Welcome to Rockville 2025 roared to life once again at the Daytona International Speedway this last weekend May 15–18. With over 200,000 attendees from around the globe, the festival has solidified its title as “North America’s Largest Rock Festival.” While the music remained the main attraction, this year’s experiences weren’t very different than previous years with vendors, immersive activations, and a good amount of spaces to chill, plenty of shade, and extra water. The ferris wheel offered aerial views of the crowd and stages, while sponsor zones like the Bud Light Backyard and Jack Daniels’ Experience gave fans places to cool off, win prizes, and sip frozen cocktails.
One of the biggest upgrades in 2025 was the Pit Stop Shop, now enclosed and fully air-conditioned, offering limited edition merch and live SiriusXM artist interviews. This enhancement provided attendees with a comfortable environment to browse limited edition merchandise and enjoy live SiriusXM artist interviews. Additionally, a 50×100-foot enclosed, air-conditioned tent with seating was added adjacent to the Pit Stop Tent, offering fans a place to cool off and relax.
SiriusXM’s Octane took their Rockville presence to new heights this year, transforming into “Rockville Radio” with exclusive daily broadcasts, artist interviews, and fan shoutouts within the Pit Stop Shop. Jose “Metal Ambassador” Mangin, Caity Babs, and Shannon Gunz helped give attendees the opportunity to participate in live interviews and meet artists like like Bad Omens, Hollywood Undead, Shinedown, Sleep Theory, Halestorm, Bush, and From Ashes to New. Festival-goers could cool down in the tent while catching these up-close conversations with their favorite bands.
In a major convenience boost, Rockville also allowed fans to pre-purchase merch online, letting them skip the lines and get back to the music faster. And with temperatures soaring mid-weekend, organizers responded quickly—adding more water refill stations (powered by massive 6,000-gallon tanks), installing misters throughout the grounds, and stationing security staff across the festival to distribute bottled water. It was clear Rockville was committed to keeping fans safe and hydrated while the music blazed on.
Thursday launched the festival with a bang. On the Apex Stage, Florida rock royalty Shinedown headlined with a (close to) hometown set. Supporting the main stage was Theory of a Deadman, Three Days Grace, and The Pretty Reckless, who stepped in last-minute for 3 Doors Down (who had to cancel their touring due to lead singer Brad Arnold’s diagnosis of Stage 4 kidney cancer). Over at the Octane Stage, Rob Zombie delivered a twisted visual feast as the night’s headliner, preceded by fan-favorite sets from Halestorm, Bullet for My Valentine, Asking Alexandria, and From Ashes to New, who continue to rise in the metalcore scene. It was a blistering first day that set the tone for the chaos to come.
Friday brought a blend of punk, alt, and heavy nostalgia. Green Day took over the Apex Stage as the main headliner, ahead of the deluxe edition of their most recent album Saviors. Social Distortion filled in for Alice in Chains, while Jimmy Eat World, New Found Glory, and Bowling for Soup threw it back with anthems that defined a generation. Over on the Octane Stage, Good Charlotte made a triumphant appearance as headliners and even brought out Wheatus’ Brendan Brownto to perform the mega-hit “Teenage Dirtbag”. Also performing on the Octane Stage, Sublime (featuring Jakob Nowell), Bush, and Everclear all brought their own flavor of alt-rock. The Inferno Stage went heavy with acts like Knocked Loose, Kublai Khan TX, Erra, Invent Animate, and Boundaries, while a separate Friday Inferno run featured Killswitch Engage, Jinjer, and Miss May I. Meanwhile, the Garage Stage was a haven for post-hardcore fans, with intense sets from Underoath, Saosin, Silverstein, and The Devil Wears Prada.
Saturday may have been the hottest day temperature-wise, but it also brought some of the festival’s hottest bands. Linkin Park headlined the Apex Stage in one of the most anticipated sets of the year, following performances by Incubus, Beartooth, Taking Back Sunday, P.O.D., and Hoobastank. Sleep Theory opened the Apex lineup with a powerful set that highlighted their meteoric rise; their debut album Afterglow has quickly established them as one of the next big names in modern rock. On the Octane Stage, Pierce the Veil delivered a fan-favorite set performing “King For A Day” with Kellin Quinn from Sleeping with Sirens, while I Prevail returned to the stage for their first official performance without Brian Burkheiser, signaling a new, heavier era for the band, along with Hollywood Undead, Sleeping With Sirens, and Of Mice & Men. Over at the Vortex Stage, Mastodon’s towering performance closed out a setlist that included Obituary and a historic reunion show from Acid Bath, one of their first performances in nearly 3 decades. The Inferno Stage hosted a stacked lineup with Dayseeker closing out the night, and fan-favorite sets from Bilmuri, The Plot in You, Set It Off, Real Friends, The Funeral Portrait, NERV, and Nevertel.
Sunday wrapped up the weekend with a finale that no one could have anticipated. Korn’s crushing headline set on the Apex Stage was the perfect closer, following a dark and theatrical appearance by Marilyn Manson, and rock-solid performances from Chevelle and Daughtry. Over on the Octane Stage, Bad Omens’ show was a festival highlight, while Mudvayne, Motionless in White, and Sevendust gave the crowd zero reason to slow down. The Vortex Stage added a wild twist with Insane Clown Posse and Testament, and the Inferno Stage brought a strong emo and metalcore finale, with long-awaited appearances from Chiodos, Hawthorne Heights, Memphis May Fire, Blessthefall, Attack Attack!, Caskets, and Wind Walkers.
As the sun set on Daytona and the final riffs faded into the night, Welcome to Rockville 2025 wrapped up another insane weekend that’ll be hard to top. From surprise reunions to emotional singalongs and brutal pits to laid-back sets in the shade, this year had a little bit of everything. The upgraded Pit Stop with A/C and artist interviews was a total game-changer, and between the misters, water stations, and cool-down tents, Rockville really stepped up to keep everyone safe in the heat. Whether you were rocking out at the main stage, vibing at Octane’s tent with surprise interviews, or catching your new favorite band at Inferno, this year felt like one big, sweaty, unforgettable family reunion. Rockville keeps proving why it’s one of the best festivals in the game and we’re already counting down to next year.
Keep up with Welcome to Rockville: Facebook // Twitter // Website
