| List of punk rock festivals | |
| Abovestyle: | background:#E9967A; |
| Above: | List of punk rock festivals |
| Headerstyle: | background:#EDC9AF; |
| Label2: | Related genres |
| Data2: | Punk rock, hardcore punk, rock |
| Label3: | Location |
| Data3: | Worldwide |
| Label4: | Related events |
| Data4: | Music festival, concert tour, rock festival, heavy metal festival, gothic festival |
| Label5: | Other |
| Data5: | Punk subculture |
The following is an incomplete list of punk rock music festivals. This list may have some overlap with list of rock festivals and list of heavy metal festivals. Punk is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock. By 1976 the first festivals were being organized.[1]
| Name | Year | Location | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| European Punk Rock Festival | 1976 | Mont de Marsan, France | This self-described "First European Punk Rock Festival" was held in Mont de Marsan in the southwest of France on 21 August 1976. The festival was organised by Marc Zermati and featured French bands: Bijou, Il Biaritz, Shakin’ Street, The Damned.[2] and was headlined by Eddie and the Hot Rods, a London pub rock group. The Sex Pistols were also scheduled to play but were dropped by the promoter claiming the band held excessive demands regarding top billing and certain amenities that were deemed “too much”. The Clash were also billed but backed out in solidarity. The only band from the new punk movement to appear was The Damned.[3] | |
| 100 Club Punk Festival | 1976 | London, United Kingdom | A two-days event held at the 100 Club —a typically jazz-oriented venue in Oxford Street, London, England- on 20 and 21 September 1976.[4] The gig showcased eight punk bands, most of which were unsigned. Each performing bands were associated with the evolving punk rock music scene and movement of the UK. The festival is viewed as a watershed event for the movement, as punk began to move from the underground and emerge into the mainstream music scene. | |
| Deeply Vale Festivals | 1976–1979 | England, United Kingdom | The Deeply Vale Festivals were unique series of free festivals held near Bury in northwest England in 1976, 1977, 1978 and 1979. They are regarded as significant events that united punk music into a festival scene. | |
| Rock Against Racism | 1976–1982 | United Kingdom | ||
| Rock Against Sexism | 1978– | United Kingdom | ||
| Futurama Festival | 1979-1989 2022- | Netherlands, United Kingdom | ||
| Heatwave | 1980 | Canada | Promoted as the Punk Woodstock | |
| International Pop Underground Convention | 1991 | Olympia, WAUnited States | Punk and indie festival associated with the start of the riot grrrl movement. | |
| Groezrock | 1992–2017 | Meerhout, Belgium | Groezrock was an annual music festival that took place in Meerhout, Belgium. It started out as a small rock and pop festival with one stage with a few hundred people attending, but evolved into a large punk rock/hardcore punk festival gathering attendances exceeding 30,000. | |
| Ieperfest | 1993–present | Ypres, Belgium | Hardcore punk festival | |
| Yoyo A Go Go | 1994–2001 | Olympia, WA United States | Held in 1994, 1997, 1999, and 2001 | |
| Vans Warped Tour | 1995–2019 | United States | A touring summer festival was held in venues such as parking lots or fields upon which stages and other structures were assembled for the duration of the event and then moved to the next location. It began as a showcase of extreme sports with alternative and punk rock music, and later progressed into more diverse music genres over the years. It was the longest running touring music festival in North America. The tour featured some stops in Canada and for a time, Australia and Europe. | |
| Antifest | 1995–present | Svojšice, Czech Republic | ||
| Rebellion Festival | 1996–present | Blackpool, United Kingdom | Main hub of the UK punk scene in the 21st century.[5] 300 bands over four days in August at the Blackpool Winter Gardens. Formerly ‘Holidays in the Sun’ and the ‘Wasted Festival’, it was held in nearby Morecambe for part of its first decade. The festival took a permanent place in Blackpool where it is held each Autumn. Some overseas spinoff festivals have also been held. | |
| Deconstruction Tour | 1999–present | Europe | Touring festival featuring punk rock bands and skating | |
| New England Metal and Hardcore Festival | 1999–2018, 2023–present | Worcester, MAUnited States | ||
| Fluff Fest | 2000–present | Rokycany, Czech Republic | Independent vegan hardcore punk festival, significant for European DIY punk | |
| Furnace Fest | 2000–present | Birmingham, ALUnited States | ||
| The Fest | 2002–present | Gainesville, FLUnited States | A three-day punk music festival taking over a large amount of the Gainesville, Florida downtown bar and outdoor event spaces that are almost completely operated by volunteer contribution. | |
| PunkFest @ 'The Cockpit', Leeds[6] | 2002, 2004 and 2005 | Leeds, United Kingdom | Three of a set of similar gigs and large one-day shows that took place between 2000 and 2006. The lengthy article - 'The Final Chapter' featured on the linked website is a summary of the experience of the promoter of these shows and contains a number of previously unavailable archive materials | |
| Drop Dead Festival | 2003–2012 | United States and Europe | An electro, post-punk, synthpunk, and experimental multi-day festival and the largest DIY festival for "art-damaged" music | |
| Common Ground Festival | 2004–present | Forest of Dean, England, United Kingdom | Originally known as Dirty Weekend Festival, Common Ground is a not-for-profit punk rock fundraiser featuring mostly independent anarcho-punk and hardcore punk bands and supporting political activism. | |
| Nice 'N Sleazy[7] [8] | 2004–present | Morecambe, United Kingdom | Began as offshoot for Rebellion (then Wasted) - campsite with own unofficial stage. Became separate festival in its own right when Wasted reverted to Blackpool in 2006[9] | |
| Mighty Sounds | 2005–present | Tábor, Czech Republic | Focused on punk rock and hardcore punk but also ska and reggae | |
| Riot Fest | 2005–present | Chicago, ILUnited States | ||
| Persistence Tour | 2005–present | Europe | Hardcore punk tour | |
| Insubordination Fest | 2006–2013 | Maryland,United States | ||
| Sound and Fury Festival[10] | 2006–present | Los Angeles, CAUnited States | ||
| Estonian Punk Song Festival | 2008–present | Estonia | ||
| Another Winter Of Discontent (AWOD)[11] | 2010–2017 | Tufnell Park/Derby, UK | Main event held at Boston Arms, secondary room of Tuffnell Park Dome - Northern offshoot AWOD North held in Derby. | |
| PouzzaFest | 2011—present | Montreal, Canada | Three-day festival in mid-May, taking place in several venues in downtown Montreal. | |
| Outbreak Festival | 2011—present | Manchester, United Kingdom | ||
| Undercover Festival[12] [13] [14] | 2012–present | Bilston/Brighton/Guildford/Margate/Tufnell Park/Woking, United Kingdom | ||
| Break the Ice | 2012–2014 | Melbourne, Australia | This event emerged from a 2012 show by Trapped Under Ice into a 2-day hardcore punk festival held in 2013 and 2014 | |
| Foreign Dissent | 2014—present | Orlando, FLUnited States | Annual festival featuring exclusively foreign bands (non-US) in Orlando, Florida.[15] | |
| Off Limits | 2017–present | Mexico City, Mexico | Annual independent hardcore punk festival organised by Puercords Records, which features Mexican and international bands. Past editions included bands such as Sick Of It All, Ignite, 88 Fingers Louie, Powertrip, Suicidal Tendencies, Wolfbrigade and more. | |
| Pop Punk Pile-Up | 2018 | Selby, United Kingdom | New alternative punk rock festival launching in the UK in 2018 featuring acts such as Mallory Knox, The Bottom Line, Room 94 and The King Blues as well as many upcoming acts.[16] | |
| Sad Summer Fest | 2019 - Present | United States | Widely considered to be the successor of the Vans Warped Tour. | |
| fForest Fest | 2022 | Morris, ILUnited States | Punk Rock Music Festival with 200 vendors | |
| Punk Rock Bowling Music Festival | 1999-present | Las Vegas, NVUnited States | 3-Days outdoor music festival held in downtown Las Vegas with additional late-night clubs performances held in multiple venues, live music pool-parties, bowling tournament, and other side events |