2ND WAVE ANNOUNCEMENT COMPLETES NEXT YEAR’S SLAM DUNK FESTIVAL LINE-UP

CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF THE UK’S BIGGEST INDEPENDENT ROCK FESTIVAL

THIS 2ND WAVE ANNOUNCEMENT COMPLETES NEXT YEAR’S LINE-UP

KNOCKED LOOSE

A LOSS FOR WORDS | ANGEL DU$T | BAYSIDE | BEAUTY SCHOOL | 

BOSTON MANOR | CALL ME AMOUR | COMEBACK KID | CURRENTS | 

DEAD PONY | DEAF HAVANA | DYING WISH | GUILT TRIP | 

HANDS LIKE HOUSES | HERIOT | MADINA LAKE | MALEVOLENCE | 

ORIGAMI ANGEL | PEST CONTROL | PUNK ROCK FACTORY | SAOSIN | 

SiM | STATE CHAMPS | STATIC DRESS | TRASH BOAT | 

VUKOVI | YOUTH FOUNTAIN 

PLUS - 

SPECIALLY FOR THE FESTIVAL’S 20TH ANNIVERSARY 

TWO NEW SIDE BY SIDE MAIN STAGES DEDICATED TO NON-STOP METALCORE, HARDCORE & POST-HARDCORE WITH ZERO SET CLASHES

Photo credit: Sam Strutt / Slam Dunk Festival

BANK HOLIDAY WEEKEND

HATFIELD PARK (SOUTH) - SATURDAY 23RD MAY 2026

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

TICKETS ON SALE NOW AT WWW.SLAMDUNKFESTIVAL.COM  

Slam Dunk, the UK’s biggest independent rock festival, has just dropped its second and final wave of artists, completing the stacked line-up for 2026. Joining Good Charlotte, Sublime and others, are Knocked Loose and 20+ other massive names set to take Slam Dunk by storm delivering the best of pop-punk, emo, ska, metal and beyond. Marking a monumental milestone, the festival celebrates 20 years next summer, cementing its status as a defining force in the UK’s alt scene. Since 2006, Slam Dunk has become a must-attend, consistently delivering iconic headliners and emerging talent alike.

Plus, Slam Dunk goes heavier than ever for 2026, with two new side by side stages dedicated entirely to metalcore, hardcore and post-hardcore, with zero set clashes especially for the festival’s 20th anniversary celebrations. Fans can expect non-stop chaos, as the heavy stages are set to host some of the scene's most explosive bands including the previously announced Bury Tomorrow, Cancer Bats and President, alongside stage headliners Knocked Loose, Malevolence and more. 

Slam Dunk will return to Hatfield Park on Saturday 23rd May, before heading north to Leeds, Temple Newsam on Sunday 24th May 2026. Tickets for Slam Dunk are selling fast, and fans are encouraged to get theirs now to avoid missing out. Visit www.slamdunkfestival.com. 

Joining Good Charlotte and Sublime at the top of the bill are Knocked Loose, Kentucky’s own hardcore heavyweights who have become one of the most talked-about bands in heavy music today. With a reputation for uncompromising energy and chaotic live shows, the band have delivered genre-defining anthems such as Counting Worms and Suffocate. Breaking out of the underground and onto some of the world’s biggest stages, Knocked Loose have won a loyal army of fans from all over the world, with critical acclaim further fuelling their meteoric rise, and a reputation as one of the must-see live acts of their era.

Slam Dunk is excited to announce even more additions completing the 2026 line-up, bringing the best of punk, hardcore and alternative music to the fields of Hatfield Park and Temple Newsam. 

Returning favourites A Loss For Words will be back on the bill, heading to Slam Dunk 2026 along with Baltimore’s Angel Du$t who are set to bring their dynamic power-pop energy fresh off touring North America, and emo veterans Bayside with a set that will be packed with fan favourites. Rising UK alt-rockers Beauty School join the line-up off the back of their October ‘25 album release ‘From Now On’. They’re joined by Boston Manor, continuing to push the boundaries of modern punk, and newcomers on the scene Call Me Amour ready to make their Slam Dunk debut. 

Hardcore heroes Comeback Kid and Connecticut's metalcore powerhouse Currents will bring unrelenting energy to the bill, along with alt-punks Dead Pony and festival favourites Deaf Havana celebrating the 15th Anniversary of ‘Fools and Worthless Liars’. Metalcore heavyweights Dying Wish will unleash their biggest hits including tracks from their 2025 album ‘Flesh Stays Together’ and Manchester hardcore fivepiece Guilt Trip join the bill having just signed to Roadrunner Records and recently completed a massive run of US shows. They’re joined by Australian post-hardcore five-piece Hands Like Houses, metalcore rising stars Heriot following a sold-out UK headline tour and US rockers Madina Lake.

The chaos continues with groove metal titans Malevolence storming back to Slam Dunk following the June ‘25 release ‘Where Only The Truth Is Spoken’, as well as emo-pop faves Origami Angel and Leeds’ Pest Control - widely tipped as one of the UK’s most exciting hardcore bands not to be missed. With their signature punked-up covers of pop classics, Punk Rock Factory join the line up, while post-hardcore legends Saosin make their Slam Dunk return, bringing with them their timeless sounds that helped define a generation. Japanese genre-bending SiM will bring their explosive mix of metal, reggae and punk, while the epic State Champs will serve up anthemic high-octane pop-punk favourites. Promising an unmissable, chaotic live performance, Static Dress will be at Slam Dunk next summer, alongside Trash Boat who may have a surprise in store! Closing out this stacked announcement are Scottish alt-rock favourites Vukovi who continue to captivate audiences all over the world and Vancouver’s emo and pop-punk export Youth Fountain.

In 2026 Slam Dunk Festival 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.