavy Metal Music Festivals of 2016

Looking for a metal music festival to headbang your way through this summer? Check out our list of the top 5 heavy metal festivals of 2016!

Wacken Open Air- Germany

Location

Wacken Open Air is located in Wacken, Germany. It is one of the largest heavy metal festivals in the world, with over 80,000 attendees each year.

Dates

Wacken Open Air is a summer open-air heavy metal music festival. The festival occurs annually in the village of Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany, 85 km (53 mi) northwest of Hamburg. It is currently considered the biggest heavy metal festival in the world. The festival’s motto is “From Festivals to Festival”, meaning about bringing fans of heavy metal music together from all over the world to one place and making new friends during the event.

The first Wacken Open Air was held in 1990 as part of a local music contest. It was founded by Thomas Jensen and Roland Grapow, two local fans of hard rock and heavy metal who wanted to bring bands like Metallica and Iron Maiden to play for their local audience. In 1991, the festival was expanded to two days and drew 7,000 metal fans.

In 1992, the festival moved to a larger site with room for 18,000 attendees and held its first international act with Danzig. By 1994, attendance had grown to over 20,000 people, prompting organizers to expand the festival again to three days. In 1996, a fourth day was added, making it the longest running four-day heavy metal festival in history.

Bands

Since its inception in 1990, Wacken Open Air has grown to become one of the world’s most revered and celebrated heavy metal music festivals. Held annually in the small German town of Wacken, the festival attracts over 80,000 metalheads from all corners of the globe each year.

With such a massive lineup of bands, it’s no wonder that Wacken Open Air is often referred to as the “Mecca of Metal.” Some of the biggest names in heavy metal have graced the stage at Wacken over the years, including Metallica, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and Slayer.

This year’s lineup includes some of the genre’s heaviest hitters, such as Anthrax, Devin Townsend Project, Exodus, and Megadeth. If you’re a fan of heavy metal music, then Wacken Open Air is definitely a festival that you won’t want to miss.

Download Festival- United Kingdom

Download Festival is a rock festival, held annually at Donington Park in England. The festival was conceived as a follow up to the Monsters of Rock festivals which had been held at the same venue between 1980 and 1996. The first Download Festival was created by Stuart Galbraith, Tom Pyke and Andy Copping in 2003 in order to replace the Monsters of Rock.

Location

Download Festival is held at Donington Park in Leicestershire, United Kingdom, located near the villages of Castle Donington and Isley Walton.

Dates

The Download Festival is a British rock festival, held annually at Donington Park in Leicestershire, England, since 2003. It is the most popular British summer rock and heavy metal festival and has hosted some of the genre’s biggest names, including Black Sabbath, Metallica, Aerosmith, Guns N’ Roses, Iron Maiden, Motörhead, Slayer, Judas Priest and Slipknot. The 2015 festival featured massive performances from some of metal’s heaviest hitters including headliners Slipknot, Muse and Kiss.

The 2016 Download Festival will take place on June 10-12.

Bands

The Download Festival is a rock music festival held annually at Donington Park in Leicestershire, England. It is Britain’s biggest rock festival and is widely considered one of the most popular heavy metal music festivals in the world. The 2016 edition of the festival will feature some of the biggest names in metal, including headliners Rammstein, Slipknot and Iron Maiden. Other notable bands set to perform include Black Sabbath, Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax, Motörhead and lamb of God.

Hellfest- France

Location

France – The capital of francophone metal festivals, Hellfest takes place in the small town of Clisson about an hour outside of Nantes in late June. The lineup is always stacked with big international names, and this year is no exception with System Of A Down, Rammstein, and Iron Maiden headlining. But it’s not just about the international acts – Hellfest is also a great place to discover new French talent, with several up-and-coming bands playing on the smaller stages.

Dates

The wait is over, Hellfest Open Air Festival has announced their full line up and guess what? It’s cursed good! With System of a Down, Rammstein, Slayer and Korn as this year’s headliners, it was always going to be a stormer. Taking place between the 17th-19th of June in Clisson, France, this festival is celebrating it’s eleventh birthday in style!

Joining the previously mentioned legends will be Alice Cooper, Architects, Behemoth, Bring Me The Horizon, Devin Townsend Project, Megadeth, Opeth, Parallax 9 and many more still to be announced. With tickets costing only €149 for a full weekend pass including camping (which let’s face it- is essential at any music festival) there really is no excuse not to attend this fantastic event.

Bands

This year’s Hellfest in Clisson, France, is sure to be one of the top metal festivals of 2016. With a lineup that includes some of the biggest names in heavy metal, such as Rammstein, Slayer, and Kiss, this is a festival that any metalhead worth their salt will not want to miss.

In addition to the headliners, there are a plethora of other great bands performing at Hellfest this year. Some of the other bands that will be taking the stage include Anthrax, Devin Townsend Project, Gojira, Opeth, and Testament. With such a great lineup, it’s no wonder that Hellfest is one of the most anticipated metal festivals of the year.

Graspop Metal Meeting- Belgium

Graspop Metal Meeting is a 4-day music festival, located in Dessel, Belgium. The festival takes place in late June, and features a wide variety of heavy metal bands from all over the world. This year’s lineup includes some of the biggest names in metal, such as Metallica, Slayer, and Megadeth. If you’re a fan of heavy metal music, then this is the festival for you!

Location

Graspop Metal Meeting is a music festival held in Dessel, Belgium. The event started in 1996, and has been held annually ever since. It is usually scheduled for the last weekend of June, and features a wide range of metal genres, with a particular focus on heavy metal music.

Dates

The festival will take place from June 17-19 in Dessel, Belgium.

Bands

Since 1996, GMM has been one of the most highly-anticipated heavy metal music festivals in Europe. This year, the festival will take place from June 17-19 in Dessel, Belgium. As always, GMM will feature an incredible lineup of metal bands from all over the world. Here are five of the most anticipated acts:

1) Slayer – One of the most influential and iconic metal bands of all time, Slayer is sure to bring their signature brand of thrash metal to GMM 2016.

2) Metallica – Another legendary metal band, Metallica is sure to get the crowd going with their mix of classic hits and new material.

3) Megadeth – One of thrash metal’s “Big Four,” Megadeth is known for their fast and aggressive songs. They’re sure to be a highlight of GMM 2016.

4) Anthrax – Also part of the “Big Four,” Anthrax is one of thrash metal’s most popular bands. They’re sure to please fans with their high-energy live show.

5) Ghost – This Swedish heavy metal band combines elements of horror and occultism in their music and stage show. They’re sure to be a unique addition to GMM 2016.

Bloodstock Open Air- United Kingdom

Bloodstock Open Air is a British heavy metal music festival held annually at Catton Hall in Derbyshire, England. The festival features a large camping ground for people who want to stay for the whole weekend. The event includes a market selling metal-related merchandise, and a “Metalunch” stage where bands play cover songs during lunchtime.

Location

Bloodstock Open Air is held at Catton Hall, Derbyshire in the United Kingdom. It is a four-day event held in August that features heavy metal bands from all over the world. There are three stages at the festival, and camping is available on site.

Dates

Bloodstock Open Air is a British heavy metal music festival held annually at Catton Hall in Walton-on-Trent, Derbyshire. The festival was originally an indoor event held in Derby and Nottingham. It expanded to an outdoor event in 2001. It has been held at Catton Hall since 2005

The festival takes place over four days: Thursday (opening day), Friday, Saturday and Sunday. A campsite is available for attendees for the Thursday and Friday nights.

The 2016 festival will take place from 11 to 14 August. Motörhead, Slayer and Twisted Sister will headline the Ronnie James Dio stage, while Lamb of God, Mastodon and Megadeth will headline the main stage

Bands

This year’s Bloodstock Open Air will feature an impressive lineup of international and local metal talent. Headliners include Slayer, Ghost, Anthrax, Lamb of God, and Behemoth. Other notable bands performing at the festival include Exodus, Testament, Compulsion, Soilwork, Venom Inc., Sylosis, Chelsea Grin, and many more. With over 70 bands playing across four stages over three days, Bloodstock Open Air is one of the most highly anticipated metal festivals of the year.