Iron Maiden, My Chemical Romance, Limp Bizkit, Tool, Babymetal, Alice Cooper, Halestorm and almost 200 more bands to play huge Louder Than Life 2026 lineup

Su-metal, Fred Durst, Lzzy Hale and Bruce Dickinson on stage at various gigs — (Image credit: Getty Images)

Louder Than Life, one of America's biggest rock and metal festivals, has announced its full lineup for 2026, and it's a biggie.

Joining previously announced headliners Iron Maiden and My Chemical Romance, who will be closing the main stage on the Thursday and Friday nights of the festival respectfully, will be none other than fellow headliners Limp Bizkit (Saturday headliner) and Tool (Sunday headliner).

They're accompanied by almost two hundred other names from right across the rock and metal spectrum, including thrash metal icons Megadeth, who will play the festival as part of their ongoing final chapter, pop punk faves A Day To Remember, French metal heavyweights Gojira, edm/rock crossover trailblazers The Prodigy, emo icons Pierce The Veil, nu metal veterans Papa Roach, kawaii metallers Babymetal, shock rock godfather Alice Cooper, power metal main eventers Sabaton, legendary metal brothers Cavalera (performing the iconic Roots in full) and many, many more

“Last year, we took over Kentucky Kingdom and broke rock festival records. This year, we’re back to deliver the ultimate rock escape,” says Danny Wimmer of DWP, the promoters behind the festival. “Louder Than Life is your playground — ride the coasters, catch legendary and emerging bands, enjoy incredible food and bourbon, and dive headfirst into the rock experience you’ve been waiting for. It’s time to let loose and have fun. We’ll see you soon.”

Louder Than Life 2026 takes place September 17-20 at the Expo Center in Louisville, Kentucky, with tickets on sale now via a variety of day and weekend combos, camping options and partner hotel packages. Head to the official Louder Than Life website to find out more and book your tickets.

See the poster and full lineup for this year's Louder Than Life festival below.

The Louder Than Life poster — (Image credit: DWP)

Louder Than Life 2026 full lineup

My Chemical Romance
Iron Maiden
Tool
Limp Bizkit
Pantera
Pierce The Veil
Gojira
Danny Elfman
The Prodigy
Sublime
Papa Roach
A Day To Remember
BABYMETAL
Megadeth
Danzig
Halestorm
Rise Against
Alice Cooper
Circa Survive
Ice Nine Kills
Jimmy Eat World
The Mars Volta
Mastodon
The Used
Bilmuri
Sabaton
Coheed and Cambria
The Pretty Reckless
Hot Mulligan,
Taking Back Sunday
Sleeping With Sirens
In This Moment
Dance Gavin Dance
Chiodos
Black Label Society
Killswitch Engage
Anthrax
Ministry
Cavalera
Skillet
The Warning
Nothing More
Tom Morello
Lindsey Stirling
Dethklok
Black Veil Brides
Kublai Khan TX
Underoath
Alkaline Trio
Machine Head
Suicidal Tendencies
Chad Gray
Starset
Badflower
Alexisonfire
Animals As Leaders
Thrice
LOATHE
Coal Chamber
P.O.D.
The Home Team
Bowling For Soup
Thursday
We The Kings
From Ashes To New
Fit For A King
Sleep Theory
President
GWAR
Palaye Royale
L.S. Dunes
Atreyu
Lit
Get Scared
Set It Off
Blood For Blood
Sunami
Filter
Alissa White-Gluz
Soulfly
Between The Buried And Me
ERRA
Chelsea Grin
After The Burial
Lacey Sturm
Toadies
Currents
Orianthi
Boundaries
Make Them Suffer
Metal Church
The Acacia Strain
The Red Jumpsuit
Apparatus
Holding Absence
HAYWIRE
Spite
Agnostic Front
Escape The Fate
Jutes
Emmure
ivri
Alien Ant Farm
Bodysnatcher
Scene Queen
Caskets
Rain City Drive
The Funeral Portrait
PeelingFlesh
Haste The Day
Holywatr
Locked Shut
Hail The Sun
Madball
I See Stars
Mushroomhead
Angel Du$t
Scary Kids Scaring Kids
The Word Alive
Jeff Hardy
Mac Sabbath
The Ataris
The Rasmus
Volumes
Wind Walkers
Twitching Tongues
Powerman 5000
The Barbarians of California
Emery
Maylene & The Sons of Disaster
Born of Osiris
H2O
Red
Josey Scott
Adelitas Way
Thousand Below
Soil
Arrows in Action
Chained Saint
Zero 9:36
Elijah
Holy Wars
Butcher Babies
Nevertel
Dry Kill Logic
Icon For Hire
Kami Kehoe
Codefendants
Texas Hippie Coalition
Austin Carlile
The Pretty Wild
End It, Vana
Rivers of Nihil
Like Moths To Flames
Signs of the Swarm
Archers
KOYO
Primer 55
Emarosa
Gemini Syndrome
Shaman's Harvest
200 Stab Wounds
156/Silence
Missing Link
Fox Lake
sace6
Greyhaven
King 810
Many Eyes
Tantric
The Violent Hour
Dark Divine
Sent By Ravens
Showing Teeth
Earshot
TX2
Diamante
OTHERWISE
Doobie
He Is Legend
Aviana
vianova
Future Palace
Cane Hill
Corpse Pile
40 Below Summer
Heavy//Hitter
Bodybox
Boltcutter
Resolve
Dreamwake
Gates To Hell
Death Valley Dreams
Set For Tomorrow
Billy McNicol

Artists

Merlin was promoted to Executive Editor of Louder in early 2022, following over ten years working at Metal Hammer. While there, he served as Online Editor and Deputy Editor, before being promoted to Editor in 2016. Before joining Metal Hammer, Merlin worked as Associate Editor at Terrorizer Magazine and has written for Classic Rock, Rock Sound, eFestivals and others. Across his career he has interviewed legends including Ozzy Osbourne, Lemmy, Metallica, Iron Maiden (including getting a trip on Ed Force One courtesy of Bruce Dickinson), Guns N' Roses, KISS, Slipknot, System Of A Down and Meat Loaf. He has also presented and produced the Metal Hammer Podcast, presented the Metal Hammer Radio Show and is probably responsible for 90% of all nu metal-related content making it onto the site.

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