Wacken Open Air 2026 Adds Over 50 Bands to 35th Anniversary Lineup

Lacuna Coil, Deafheaven, Alcest, and Alien Ant Farm among latest additions to already massive German festival bill

Wacken Open Air has announced a massive wave of over 50 new bands for its 35th anniversary edition, further expanding what was already one of the most ambitious lineups in the German festival’s history. The latest additions include ‘Lacuna Coil’, ‘Deafheaven’, ‘Alcest’, ‘Alien Ant Farm’, ‘Of Mice & Men’, ‘Fit For An Autopsy’, and ‘Kadavar’, among many others.

The announcement comes after the festival had already revealed a heavyweight lineup featuring ‘Judas Priest’, ‘Def Leppard’, ‘Powerwolf‘, ‘Lamb of God’, ‘In Flames’, ‘Emperor’, ‘Triptykon’, and ‘Savatage’. The festival runs from July 29 to August 1 in Wacken, Germany.

Additionally, the festival will kick off with a Wasted Wednesday night before the main event gets started, hosted by ‘Destruction’ legend Schmier, and featuring ‘Sacred Steel’, ‘The Troops of Doom’, ‘Phantom’, ‘Poison the Preacher’, ‘Crypt Sermon’, ‘Battlecreek’, and ‘Diabolisches Werk’.

Festival founder Thomas Jensen emphasized the diverse nature of the lineup:

“The mix of established bands, scene icons and up-and-coming acts perfectly reflects what Wacken has stood for over more than three decades.” Founder Holger Hübner added: “The anniversary edition of W:O:A will showcase the full spectrum of our favourite music, and we are very grateful to welcome our metal community to Wacken for the 35th time this summer!”

The complete list of newly announced bands includes: ‘Lacuna Coil’, ‘Alcest’, ‘Kadavar’, ‘Fit For An Autopsy’, ‘Of Mice And Men’, ‘Subway To Sally’, ‘Animals As Leaders’, ‘Deafheaven’, ‘Visions Of Atlantis’, ‘Alien Ant Farm’, ‘Kärbholz’, ‘Crematory’, ‘Unzucht’, ‘Skyline’, ‘Bear Mc Creary’, ‘Lovebites’, ‘Wytch Hazel’, ‘Finsterforst’, ‘Evil Jared & Krogi’, ‘The Limit’, ‘5th Avenue’, ‘Arroganz’, ‘Year Of The Goat’, ‘Temple Of The Absurd’, ‘Dirty Shirt’, ‘Trold’, ‘Metaklapa’, ‘9mm Headshot’, ‘Manntra’, ‘Sagenbringer’, ‘Stonem’, ‘The Other’, ‘Cruachan’, ‘Dieter Maschine Birr’, ‘Mambo Kurt’, ‘Velvet Rush’, ‘Heartless Human Harvest’, ‘Saviourself’, ‘Wüstenberg’, ‘Zeltinger Band’, ‘Black Tish’, ‘Tuxedoo’, ‘Minotaurus’, ‘Alien Rockin’ Explosion’, ‘Asrock’, ‘Blaas Of Glory’, ‘Cursed Abyss’, ‘Wacken Firefighters’, and ‘Expellow’.

Italian gothic metal veterans ‘Lacuna Coil’ bring their signature blend of dark, atmospheric sounds with melodic metal riffs, while French post-black metal act ‘Alcest’ will transport fans to an ethereal sonic world combining elements of black metal with shoegaze atmospheres. The diverse additions showcase Wacken’s commitment to representing the full spectrum of heavy music across its 35th anniversary celebration.

Wacken Open Air runs from July 29 to August 1 in Wacken, Germany.