Festival season is already heating up, and one of rock and metal’s biggest weekends just dropped its most massive lineup yet. Louder Than Life is officially set to return to Louisville this September.
Taking over the Highland Festival Grounds at the Kentucky Exposition Center from September 17–20, 2026, the four-day event will feature more than 200 acts spanning metal legends, emo icons, punk staples and some modern heavy hitters.
Louder Than Life mirrors a larger trend within the rock and metal space.. legacy acts still headline, but nostalgia-driven emo and nu-metal are having a major resurgence. At the same time, metalcore, post-hardcore and alternative acts make up a significant portion of the undercard, proving that heavy music continues to evolve.
Louder Than Life Headliners:
Thursday, Sept. 17: Iron Maiden
Friday, Sept. 18: My Chemical Romance
Saturday, Sept. 19: Limp Bizkit
Sunday, Sept. 20: Tool
Day one pairs headliners Iron Maiden with heavyweights like Pantera and Megadeth, alongside fan favorites including Alice Cooper, Rise Against and Jimmy Eat World. From thrash legends to metalcore staples, opening day sets an explosive tone.
Friday leans into the emo and post-hardcore revival with My Chemical Romance joined by Pierce the Veil and A Day to Remember. Additional standouts include The Used, Coheed and Cambria, Taking Back Sunday, PRESIDENT, Rain City Drive, and Sleeping with Sirens.
Nu-metal nostalgia takes center stage Saturday with Limp Bizkit, Papa Roach and Sublime. The day also features Babymetal, Halestorm, Ice Nine Kills and In This Moment.
The festival closes on Sunday with Tool alongside Gojira and Danny Elfman. Progressive and experimental acts dominate the final day, including The Mars Volta, Mastodon, The Prodigy, Sleep Theory, sace6 and Killswitch Engage.
On top of the stacked lineup, this year’s Louder Than Life sees reunions and special performances across each of the four dates. Circa Survive has announced they will be returning to the stage and playing LTL, Pantera’s only U.S. show of 2026, Danny Elfman’s first Eastern U.S. performance in years, a mystery band making a live debut at the festival, Jimmy Eat World celebrating 25 years of Bleed American, Sleeping with Sirens marking 15 years of Let’s Cheers to This, PRESIDENT‘s first U.S. festival performance, and more.
Single-day tickets and four-day passes are available now. With passes starting at only $1 down, fans can choose from General Admission and VIP options, with pricing varying by tier and availability. Demand is expected to be high given the scale of this year’s lineup.
With over 200 bands, four packed days and some of the biggest names in rock history sharing the stage, Louder Than Life 2026 is set to be one of the must-attend festivals of the year.
