After becoming Columbus’s largest rock festival in history, Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival is set to return with a lineup filled with acclaimed artists. Reunions, farewells, and plenty of special moments are taking place at the 2026 edition, making it a must for fans of rock and heavy music.
Lineup Reveal
The official Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival lineup has been revealed. After previously announcing My Chemical Romance and Bring Me The Horizon, Sonic Temple is also proud to welcome Tool and Shinedown as headliners. Over the four days, 140 bands will be playing across the five stages, larger than ever before.
The festival takes place on May 14 through May 17 at the Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Aside from the legendary My Chemical Romance headlining the first day of the festival (Thursday), acclaimed acts include Pierce The Veil, Breaking Benjamin, Slaughter to Prevail, Behemoth, Dayseeker, and others.
The following day, headlined by Shinedown, features Staind, Halestorm, The Offspring, Simple Plan, and more. The Saturday lineup consists of Architects, Body Count (Featuring Ice-T), The Story So Far, and headliners, Bring Me The Horizon. The final day allows the fifth annual festival to finish strong, headlined by Tool, and supported by Godsmack, Lamb of God, Megadeth, and more.
Brent Smith of Shinedown stated, “Barry, Zach, Eric and I have waited for this opportunity to be a headliner at Sonic Temple for a very long time. We are going to go all out for this performance. We know the fans have very high expectations. So with that being said, we are going to give all of Ohio everything we’ve got!!!! Thank you to Danny Wimmer for this incredible opportunity!!! LET’S GO SHINEDOWN NATION.”
Special Moments
This year’s Sonic Temple brings many highlights and special appearances. Festival-goers can look out for reunions from Snot, Egypt Central, and Drop Dead, Gorgeous. Hawthorne Heights and Mushroomhead will also be delivering home-state performances.
Plenty of anniversaries will be taking place on the Sonic Temple stage as well. Flyleaf with Lacy Strum will be celebrating their 20th anniversary of their debut self-titled album. Along with this, DragonForce will be celebrating 20 years of Inhuman Rampage, and Salvia will pay tribute to 25 years of Every Six Seconds. Don’t You Fake It by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus will also be turning 20, and the band is planning to celebrate through their performance at Sonic Temple.
Body Count, featuring Ice-T, will be making their festival debut this year, while Megadeth and Sepultura will be saying goodbye with Sonic Temple as a stop on their farewell tours. Coal Chamber will make a rare appearance. Anberlin will also provide an exclusive performance, reunited with their original singer, Stephen Christian.
Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival 2026 is a year packed with once-in-a-lifetime performances and experiences.
Visual Art
Art has always been a crucial part of the festival. The onsite art boutique, art towers, and art walls are set to return in 2026, bringing in large-scale installations and interactive pieces. The contemporary American painter Terry Urban, known for his pop-meets-street style, and illustrator and cartoonist Jay Howell, the mastermind behind Bob’s Burgers and Sanjay and Craig, will add a playful feel to the festival grounds.
The festival will also be putting a focus on celebrating the creativity that thrives within the city. A curated array of Columbus-based artists will be featured, filling Historic Crew Stadium with live mural painting and exclusive artwork.
Festival Grounds
This year aims to make the festival grounds as immersive as possible. They will be adding onto the vibrant art displays and loud music with the return of Caduceus Wine Garden. Owned by Tool’s Maynard James Keenan, it features selections from Caduceus Cellars and Merkin Vineyards.
The Dive Bar, a fan favorite hangout spot, will also return by popular demand. Festival-goers can look forward to pop-up performances and surprise appearances, making it a must-visit.
Tickets and Passes
Tickets are available now for all pass types. Buyers have the opportunity to pay as low as $1 layaway and pay over six months in full. Students with a valid .edu email address are able to secure a $123 single-day General Admission stadium pass. More information can be found here. Danner Wimmer Presents’ partnership with GOVX provides military, nurses, firefighters, and more with specially priced festival passes as well. More information can be found here.
Premium experiences include Rock Royalty, a General Admission Plus upgrade. This will take fans inside the world of the headlining acts with exclusive photo ops, curated memorabilia displays, and a luxury lounge. The Columbus Owners Club provides festival-goers with the ultimate experience through access to the mainstage field and stadium seats. Along with this, they will be granted entry to the VIP Lounge, Rock Royalty Lounge, and the private COC Lounge, which has air conditioning, an elevated viewing deck, complimentary food and beverage, and premium restrooms. Fans can also party with their crew or take time to relax in one of the Historic Crew Stadium private suites. To reserve this, fans can email Premium@ColumbusCrew.com.
Service fees on all passes include a charity fee for the DWP Foundation. The foundation provides support to local and national charities throughout the year.
Passes are available here.
Record-Breaking Previous Year & Future
In May of 2026, Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival became the largest rock festival in Columbus history, with 175,000 fans in attendance. Over 100 bands played across the four stages, including special appearances and performances.
Danny Wimmer Presents has announced a five-year extension of its partnership with the Historic Crew Stadium. This ensured that Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival will continue at least through 2030.
Overall Lineup
The overall music lineup for Sonic Temple 2026 includes: My Chemical Romance, Tool, Bring Me The Horizon, Shinedown, Pierce The Veil, Good Charlotte, The Offspring, Breaking Benjamin, Godsmack, Sublime, Marilyn Manson, Staind, Megadeth, Halestorm, Lamb of God, Rise Against, All Time Low, Yellowcard, Simple Plan, Electric Callboy, Stone Temple Pilots, Public Enemy, Motionless in White, Coheed and Cambria, Amon Amarth, BUSH, Lorna Shore, The Used, Slaughter To Prevail, Alter Bridge, The Story So Far, Dayseeker, Black Label Society, Architects, Dance Gavin Dance, Chiodos, Body Count feat. Ice-T, Behemoth, Daughtry, New Found Glory, Black Veil Brides, Flyleaf with Lacey Sturm, Tom Morello, Zakk Sabbath, Anthrax, Dethklok, Sepultura, Kublai Khan TX, Avatar, Coal Chamber, Sevendust, Mayday Parade, The Darkness, Story of the Year, We Came As Romans, Thrice, In Flames, Everclear, Motion City Soundtrack, The Wonder Years, State Champs, P.O.D., Static-X, The Ghost Inside, The Plot In You, The Amity Affliction, August Burns Red, Paleface Swiss, Kreator, L.S. Dunes, Cradle of Filth, Atreyu, Lit, Citizen, Biohazard, Carcass, Polaris, DragonForce, Alestorm, Wind Rose, Palaye Royale, Blessthefall, Knuckle Puck, DevilDriver, Hawthorne Heights, Whitechapel, Hinder, Senses Fail, Dying Fetus, Bloodywood, Apocalyptica, thrown, Buckcherry, All That Remains, Anberlin, Cattle Decapitation, Magnolia Park, Catch Your Breath, Chelsea Grin, DOPE, Crown The Empire, Attila, Make Them Suffer, Saliva, From First to Last, Demon Hunter, Thornhill, Brand of Sacrifice, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Thy Art Is Murder, Fozzy, Napalm Death, Snot, Bodysnatcher, Alpha Wolf, Egypt Central, Carnifex, Holding Absence, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Mushroomhead, Powerman 5000, The Word Alive, Suffocation, Alira Elfeky, Attack Attack!, Nekrogoblikon, CKY, Drop Dead, Gorgeous, SOiL, Butcher Babies, Wind Walkers, Signs of the Swarm, Woe, Is Me, Jiluka, Disembodied Tyrant, The Pretty Wild, Allt, FLAW, Spiritworld, NERV, Novelists, Conquer Divide, Castle Rat, Windwaker and Left On Red.
