Slam Dunk Festival has revealed the first wave of artists for 2027, and the UK’s biggest independent rock festival is not holding back for its 21st edition. Bowling For Soup, Simple Plan, Killswitch Engage, Beartooth, Sleeping With Sirens, The Used and The Front Bottoms top the bill, with more than 20 acts spanning pop punk, emo, ska and metal.
There’s a twist this time. The festival heads north first, landing at Leeds Temple Newsam on Saturday 29 May before closing at Hatfield Park on Sunday 30 May 2027.
Anniversaries run right through the line-up. Bowling For Soup mark 25 years of Drunk Enough To Dance, home to ‘Girl All The Bad Guys Want’, and frontman Jaret Reddick called their 2023 Slam Dunk set “up there with my favorite shows of our career.” Simple Plan return after eight years to celebrate 25 years of No Pads, No Helmets…Just Balls, and the two bands rotate closing slots across the weekend.
Ska fans have plenty to shout about. Reel Big Fish play an exclusive UK reunion show, with vocalist Aaron Barrett joining original members for the first time in more than 15 years. Less Than Jake, The Interrupters and Isle of Wight punks Grade 2 complete a strong ska punk showing.
For the heavier crowd, Killswitch Engage make their first ever Slam Dunk appearance, topping the heavy stage on the back of 2025’s This Consequence. Beartooth, Wage War, The Amity Affliction, ERRA, Melrose Avenue and From Ashes To New join them.
Nostalgia hits hard elsewhere. We The Kings celebrate 20 years of their self-titled debut and ‘Check Yes Juliet’, The Academy Is… mark two decades of Santi, and Cute Is What We Aim For make a rare trip across the Atlantic. Trophy Eyes celebrate ten years of Chemical Miracle with a set exclusive to Slam Dunk.
The Maine, Four Year Strong, Knuckle Puck, Overgrown, Leeds mathcore outfit Love Rarely, Hot Milk, Mouth Culture, As December Falls and RedHook round out the first wave.
We love that Killswitch Engage are finally making their Slam Dunk debut, and a Reel Big Fish reunion is worth the ticket on its own. With more names still to come, 2027 is shaping up to be a big one.
Tickets are on sale now.
