From June 18–21, 2026, Clisson will once again turn into metal pilgrimage territory as Iron Maiden, Bring Me The Horizon, Limp Bizkit, and The Offspring step up as headliners for a crowd that expects more than nostalgia and radio singles: they want scale, history, and a lineup that actually understands what this culture looks like in 2026.
For years, Hellfest has worn the badge of “one of the biggest metal festivals in all of Europe” without needing to shout about it. The numbers and the legacy have done the talking. A pre-pandemic draw of 180,000 people. A bill traditionally stacked with international names. A sea of spectators traveling in from abroad to stand in the dust and heat for bands that, in a lot of places, wouldn’t get anything close to this level of respect. And 2026 will be no different.
The pandemic gut-punched every festival, but Hellfest’s response was telling. When it finally roared back in 2022, it detonated across two weekends and seven days of shows, pulling in many of the heaviest and most established names on the planet. In 2023, shifting into a four-day format with more than 200 bands across six stages was a refinement; it compressed the chaos, kept the range, cut the filler.
What really sets Hellfest apart, though, is everything around the stages. In the heart of the site, Hell City Square has evolved into a physical snapshot of metal culture: partner booths that actually matter to fans, a gallery of artists and makers, and a huge metal market dressed up with a sci-fi sense of spectacle that feels less like cheap branding and more like a world built by people who get it.
For anyone who cares about metal and hard rock as a global community, Clisson in June is looking less like an option and more like an obligation. Check out the massive lineup below.
