“Too many great artists are playing in 2026, and you want to see all of them? That’s why we’re giving you the timetable now, so you have six months to plan everything at your own pace,” the organizers of Rock im Park announced on Sunday afternoon (7th of December 2025). In previous years, ticket holders already knew well in advance which band would perform on which day, but the exact times were only revealed a few weeks before the festival started. The lineup, featuring over 50 bands in total, has been finalized since the end of October.
According to the schedule, the opener on Friday, 5th of June 2026, will be the band "Ecca Vandal" on the Utopia Stage. The musical kickoff for the upcoming Rock im Park festival is set for 12:50 p.m. Alongside "The Pretty Reckless," who play relatively early with a 2:50 p.m. slot, the first festival day will also feature bands such as "The Subways," "Badflower," "Electric Callboy," "Materia," and headliners "Volbeat," who are slated to perform at 9:15 p.m. The "H-Blockx," whose show is scheduled to start at 12:50 a.m., will close out Friday on the Orbit Stage.
Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an
The festival Saturday is expected to kick off at 12:35 p.m. with Bad Nerves. Headliners "Iron Maiden" will take the Utopia Stage at 8:40 p.m. Following them, the final acts of the evening are "Sabaton" at 11:20 p.m. and "Sondaschule" closing out just before midnight.
On Sunday afternoon, bands such as "Mastodon," "Architects," "Papa Roach," "Trivium," and "Mehnersmoos" are scheduled to perform, leading up to the day’s headliner, "Linkin Park," who will take the stage at 9:30 p.m. The festival will conclude with performances by "Limp Bizkit," "Danko Jones," and "The Butcher Sisters."
Criticism is limited so far
The timetable has caused considerable frustration among ticket holders on several occasions, especially last year, as multiple major acts performed simultaneously or the scheduling was seen as poorly arranged by some fans.
Whether the 2026 lineup for the festival giant will disappoint some attendees remains to be seen. However, overall there are fewer genre overlaps in the schedule, which should make it easier for fans of a specific style to catch their favorite acts without having to choose between them. The exception is the clash between "Papa Roach" and "Trivium" - two metal bands whose biggest hits came mainly in the 2000s and therefore likely share a significant overlap in their fan bases. Here, the timetable could become a likely point of criticism and leave some fans with long faces.
Rock im Park 2026 already sold out
This year, in 2025, the festival celebrated its 30th anniversary and was completely sold out. A total of 88,500 people flocked to the grounds at the Zeppelinfeld to enjoy three days of nonstop festivities and listen to a wide range of bands across four stages. Weekend tickets for Rock im Park 2026 have already sold out, though day tickets for Friday are still available. Those without a ticket can enter a raffle for a "Golden Pass" - granting lifetime free admission - via the festival’s social media channels until 10th of December. Rock im Park 2026 will take place from the 5th of June to the 7th of June 2026, in Nuremberg.