SLAM DUNK CELEBRATES 20TH ANNIVERSARY WITH MASSIVE 1st LINE-UP REVEAL

GOOD CHARLOTTE EUROPEAN EXCLUSIVE

SUBLIME FIRST-EVER UK SHOW

ALSO JOINING THE BILL - 

A | ALLISTER | BROADSIDE | BURY TOMORROW 

CANCER BATS | CARTEL | DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL 

DRIVEWAYS | GOLDFINGER | HAWTHORNE HEIGHTS 

MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK | PRESIDENT | SET YOUR GOALS

STAND ATLANTIC | TAKING BACK SUNDAY | THE HOME TEAM 

THE MENZINGERS | THE SUICIDE MACHINES 

TONIGHT ALIVE | UNPEOPLE | ZEBRAHEAD

HATFIELD PARK (SOUTH) - SATURDAY 23RD MAY 2026

LEEDS TEMPLE NEWSAM (NORTH) - SUN 24TH MAY 2026

Slam Dunk, the UK’s biggest independent rock festival, returns for 2026, marking a monumental milestone as the festival celebrates 20 years. After another unforgettable Slam Dunk this summer, the festival is gearing up to raise the bar even higher with a massive first line-up dropping today. Topping the bill are Good Charlotte and Sublime, plus dozens more artists spanning the best in pop-punk, emo, ska, metal and beyond. 

Slam Dunk will return to Hatfield Park on Saturday 23rd May, before heading north to Leeds, Temple Newsam on Sunday 24th May 2026. Tickets are on sale this Saturday 27th September at 10am via www.slamdunkfestival.com. 

In 2026 Slam Dunk turns 20 and is throwing its biggest party yet. What started as a Leeds club night in 2001 grew into a one-day festival by 2006, headlined by Fall Out Boy. Since then, it’s exploded into a multi-award winning weekend festival, taking place at Hatfield Park and Temple Newsam. Over the years, Slam Dunk has brought icons like Paramore, Panic! At The Disco, Enter Shikari, Jimmy Eat World, Sum 41 and NOFX to the stage, while championing the next wave of rock, pop-punk, metal and emo. Now, two decades in, Slam Dunk is looking ahead to next summer, ready to deliver the biggest and best Slam Dunk yet.

And today, the first wave of the line-up drops. Flying in for their only European appearance, Good Charlotte will be closing this special 20th anniversary event. The genre-bending multi-platinum rock superstars and legendary four-piece will be back on UK soil for the first time since 2019, and returning to Slam Dunk for the first time since their 2018 debut. A band who have been instrumental in shaping the pop-punk scene since the early 2000s, Good Charlotte are set to serve up a career-spanning set, bursting with fan favourites like The Anthem, Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous and more. Slam Dunk will also be the first opportunity that UK fans can see the band perform tracks from their latest album, Motel Du Cap - and the only place in Europe to check out Good Charlotte next summer. 

Good Charlotte said, “We are excited to come back and play the UK for the first time in 7 years and to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Slam Dunk will be a great time. Kicking off this next chapter of GC in the UK this way will be a lot of fun and a great precursor for what is still to come! Some of our fav shows in our career have been in the UK and this will be no exception!”

Plus, Slam Dunk can reveal that Sublime will be playing their first-ever UK show at the festival next year. The iconic Californian band who helped to define the sound of a generation with their mix of ska, punk and reggae, will make Slam Dunk history with this landmark performance. Frontman Bradley Nowell’s tragic passing in 1996 cut the band’s original rise short, but today Sublime lives on with his son Jakob Nowell stepping up and carrying his father’s legacy into a brand new era. Fresh off the back of a triumphant set at Coachella, Sublime will bring their biggest hits Santeria, What I Got, Wrong Way and more to the UK for the very first time for an unmissable Slam Dunk moment, decades in the making. 

Also joining the stacked first wave for Slam Dunk 2026 are British alt-rock cult heroes A, and Chicago’s pop-punk staples Allister, bringing their high-energy live shows back to the UK. Virginia pop-rock trio Broadside who’ve been teasing fans with new music through 2025. They’ll be joined by metalcore heavyweights Bury Tomorrow and one of the most undeniable forces in heavy music Cancer Bats. Cartel return for a UK exclusive, celebrating 20 years since the release of their breakthrough LP Chroma - hailed as one of the greatest pop-punk records of all time, cementing their place in the pop-punk history books. Scene icons Dashboard Confessional, the emo pioneers behind tracks like Hands Down and Vindicated make the bill, alongside rising stars Driveways. They’re joined by L.A. ska-punk pioneers Goldfinger whose hits continue to soundtrack generations, and Hawthorne Heights, one of the most iconic emo acts of the new millennium and a mainstay on the touring circuit 20 years on.

Fresh off the back of their first new album release in a decade titled The Same Old Wasted Wonderful World, Motion City Soundtrack head to the fields of Slam Dunk next summer. Masked metal band PRESIDENT emerged this year keeping their identities a mystery, with their heavy-hitting singles including In The Name Of The Father fuelling a rapid rise to notoriety, just in time for their Slam Dunk debut. Elsewhere on the bill, hardcore-influenced pop-punk heroes Set Your Goals will come armed with hits including Mutiny! and The Few That Remain. Plus, Australian pop-punk powerhouses Stand Atlantic fresh from their biggest headline shows to date, join the line up as well as Taking Back Sunday who return for a very special UK exclusive and celebration of the 20th anniversary of their landmark album Louder Now, which spawned anthems like MakeDamnSure. Seattle heavy-pop four-piece The Home Team are also heading to Slam Dunk, along with Philadelphia punk heavyweights favourites The Menzingers, both expected to deliver epic, electrifying sets.

Rounding off this first wave announcement are ska-punk legends The Suicide Machines who dropped their new single Never Go Quietly in June, alt-rock favourites Tonight Alive, the  heavy pop-metal force unpeople, and long-running party starters (and Slam Dunk favourites) Zebrahead. With a line-up shaping up to be nothing short of unmissable, fans are urged to get tickets now to avoid missing out. 

Ben Ray, Founder of Slam Dunk Festival said, “When I started the festival 20 years ago, I had no idea it would get to the milestone of 20 years, let alone be the size that it has grown to. I am overwhelmed by the continued support for the event, both from the dedicated fan base who come every single year, to all the bands that keep coming back to play! A massive thank you to all!”

Slam Dunk Festival returns to Hatfield Park on Saturday 23rd May and Leeds Temple Newsam on Sunday 24th May 2026. Tickets are on sale this Saturday 27th September, 10am at www.slamdunkfestival.com.