The Year the Noise Comes Home: Must-See Rock, Metal & Alt Tours of 2026

A field guide to the tours and festivals defining the year ahead

By: The Lace Ledger Staff

Photo Credit: Alcatraz Festival

There is a difference between hearing a song and feeling it pulse in your chest.

Live music collapses the distance between sound and self, turning memory into muscle and strangers into co-conspirators.

This year’s calendar is stacked with festivals that feel mythic, tours that read like cultural milestones and one-off shows that you’ve got to see.

We’ve curated a list of confirmed festivals, announced tours and verified 2026 performances, alongside anticipated moments already lighting up ticket platforms.

See you there.

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Festivals and Cruises

These are the moments that anchor the year geographically and culturally, creating temporary cities built around volume, devotion and shared endurance.

• Emo’s Not Dead Cruise (January 22 - 26, 2026)

  Miami, FL → Costa Maya
  Headliners: The Used, Hawthorne Heights, We are the Kings, Silverstein
  Vibe: Nostalgic emo catharsis with a self-aware edge—sweaty sing-alongs, eyelinered sentimentality, the communal release of growing up without letting go.

• ShipRocked (January 25 – 31, 2026)
  Port Canaveral, FL → Bahamas
  Headliners: Halestorm, Motionless in White, Knocked Loose, Awolnation
  Vibe: Hard rock summer camp with arena-scale production.

• 70000 Tons of Metal (January 29 – February 2, 2026)
  Miami, FL → Bahamas
  Headliners: TBC
  Vibe: Metal pilgrimage at sea.

• Sick New World (April 25, 2026)
  Las Vegas, NV — Las Vegas Festival Grounds
  Headliners: System of a Down, Korn, Marilyn Manson
  Vibe: Nu-metal revival with generational weight.

• Welcome to Rockville (May 7 – 10, 2026)
  Daytona Beach, FL
  Headliners: Foo Fighters, My Chemical Romance, Bring Me the Horizon, Slaughter to Prevail, Hollywood Undead, Black Veil Brides, Hatebreed, Cradle of Filth
  Vibe: Multi-stage, endurance-driven.

• Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival (May 14 - 17 2026)
  Columbus, OH — Historic Crew Stadium
  Headliners: My Chemical Romance, Tool, Shinedown, Pierce the Veil, Good Charlotte, Marilyn Manson, Sublime, Megadeath, Halestorm, The Used, Kublai Khan TX, The Pretty Wild
  Vibe: Industrial, legacy-weighted.

• Prepare the Ground (May 29 - 31, 2026)
  Toronto, ON
  Headliners: Emerging heavy and experimental acts including Amenra, Blood Ceremony, Dear Evangeline, HELL and Unholy Altar

  Vibe: Ritual-forward weight with an emphasis on atmosphere.

• Hellfest (June 18 – June 21, 2026)
  Clisson, France
  Headliners: Iron Maiden, Limp Bizkit, Deep Purple, Alice Cooper, The Pretty Reckless, Anthrax
  Vibe: Pilgrimage-scale.

• Loud as Hell (July 31 - August 2, 2026)
  Drumheller, AB
  Headliners: Extreme metal and underground heavy acts — 2026 lineup coming soon
  Vibe: DIY spirit with feral energy. This festival thrives far from polish.

• Alcatraz Metal Festival (August 6 – August 9, 2026)
  Kortrijk, Belgium
  Headliners: Slaughter to Prevail, Arch Enemy, Primus, Orbit Culture, Combichrist, Blackbraid
  Vibe: Dense, aggressive, community-driven — Alcatraz rewards stamina and loyalty.

Stadium & Area Tours

The architects, the lifers, the bands that built the rooms, these tours carry the weight of decades, shaping how rock sounds when it fills a stadium rather than a screen.

Each act listed below has at least one confirmed or ticketed 2026 performance, with routing that signals continued expansion through the year.

• My Chemical Romance (January - November 2026)
  Stops: North America (USA only), South America, Europe, Asia

• The Used (January - October 2026)
  Stops: North America (USA only), Australia

• Foo Fighters (January - September 2026)
  Stops: North America (incl. Canada + USA), South America, Europe

• Megadeth (January - September 2026)
  Stops: North America (incl. Canada + USA), South America, Europe

• Nine Inch Nails (February - March 2026)
  Cities: North America (incl. Canada + USA)

• Three Days Grace (February - November 2026)
  Stops: North America (incl. Canada + USA), Europe

• AC/DC (February - September 2026)
  Stops: North America (incl. Canada + USA) and South America

• Guns N’ Roses (March - September 2026)
  Stops: North America (incl. Canada + USA) and South America

• Lamb of God (March - October 2026)
  Stops: North America (incl. Canada + USA), Europe

• System of a Down (April - October 2026)
  Stops: North America (USA only, South America, Europe)

• Bring Me The Horizon (April - June 2026)
  Stops: North America (incl. Canada + USA), Europe

• Metallica (May - July 2026)
  Stops: Europe

• Iron Maiden (May - November 2026)
  Stops: Europe, North America (incl. Canada + USA), South America

• Korn (April - May 2026)
  Stops: North America (USA only), South America

• Motley Crue (July - September 2026)
  Stops: North America (incl. Canada + USA)

• Hollywood Undead (May - June 2026)
  Stops: North America (USA only), Europe

• Buckcherry (January - June 2026)
  Stops: North America (USA only), Europe

• Yungblud (May - June 2026)
  Stops: North America (incl. Canada + USA)

• MGK (February - July 2026)
  Stops: Europe, North America (incl. Canada + USA), Australia

Confirmed Shows

The artists shaping what comes next, these performances favour intimate intensity. Each musician below has surfaced with ticketed 2026 dates, limited runs or announced appearances.

• Halestorm (January - June 2026)
  Stops: North America (USA only), South America, Europe

• The Pretty Wild (January - July 2026)
  Stops: North America (incl. Canada + USA), South America, Europe

• Larkin Poe (January - July 2026)
  Stops: North America (USA only)

• Jessie Murph (February - August 2026)
  Stops: North America (incl. Canada + USA)

• The Pretty Reckless (February - September 2026)
  Stops: North America (incl. Canada + USA), South America, Europe

• Wet Leg (February to July 2026)
  Stops: Europe, Australia

• Kublai Khan (March - June 2026)
  Stops: North America (incl. Canada + USA), Europe

• Spiritbox (May - August 2026)
  Stops: North America (incl. Canada + USA), South America

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Whether it’s an immersive cruise, a once-in-a-lifetime festival, a large-scale tour with theatrical production or an intimate on-off show with an emerging band, go support the creators of the music we hold so dear and make memories that will stay with you long after the song is over.

Who will you see this year? Tell us in the comments.