BLOODSTOCK FESTIVAL

Everything you need to know about Bloodstock Festival including 2027 dates, tickets, lineup, venue information, stages and what to expect from one of the UK’s biggest metal festivals.

BLOODSTOCK FESTIVAL 2027

Bloodstock Open Air is one of the UK’s biggest and most established festivals dedicated entirely to heavy metal and extreme music. Held every summer at Catton Park in Derbyshire, the festival brings together thousands of metal fans for four days of live music, camping and everything that makes the heavy metal community unique.

Originally launched as an indoor festival in 2001, Bloodstock Open Air was introduced in 2005, expanding the festival into a major outdoor event. Over the years, Bloodstock has developed a reputation for putting together lineups that span traditional heavy metal, thrash, death metal, black metal, doom, metalcore, progressive metal and the wider alternative scene.

Unlike larger mainstream festivals, Bloodstock remains heavily focused on metal, with multiple stages giving established names and emerging artists the chance to perform to dedicated fans.

The festival has also become an important part of the UK’s metal calendar, with its New Blood Stage and Metal 2 The Masses programme helping introduce new and emerging bands to a much wider audience.

Bloodstock festival main stage the Ronnie James Dio stage

BLOODSTOCK FESTIVAL 2027 DATES

Bloodstock Festival 2027 takes place from Thursday 5 August to Sunday 8 August 2027 at Catton Park in Derbyshire.

Location: Catton Park, Walton-on-Trent, Derbyshire

The four-day festival will bring thousands of metal fans together for a weekend featuring some of the biggest names in heavy music alongside emerging artists from across the metal scene.

Bloodstock Open Air has been held at Catton Park since 2005, with the venue becoming synonymous with the festival and its distinctive atmosphere.

WHEN DO BLOODSTOCK 2027 TICKETS GO ON SALE?

Bloodstock has already confirmed its 2027 dates, with early-bird weekend tickets available from the festival’s main entrance box office during Bloodstock 2026.

The early-bird weekend ticket price has been announced at £210 with no booking fee.

With three major headliners already confirmed and the first wave of bands featuring some huge names from across the metal world, demand for Bloodstock 2027 tickets is expected to be strong.

Fans can keep up with ticket announcements and further information through the official Bloodstock website.

Tickets go on sale online on Monday, the 10th of August 2026, from their official site here.

BLOODSTOCK 2027 LINEUP

Bloodstock has revealed its first major lineup announcement for 2027, and the festival has already confirmed three huge main-stage headliners.

MERCYFUL FATE

Friday’s headline slot on the Ronnie James Dio Stage will be taken by legendary Danish heavy metal band Mercyful Fate.

The band last headlined Bloodstock in 2022 and will return to Catton Park in 2027 with new music on the way.

Mercyful Fate remain one of the most influential bands in the history of heavy metal, with their distinctive blend of heavy riffs, dark imagery and theatrical performances continuing to influence generations of metal musicians.

ELECTRIC CALLBOY

Saturday night will see Electric Callboy make their Bloodstock debut as headliners.

Known for combining metalcore and electronic music with outrageous visuals, huge breakdowns and an unmistakable sense of humour, Electric Callboy have become one of the biggest crossover acts in modern heavy music.

Their Bloodstock appearance will also be their first time playing the festival.

MOTIONLESS IN WHITE

Motionless In White will headline Bloodstock on Sunday night.

The Pennsylvania band have become one of the biggest names in modern metalcore, combining heavy riffs and industrial influences with gothic aesthetics and enormous live performances.

Their 2027 Bloodstock appearance will be their first European festival headline performance and their only UK show of 2027.

THE FIRST BLOODSTOCK 2027 LINEUP

The first announcement already features an enormous range of metal styles.

Ronnie James Dio Stage

  • Mercyful Fate
  • Electric Callboy
  • Motionless In White
  • Acid Bath
  • Green Lung
  • Children Of Bodom
  • Devildriver
  • Corrosion Of Conformity
  • Imminence
  • Wind Rose
  • Sylosis
  • Decapitated
  • Witch Club Satan
  • HammerFall
  • Hypocrisy
  • The Halo Effect
  • Tortured Demon
  • Gutalax
  • Humanity’s Last Breath
  • Conan

Sophie Lancaster Stage

  • Dethklok
  • Madball
  • Gaerea
  • Kanonenfieber
  • Dool
  • Pig Destroyer
  • Fulci

This is only the first wave of the Bloodstock 2027 lineup, with more bands expected to be announced in the coming months.

Electric Callboy Live Portsmouth Guildhall. Pump it banner showing the band in workout clothes

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM BLOODSTOCK FESTIVAL

FOUR DAYS OF HEAVY METAL

Bloodstock is built around heavy music.

From traditional heavy metal and thrash to death metal, black metal, doom, metalcore and progressive sounds, the festival covers a huge range of the metal spectrum.

The lineup is designed to appeal to dedicated metal fans rather than simply following mainstream festival trends, making Bloodstock one of the UK’s most important events for heavy music.

THE RONNIE JAMES DIO STAGE

The Ronnie James Dio Stage is Bloodstock’s main stage and hosts the festival’s biggest performances.

In 2027, the stage will welcome headline performances from Mercyful Fate, Electric Callboy and Motionless In White, alongside appearances from bands including Acid Bath, Green Lung, Children Of Bodom, HammerFall, Sylosis, Devildriver and many more.

THE SOPHIE LANCASTER STAGE

The Sophie Lancaster Stage offers another major part of the Bloodstock experience, showcasing a mixture of established and emerging metal artists.

The 2027 lineup already includes Dethklok, Madball, Gaerea, Kanonenfieber, Dool, Pig Destroyer and Fulci.

The stage is named in memory of Sophie Lancaster and reflects Bloodstock’s long-standing connection with the wider metal community.

DISCOVER THE NEXT GENERATION

Bloodstock isn’t only about the biggest names on the poster.

The festival has long supported emerging artists through its New Blood Stage and Metal 2 The Masses competition, giving unsigned and developing bands an opportunity to perform in front of a huge audience.

For fans, that makes Bloodstock one of the best places to discover the next generation of metal bands before they make the move to bigger stages.

BEYOND THE MUSIC

Bloodstock has developed into much more than a collection of live performances.

The festival combines its stages with camping, food and drink, merchandise, signing sessions, entertainment and a huge community of metal fans.

The result is an atmosphere that feels very different from a mainstream summer festival, with the entire weekend built around the culture and community of heavy music.