| Music Festival Name: | Hammerfest |
| Location: | Presthaven Beach Resort, Prestatyn, Wales |
| Years Active: | 2009–present |
| Dates: | March, April |
| Genre: | Heavy metal |
Hammerfest is a music festival held annually in North Wales. From 2013, Hammerfest has moved to the Haven site in Pwllheli, Hafan y Môr Holiday Park as the festival has outgrown its original site at Pontin's Holiday Village, Prestatyn, Wales. It is not related to a music festival of the same name hosted by white supremacist groups. The festival is owned by emc3i Ltd, sponsored by the music magazine Metal Hammer and run by the organizers of the Hard Rock Hell festival. Because the festival is held at a holiday camp, the organizers can make use of pre-built venues and stages, and attendees can stay in the on-site accommodation. This enables the festival to be held during the winter/spring months when outdoor camping is not desirable.
The original Hammerfest was held on 24–25 April 2009 in Prestatyn. Fifty bands appeared at the festival spread over three stages and across the two days. Saxon, Sepultura and Opeth headlined the two-day event.[1]
| Main Stage | ||
| Friday – Metal on Metal | Saturday – Metal on Metal | |
|---|---|---|
| Annotations Of An Autopsy Opeth Paradise Lost Architects HammerFall Malefice | Mayra Roxx Wolf Saxon Sepultura Skindred Voodoo Six Exit 10 | |
| Stage Two | ||
| Friday – Thrash and Power Metal | Saturday – Hammer Hounds | |
|---|---|---|
| Kiuas Power Quest Lethargy Warpath Evile Mutant The Rotted Blood Island Raiders | Cathedral Dream Evil Sylosis Gama Bomb Mencea Waylander Alestorm Týr Hexagram The Hollow Earth Theory Grand Magus Sacred Mother Tongue Attica Rage | |
| Stage Three | ||
| Friday – Buzz Metal | Saturday – Rising Records | |
|---|---|---|
| The Defiled Tesseract Firebrand Superrock Thirteenth Sign Imicus | Open The Skies Nex Trigger The Bloodshed Bleed From Within Sworn Amongst The Morning After Mia Hope Many Things Untold Everything Burns The Dead Lay Waiting With Chaos In Her Wake | |
The second Hammerfest was held on 12–13 March 2010, with a pre-party on the preceding Thursday. 44 bands performed across three stages during the two-day festival, with an additional 8 bands performing on the second and third stages during the Thursday pre-party. The festival was headlined by 5 Finger Death Punch and Suicidal Tendencies.[3]
| Main Stage | ||
| Friday – Metal on Metal | Saturday – Metal on Metal | |
|---|---|---|
| Napalm Death 5 Finger Death Punch DevilDriver Katatonia Epica Tony Martin's Headless Cross | Sabaton Suicidal Tendencies Iced Earth Skindred Orange Goblin Attica Rage | |
| Stage Two | |||
| Thursday – Empire Stage | Friday – XFM | Saturday – Hammer Hounds | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gentlemans Pistols SSS Arthemis Beholder Marshall Law | Swallow the Sun Warpath Abgott Conquest of Steel October File Malefice Savage Messiah Xerath | Vreid Carach Angren Dark Funeral Akercocke Zonaria Nefarium GU Medicine Panic Cell White Wizzard Shining Fury UK Rise to Remain | |
| Stage Three | |||
| Thursday – Metal Breaker | Friday – Fresh Blood | Saturday – Old Skool Metal / Metal Aid | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fury of the Waters Crimes of Passion Glass Artery | Revoker Cars on Fire No Made Sense Sondura Man Must Die Echovirus | Huron Godsized Hellfighter The More I See Isolysis Belligerence | |
The third Hammerfest was held on 18–19 March 2011. A pre-party was held on the preceding Thursday as in the previous year, with bands performing on the second and third stages. 48 bands performed across three stages during the two-day festival, with an additional 11 bands performing during the Thursday pre-party. Accept and Sabaton were the headline acts.[4]
Four months before the festival, Pontin's (who own the venue) went into administration. However, the festival still took place as scheduled.[5]
| Main Stage | ||
| Friday – Metal on Metal | Saturday – Metal on Metal | |
|---|---|---|
| Ill Niño Accept Turisas Wolf Sylosis Holy Grail | Viking Skull Sabaton Satyricon Entombed Grand Magus Attica Rage | |
| Stage Two | |||
| Thursday – Empire Stage | Friday – Jägermeister Stage | Saturday – Hammer Hounds | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metalica UK (tribute by Feral Circus) Attica Undercover Elixir Battleaxe Jaguar Mordecai Krusher | Blitzkrieg My Ruin Headcharger Bleed From Within Turbowolf Godsized Revoker Breed 77 Feed the Rhino The Treatment Never Means Maybe Idiom | Evile Onslaught Gama Bomb Diamanthian Abadden Mutant Fury On Chthonic Deadly Circus Fire Svart Crown Power Quest Beholder | |
| Stage Three | |||
| Thursday – Metal Breaker | Friday – Fresh Blood | Saturday – Metal Forge | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Graveyard Triaxis Dirty Rose Krusher | Spirtyus Subservience Arceye Ravenface The Mercy House Guardians of Andromeda | Sa-da-kO Oaf Ten Cent Toy Cry Havoc Severenth Outgunned | |
Hammerfest returned for a fourth edition of the festival on 15–18 March 2012.[6] Anthrax and Skindred were the headline acts on the main stage. The format was the same as previous years with the pre-party beginning on the Thursday night. In Total, 57 bands played across the three stages. Tickets for next year's Hammerfest 5 went on sale during the festival which promises to be bigger than ever at the new site.
| Main Stage | ||
| Friday – Battle Stage | Saturday – Metal on Metal | |
|---|---|---|
| Diamond Plate Waylander Chimaira Paradise Lost Anthrax Evile | Hell Wizard Dream Evil Amon Amarth Skindred Criminal | |
| Stage Two | |||
| Thursday – Thor's Stage | Friday – New Sounds Stage | Saturday – Hammer Hounds | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Krusher Black Rose Fury Saracen The Sanity Days Dirty DC Krusher | Arthemis Sci-Fi Mafia Heaven's Basement Fury UK Asomvel Slam Cartel Ravenface RSJ Archen Falling Red Evil Scarecrow Lawnmower Deth | Chemicals Of Democracy Severenth Cerebral Bore Sworn Amongst Avenger Senser Mortad Snakebite Elimination Virus Holosade Savage Messiah | |
| Stage Three | |||
| Thursday – Embryo Metal | Friday – Fresh Blood | Saturday – Metal Forge | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Firebrand Super Rock A Thousand Enemies Flame Fracture | Inferno Kyrbgrider Trucker Diablo Savage Outlaw Spirytus One More Victim | Oaf Collapse AR Red Mist Dripback Let's Play God | |
The fifth installment took place between the 14 and 16 March 2013. The pre-party night took place on the 14th with bands playing on the second stage. Hammerfest 5 saw the introduction of an unplugged stage on the Friday but in general only two stages were used. The event was moved to Hafan Y Mor in Pwllheli.
| Main Stage | ||
| Friday – Dragon Stage | Saturday – Rising Sun | |
|---|---|---|
| The Idol Dead Chemicals Of Democracy Arthemis Attica Rage Iron Savior Enslaved Hatebreed Killing Joke Desctruction Sci-Fi Mafia | Commander In Chief Shear 4Arm Heidevolk Senser Sodom Angel Witch Candlemass Saint Vitus Napalm Death | |
| Stage Two | |||
| Thursday – Samurai Stage | Friday – Jägermeister Stage | Saturday – Jägermeister Stage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goddam Electric Dyscarnate Black Acid Souls Vicious Nature Savage Messiah Sacred Mother Tongue Sister Sin Krusher | Sansara Deadman Sugar Fire In The Empire Triaxis Ancient Adelesant Iron Knights RSJ Cayne Chimp Spanner Bloodshot Dawn Absolva Winterfylleth Lifer Viza Evil Scarecrow | OAF Flayed Disciple Driven Monument Bull Riff Stampede Making Monsters Undersmile Serpent Venom HARK Def Con One MOS Generator Abadden Line Of Fire Bludvera Mpire Of Evil | |
| Stage Three | |||
| Friday – Unplugged At The Barrell | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Triaxis Chemicals Of Democracy Arthemis Attica Viza | |||
Hammerfest VI ("Book of the Dead") was in Pwllheli from 13 to 16 March 2014.
Hammerfest VII, titled "METAL MARAUDERS" was held from 12 to 15 March 2015.