Twenty years in and Slam Dunk Festival shows no signs of slowing down. The UK’s biggest independent rock festival has just confirmed its 2026 European expansion, with Knocked Loose topping the bill across all four dates this summer.
The Kentucky hardcore heavyweights, fresh off their latest single featuring Denzel Curry, will tear through Hatfield Park (23 May) and Temple Newsam in Leeds (24 May) before carrying the chaos across the Channel. These UK dates remain the only chance to catch Knocked Loose on British soil this summer, so act accordingly.
New for 2026, the festival makes its German debut on Friday 29 May at Turbinenhalle 1&2 in Oberhausen, with Paleface Swiss, Stand Atlantic, Hawthorne Heights, Static Dress, Holywatr and Sweet Pill joining the bill. The run wraps up in Milan on Monday 1 June at Circolo Magnolia, where Gorilla Biscuits join the lineup alongside the same stacked roster.
What started as a single stage in Leeds’ Millennium Square back in 2006, headlined by Fall Out Boy, has grown into a multi-stage, multi-genre institution that’s become a rite of passage for the alternative community. From Paramore and Jimmy Eat World to Enter Shikari and Sum 41, the festival has always put on the best acts in the genre.
Last year RAMzine reported mime crowdsurfing, metalcore violins and inflatable pizza at Slam Dunk, and we’d expect nothing less from our beautifully chaotic community. Glorious randomness is exactly what makes this festival feel like home. With the lineup already shaping up nicely and the European leg adding a whole new dimension, 2026 is looking like another essential year.
Tickets for the European shows go on sale Thursday 19 February at 9am GMT via slamdunkfestival.com. UK tickets are on sale now and selling fast.
