BLOODSTOCKers, first a quick band update! Purely due to some unavoidable logistical issues, there’s been a little switch around on Saturday’s line-up. Everyone announced is still playing, but now OF MICE & MEN and DEATH ANGEL will perform on the Sophie Lancaster stage whilst NEVERMORE and URNE have moved to the Ronnie James Dio main stage. See the newly updated line-up poster at the bottom below for positioning.
Lots more news to share about BLOODSTOCK 2026! Wondering what there is to do at BLOODSTOCK besides watch bands and visit the signing tent? There’s always something fun going on in the Battle Arena and this year is no exception!
Get ready for the ultimate showdown of fluff and fun! BLOODSTOCK presents PILLOW FIGHT CLUB – a hilarious, action-packed, pillow fighting competition inspired by the legendary ‘Fight Club’ (but with way more feathers and far fewer bruises). Compere extraordinaire will be none other than Sam Strachan from Raised By Owls, ably assisted by a referee – his band mate Lee Deane – whose decisions are final!
At 4:30pm on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, head to the Battle Arena for a series of epic pillow battles. Each day, contestants will face off in a tournament-style event, battling through heats, semi-finals, and a grand final to crown the day’s Pillow Fight Club Champion!
The first rule of PILLOW FIGHT CLUB is: you do not talk about PILLOW FIGHT CLUB.
Other rules include:
- One-Handed Only: Swing your pillow with one hand – no two-handed attacks!
- Stay in the Ring: Step outside the circle and you forfeit.
- Knockdown: If you’re floored, you have 5 seconds to get up.
- No Rough Stuff: No pushing, grabbing, or hitting with anything but the pillow.
- Sportsmanship: No unsportsmanlike conduct.
- Showmanship Counts: Creative stage names, costumes, and crowd engagement can help you win!
- Referee Decisions: The referee’s whistle signals warnings, stops, and the end of matches.
Safety First
- Remove glasses, jewelry, and piercings before fighting.
- Don’t participate if you’re heavily pregnant, recently injured, very drunk, or have relevant health conditions.
- All participants must sign a waiver before competing.
Bring your best moves, wildest costumes, and get ready for a pillow fight like no other. Sign up at the arena – may the best pillow warrior win!
Get ready for the HELLBENT HOEDOWN! Heavy metal meets line dancing at 2:30pm Fri, Sat, and Sun – led by Steel City Line Dancers and built for everyone! Whether you’re a battle-jacket veteran, a two-left-feet newcomer, or just there to “see what happens after the third beer”, come two-step to Trivium. Full instructions will be given to join in with the boot-stompin’ chaos! Think circle pit energy… but with cowboy boots on (or dino costumes, no judgement)!
No experience needed. No shame allowed. Just show up, throw shapes, and try not to spill your pint. Unleash your inner outlaw and throw down at the hellbent hoedown!
Ever been curious to LEARN TO SCREAM like a professional singer? Or perhaps you’d like some tips to improve? On Saturday at 12pm in the Battle Arena, you can join SHAY HOCHBERG – a metal vocalist, performer, and vocal coach specialising in safe, extreme vocal techniques including screams, growls, distortion, and fry vocals!
During this interactive workshop, participants will explore how extreme vocals actually work through guided demonstrations, vocal warm-ups, group exercises, and hands-on practice. The session is open to all levels – from complete beginners with no experience to experienced vocalists – with a strong focus on vocal health, expression, confidence, and body awareness. Just bring your willingness to make some noise!
Learn about Shay via:
Instagram: @shay_xvocals / shayhochberg.com/en
Get your blood pumpin’ every morning Fri – Sun at 10:30am for 45 mins by joining the free ROCKFIT class! RockFit is an alternative, high-energy fitness class designed specifically for metal fans, combining rock/metal music with dance, cardio, and strengthening exercises. An all-abilities workout to shake off the night before and prepare for the festival day.
And if you just need some space to take a little time out, every night from 6pm – 3am, Fri – Sun, the Battle Arena becomes a CHILL ZONE.
THE 100 RETURNS – AND IT COULD BE YOU!
BLOODSTOCK is thrilled to announce the return of The 100 for 2026, the exciting initiative that gives 50 winners and their chosen +1’s a truly unforgettable festival experience!
Drawn completely at random from the 2026 weekend ticket purchasers, The 100 offers fans the chance to experience the festival like never before, with exclusive access, rare merch, and more!
Those selected for The 100 can look forward to:
- An exclusive backstage tour and meet & greet with one of the Festival Directors
- An official ‘The 100’ goody bag with exclusive merchandise and limited-edition rarities
- An exclusive lanyard and laminate
- Access to a private undercover chill-out area inside the arena
- Additional surprises throughout the weekend
If you’ve purchased a full weekend ticket for BOA2026 (standard or VIP), then you’re automatically entered into the draw! Keep an eye on your inboxes over the coming days because this is one email you will not want to miss!
Please note, The 100 experience is strictly non-transferable. If selected participants decline, transfer, or sell their ticket. then they will no longer qualify and the same random selection process will take place to determine a new winner. Winners and their chosen +1 must both be over 18 and hold valid full weekend tickets.
As we mentioned last month, on Sunday there’s a special treat in the RAM Gallery, as festival founder and renowned artist Paul Gregory will be exhibiting his original, oil on canvas, Lord Of The Rings-inspired painting ‘Morannon’ (shown above)! An impressive 1.8m x 3m in size, it was last exhibited over 20 years ago at the indoor BLOODSTOCK. But that’s not all you can see in the RAM Gallery this year! Don’t miss your chance to check out….
A wealth of special and rare JUDAS PRIEST items on a dedicated JUDAS PRIEST wall, including one of Rob Halford’s infamous stage jackets and a custom themed guitar made by Paul Cutting and commissioned by Paul Gregory, plus artwork by artist Mark Wilkinson (Instagram: @masquestudio).
BLOODSTOCK is also keen to support new artists, so do stop by and check out up and coming artist Emperical Mallum, discovered by festival director Vicky Hungerford on TikTok! Learn more at: www.empiricalmalum.com / Instagram: @malum.artist
There will also be a stunning Ozzy Osbourne inspired custom guitar made by Paul Cutting (no sneaky photos, you’ll have to wait and admire it in the RAM Gallery), a throwback section to BLOODSTOCK’s indoor days, featuring classic photos and memorabilia, the return of the iconic Lemmy Kilmister bust, an area focused on Heavy Metal Truants history marking their first charity cycle to BLOODSTOCK this year, and a custom Alex The Terrible painting by Danny Edwards (Instagram: @danslayer666tattoo).
And there’s still more to be revealed or discover on the day!
Got your ticket and making plans already? BLOODSTOCK’s dedicated one-stop-shop with PREO is now up and running, featuring an array of festival goodies from nice-to-have to downright essential! From beers, ciders, and wine to merch, airbeds, duvets/pillows, and more, you can secure your items in advance from one online shop. There’s also a limited edition sun hat from Fat Franks for just £5, with all proceeds going to the Samaritans. No lugging it from your car, just collect on your arrival at BLOODSTOCK! For more info and to explore the online shop, visit the Bloodstock Festival Preo store.
LOCKERS!!The BLOODSTOCK LOCKER setup is bigger and better this year! There are now multiple locker locations across the site, with most offering 24-hour access. They also have built-in USB-C + USB-A charging ports so your phone never dies in the pit (just remember to bring your own charging cable)!
Lockers will be located in: Main Arena – accessible during arena opening hours onlyMidgard campsite – 24 hoursIronwood campsite – 24 hoursValhalla campsite – 24 hoursVIP campsite – 24 hours
Lockers are limited – book early here to avoid disappointment!
In today’s world, being greener remains an important goal for BLOODSTOCK.
In 2022, BLOODSTOCK invited AGF (A Greener Future) to attend the festival in order to earn their Greener Festival Certification and today remain committed as ever, working to those standards and more. You can learn more about the festival’s initiatives here but read on for some key plans this year:
SAY NO TO SINGLE USE TENTS – Tangerine Fields have once again teamed up with BLOODSTOCK to make your festival weekend even easier whilst also doing your bit for the environment.
Don’t like towing your tent home at the end of the festival and get tempted to abandon it? Two better options! Firstly, with a little planning, you can just turn up to find a pre-pitched tent ready and waiting for you in the Asgard campsite. At the end of the festival, no need to worry about packing your tent away and lugging it home as the Tangerine team will take care of it. Say No To Single Use Tents ensuring nothing goes to landfill. No hassle, no stress, No waste! Click here for more details and to place an order.
TENT DONATION – Secondly, if you do come with your own tent, or collect a pre-bought one on site, and would otherwise ditch it, there are a number of donation points in the campsites for when you are leaving! And it’s not just tents they’ll take! You can win a pair of tix to next year’s festival just for handing in unwanted tents, sleeping bags, chairs, mats, or airbeds, and tagging yourself under the poster on display by the tent donation point in your campsite. Tents and other items are then put to good use or sold off for charity. Look out for signs on site like the image above for where to donate!
FREE WATER – Bring a non-glass, refillable water bottle and utilise the free water points on site to help reduce plastic waste and save some pennies in your wallet at the same time.
RECYCLE – There are also plenty of recycling bins are located across the arena – please use them and keep BLOODSTOCK tidy! But when it comes to your cups from the bar…
CUP REDEMPTION SCHEME – Back by popular demand, collect cups and win prizes! This year, the prize pool has been increased to include Spin The Wheel as the highest reward, giving you the chance to win 2 standard weekend tickets to next year’s BLOODSTOCK worth £470, a signed guitar, a merch bundle, Winter Gathering tickets, or a booby prize! Do you dare? You might also win nothing but respect! Turn in your cups at Lemmy’s Bar to claim drinks, food, merch, VIP Serpent’s Lair access for two, or to spin the wheel! T’s & C’s apply.
SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL – Planning your route to BLOODSTOCK yet? For the closest drop-off on site and also eco points, why not come via a carbon-neutral BIG GREEN COACH? There are pick-up points all across the U.K.! And for the first time ever, you can now book your official coach travel to arrive on Wednesday as well as Thursday, helping you to take advantage of the add-on Wednesday Early Bird ticket option for an extra night of metal shenanigans! For those coming by train into Tamworth station, BLOODSTOCK can also confirm that the shuttle bus to site will also run on Wednesday! Get full info & book your seat with Big Green Coach here.
You can also travel by car using LIFTSHARE! Liftshare connect metal loving drivers and passengers going in the same direction. By sharing a spare seat or two, this reduces the number of cars on the road travelling to the festival and subsequently reduces carbon emissions as well as traffic jams. Explore more here.
BLOODSTOCK’s 25th anniversary is going to be truly unforgettable. BLOODSTOCK 2026 is delighted to present RJD headliners LAMB OF GOD, SLAUGHTER TO PREVAIL, JUDAS PRIEST, and SAXON. Sophie Lancaster stage headliners will be CRYPTOPSY (None So Vile 30-year anniversary set), WEDNESDAY 13, LEPROUS, and CARPENTER BRUT. You’ll also be able to see BODY COUNT, SEPULTURA, MUNICIPAL WASTE, DEATH ANGEL, TESTAMENT, NORTHLANE, BLEED FROM WITHIN, VENDED, ORBIT CULTURE, THE SCRATCH, IMPERIAL AGE, LIFE OF AGONY, OF MICE & MEN, BIOHAZARD, 200 STAB WOUNDS, THE HELL, BLACK SPIDERS, SHINING, NEVERMORE, EVIL SCARECROW, HEAVYSAURUS, SKYND, PARTY CANNON, BATTLESNAKE, INHUMAN NATURE, KITTIE, CASTLE RAT, GRAPHIC NATURE, BOOTYARD BANDITS, EXCREMENTORY GRINDFUCKERS, HIDDEN INTENT, SELLSWORD, NECKBREAKKER, SEETHING AKIRA, HAMMER, STAMPIN GROUND, URNE, CELESTIAL SANCTUARY, THROWN INTO EXILE, VIKING SKULL, BOUND IN FEAR, IMPERIUM, FROGLORD, MUSHROOMHEAD, DREAM STATE, TRIVAX, MANTIS DEFEATS JAGUAR, BLOOD COUNTESS, GURT, OUTERGODS, FLAYED DISCIPLE, NOISEPICKER, ACID THRONE, ALUNAH, VOID BELOW, TEMPLES ON MARS, CONCRETE AGE, THRASHERWOLF, IMPERIAL DEMONIC, CHAINED SAINT, IMBRIUM, OVERPOWER, UNTAMED SILENCE, CHANGE PERSONA, AFTER SMOKE CLEARS, SOULRIDE, VANITAS, GOAT MAJOR, CANCEL THE TRANSMISSION, TEMPEST SAINT, TROLLMOTHER, DOSED, STITCHED, WREX, FOLLOWING THE SIGNS, THE CARTOON CARTEL, and AETHORIA. And there’s still more bands to be announced.
All weekend tickets (including Kyrr) are now sold out, but you can still snap up day tickets for £99 (+fees) to be part of the fun! Not been to the festival before? A day ticket is a perfect taster to see what you think! Child tickets are also available and under 4’s attend for free. Head over to the ticket store to see all options and if you’re coming by car, pre-book to save on car parking!
For the most up to date festival information, visit the official website at bloodstock.uk.com.
BLOODSTOCK 2026 will take place at Catton Park, Derbyshire on 6th – 9th August, 2026.
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