The French festival for rock and heavy metal music Hellfest Open Air will be held from June 18th to June 21st, 2026, in Clisson near Nantes. The bands Pogo Car Crash Control, Primitive Man, and Austere cancelled their shows, and the bands Dying Wish, Conjurer, and Midnight Odyssey will take their places.

This year 183 bands will shake the grounds in Clisson, and 85 bands will perform for the first time at Hellfest. Some of the most interesting names are Bring Me The Horizon, Iron Maiden, Breaking Benjamin, Limp Bizkit, The Offspring, Deep Purple, Alice Cooper, Bad Omens, Blood Incantation, Breaking Benjamin, A Perfect Circle, Megadeth, Sepultura, Ultra Vomit, Igorrr, Acid Bath, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Helloween, and Papa Roach. The festival in 2026 will mark 20 years from the very first Hellfest, and the organizers will prepare a big celebration for the festival edition in 2027.

Many legendary bands have played at Hellfest Open Air – Judas Priest, Kiss, Metallica, Korn, Sepultura, Motörhead, Rammstein, Linkin Park, Anthrax, and many others. After an interruption of two years because of COVID-19, the festival came back with a very strong edition of two sets, the first one from June 17 to June 19 and the second one from June 23rd to June 26st, with over 350 bands to perform. For several years in a row, the tickets for the festival were completely sold out within hours of going on sale.

Here is the official aftermovie for 2025: