5 Festivals To Watch Out For in 2025
5 Festivals To Watch Out For in 2025
Preview by Oli Gonzalez
2024 is coming to an end. It can be a time to reflect on what a wonderful year it’s been for live music. On a personal level, I’ve managed to attend many new festivals here in the UK as well as venturing out to The Netherlands for the very first time. The idea of being in a field somewhere camping for a few days with a nice cold beer seems a million miles away right now. But, it’ll be festival season again before we know it, so here are some UK festivals to keep an eye out for next year…
(Disclaimer: all information is accurate as of 09/12/2024).
Fortress Festival – June, Scarborough
2024’s sold out event featured one of the most revered and star-studded Black Metal line ups the island has ever seen! Possibly THE biggest. How do the fine folk at Reaper Agency top that? One word; Aggaloch. Yep, the North American heavyweights had been inactive for a painful amount of time and haven’t played in the UK since August 2015. Next June, you’ll have a chance to see them for the one and only time in Europe this calendar year, not in the caves of Balve, the fields of Wacken, or the hustle and bustle of London. Nope, up in the quiet and tranquil North Yorkshire seaside town of Scarborough! That’s not all though.
For the first time, we’ll see a third stage featuring performances from Darkher and Sylvainne in an intimate candlelit setting that beckons to be one of a kind. 1349, Ulcerate, and The Great Old Ones add firepower higher up the cards, whilst the strength of the UK Black Metal scene is celebrated in the form of seasoned veterans Fen, as well as rising stars Abduction, and Devastator.
Tickets WILL sell out so don’t delay if you want in on this monster of a line up.
ArcTanGent – August, Bristol
From the coast of Scarborough to the fields of Fernhill Farm, Bristol, where James Scarlett and his team have consistently produced some of the most eclectic and star-studded lineups of bands you’ve probably never even heard of! With 4 days of music featuring 100+ bands across 5 different stages, if you’re going to discover your new favourite band at a festival, it’s likely going to be at ArcTanGent! Featuring some of the best of Progressive and left field music, 2025’s instalment will so far consist of Karnivool, We Lost The Sea, The Melvins, Between The Buried And Me, …and there’s still a blockbuster of an announcement to come in the new year.
Incineration Festival – May, Camden Town London
In the heart of Camden Town, the English capital will see its annual celebration of all things Heavy and Extreme. 2024’s edition featured 4 venues. This wouldn’t be enough for 2025’s addition. Nope, a fifth has been added in the form of the Roadhouse, set to be headlined by Triptykon, with Batushka and the hotly anticipated Blood Incantation propping up the rest of the card in that venue so far. We’ll see the likes of Decapitated, Conjurer and Cryptopsy lay waste to the Electric Ballroom, whereas Undergang and Carnation will be ready to rip up their stages too. Black Metal fans will be satisfied with the likes of Spectral Wound and Blackbraid making rare UK appearances.
Again, there’s a material risk of this selling out so make sure you have your ticket before it’s too late.
Bloodstock Open Air
Unfortunately, this annual ritual at Catton Hall Park has already seen a sell out of weekend passes in record time! The only way you’ll be able to see the likes of Nailbomb, Gojira, Trivium, Machine Head and Mastadon at the fabled Derbyshire grounds next summer is via a day ticket or via resale. Instead of scrolling on in anger, let’s celebrate what a phenomenal achievement this is and a nod to the strength of the UK’s festival scene, which will also feature the likes of Lacuna Coil, Emperor, and Obituary, in what will surely go down as one of the most stacked metal lineups in UK festival history!
Damnation Festival
Now firmly established in its home of the Bowlers Exhibition Centre in Manchester, 2024’s edition featured blockbuster sets from Nails, Bleeding Through, Dragged Into Sunlight and many many more. As such, well over 1000 tickets sold on the first day of sales for 2025, blind without a band even being announced. Another festival where you’re likely to discover your next favourite band, With heart-stopping returns such including Warning, Stamping Ground, and The Haunted, grindcore supremos Pig Destroyer and Worm Rot, rising black metal standouts Gaerea, and French synthwave virtuosos Pertubator, there genuinely is so much ridiculous talent on display. At the time of writing, we’re only 14 out of nearly 50 bands with headliners yet to be announced.
Disclaimer: This preview is solely the property of Oli Gonzalez and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this preview, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
