Sick New World 2025 cancelled with organisers citing "unforeseen circumstances"

A general view of the atmosphere during the Sick New World music festival at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds on May 13, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
A general view of the atmosphere during the Sick New World music festival at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds on May 13, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Image credit: Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/WireImage))

The 2025 edition of the Sick New World festival has been cancelled, with organisers citing "unforeseen circumstances".

The event was scheduled for 12 April, 2025, in Las Vegas, Nevada. and was due to be headlined by Metallica and Linkin Park.

Evanescence, Queens Of The Stone Age, Gojira, Ministry, Meshuggah, Machine Head and AFI were also on the bill.

Due to take place at Las Vegas Festival Grounds, the one-day event was also set to feature Tomahawk, Melvins, Kittie, Refused, Exodus and more than 50 acts in total.

After rumours about the festival began to swirl, organisers today confirmed it would not go ahead.

In a statement, they say: "It is with great disappointment that we announce that Sick New World will no longer take place in Las Vegas on April 12, 2025.

"Despite our best efforts, we’ve encountered unforeseen circumstances that we are unable to overcome for next year’s show.

"We extend our heartfelt thanks to all the dedicated SNW fans who had made plans to join us for another cultural celebration of hard rock, goth, alternative and heavy music.

"Please stay tuned for further and future information regarding Sick New World.

"Tickets purchased directly from Font Gate Tickets will be automatically refunded to the original method of payment in as little as 30 days."

Sick New World was first held in 2023 and quickly became a favourite of fans and artists.

The 2024 edition was co-headlined by System of a Down and Slipknot. System of a Down also co-headlined 2023's inaugural staging of the festival, alongside Korn.

Speaking with Metal Hammer earlier this year, SOAD frontman Serj Tankian recalled how headlining the first Sick New World fest really struck a chord with him.

“As I saw from the stage at Sick New World last year, the multi-generational appeal of the music we have made is mind-blowing,” he stated. “Our music is more timeless than we ever imagined, and that is the hugest compliment for any artist.

“I really enjoyed Sick New World last year, so when the opportunity came up this year again, I said I’d love to do it."

Posted by sicknewworldfest on 

Stef wrote close to 5,000 stories during his time as assistant online news editor and later as online news editor between 2014-2016. An accomplished reporter and journalist, Stef has written extensively for a number of UK newspapers and also played bass with UK rock favourites Logan. His favourite bands are Pixies and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Stef left the world of rock'n'roll news behind when he moved to his beloved Canada in 2016, but he started on his next 5000 stories in 2022.