Tool and Limp Bizkit will join previously announced headliners Iron Maiden and My Chemical Romance at this year’s Louder Than Life festival, set for Sept. 17 to 20, 2026, at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Kentucky.
In total, Louder Than Life will feature nearly 200 bands on seven stages, the biggest bill ever assembled by festival producer Danny Wimmer Presents, topped by:
- Thursday, Sept. 17: Iron Maiden, Pantera, Megadeth
- Friday, Sept. 18: My Chemical Romance, Pierce the Veil, A Day to Remember
- Saturday, Sept. 19: Limp Bizkit, Papa Roach, Sublime
- Sunday, Sept. 20: Tool, Gojira, Danny Elfman
Saturday, Sept. 19, also will feature one of the most prominent all-female-fronted stage lineups assembled at a major U.S. rock festival: Halestorm, In This Moment, Lindsey Stirling, Orianthi, Icon for Hire, Kami Kehoe and Diamante.
In addition, a “mystery guest” band will make its live debut at Louder Than Life, and a “very special guest”—one of the biggest heavy bands of the modern era—will be announced at a later date.
The full lineup is as follows (subject to change): My Chemical Romance, Iron Maiden, Tool, Limp Bizkit, Pantera, Pierce the Veil, Gojira, Danny Elfman, The Prodigy, Sublime, Papa Roach, A Day to Remember, Babymetal, Megadeth, Danzig, Halestorm, Rise Against, Alice Cooper, Circa Survive, Ice Nine Kills, Jimmy Eat World, The Mars Volta, Mastodon, The Used, Bilmuri, Sabaton, Coheed and Cambria, The Pretty Reckless, Hot Mulligan, Taking Back Sunday, Sleeping with Sirens, In This Moment, Dance Gavin Dance, Chiodos, Black Label Society, Killswitch Engage, Anthrax, Ministry, Cavalera, Skillet, The Warning, Nothing More, Tom Morello, Lindsey Stirling, Dethklok, Black Veil Brides, Kublai Khan TX, Underoath, Alkaline Trio, Machine Head, Suicidal Tendencies, Chad Gray, Starset, Badflower, Alexisonfire, Animals As Leaders, Thrice, Loathe, Coal Chamber, P.O.D., The Home Team, Bowling for Soup, Thursday, We the Kings, From Ashes to New, Fit for a King, Sleep Theory, President, Gwar, Palaye Royale, L.S. Dunes, Atreyu, Lit, Get Scared, Set It Off, Blood for Blood, Sunami, Filter, Alissa White-Gluz, Soulfly, Between the Buried and Me, ERRA, Chelsea Grin, After the Burial, Lacey Sturm, Toadies, Currents, Orianthi, Boundaries, Make Them Suffer, Metal Church, The Acacia Strain, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Holding Absence, Haywire, Spite, Agnostic Front, Escape The Fate, Jutes, Emmure, ivri, Alien Ant Farm, Bodysnatcher, Scene Queen, Caskets, Rain City Drive, The Funeral Portrait, PeelingFlesh, Haste the Day, Holywatr, Locked Shut, Hail the Sun, Madball, I See Stars, Mushroomhead, Angel Du$t, Scary Kids Scaring Kids, The Word Alive, Jeff Hardy, Mac Sabbath, The Ataris, The Rasmus, Volumes, Wind Walkers, Twitching Tongues, Powerman 5000, The Barbarians of California, Emery, Maylene & the Sons of Disaster, Born of Osiris, H2O, Red, Josey Scott, Adelitas Way, Thousand Below, Soil, Arrows in Action, Chained Saint, Zero 9:36, Elijah, Holy Wars, Butcher Babies, Nevertel, Dry Kill Logic, Icon for Hire, Kami Kehoe, Codefendants, Texas Hippie Coalition, Austin Carlile, The Pretty Wild, End It, Vana, Rivers of Nihil, Like Moths to Flames, Signs of the Swarm, Archers, Koyo, Primer 55, Emarosa, Gemini Syndrome, Shaman’s Harvest, 200 Stab Wounds, 156/Silence, Missing Link, Fox Lake, sace6, Greyhaven, King 810, Many Eyes, Tantric, The Violent Hour, Dark Divine, Sent by Ravens, Showing Teeth, Earshot, TX2, Diamante, Otherwise, Doobie, He Is Legend, Aviana, vianova, Future Palace, Cane Hill, Corpse Pile, 40 Below Summer, Heavy//Hitter, Bodybox, Boltcutter, Resolve, Dreamwake, Gates to Hell, Death Valley Dreams, Set for Tomorrow and Billy McNicol.
Some of the special appearances and reunions will include:
- Pantera’s only U.S. show of 2026
- Danny Elfman’s first show in the Eastern half of the U.S. in nearly a decade
- One of Megadeth’s final farewell performances
- Reunion sets from Circa Survive, Get Scared, Blood for Blood, Metal Church, Primer 55, Sent by Ravens and 40 Below Summer
- Jimmy Eat World celebrating the 25th anniversary of “Bleed American”
- Sleeping with Sirens celebrating the 15th anniversary of “Let’s Cheers to This”
- Cavalera with an exclusive performance of the Sepultura album “Roots” for the first time in nearly a decade
- A special pyrotechnic performance from Skillet
- Chad Gray, the voice of Mudvayne and Hellyeah, in a “30 Years of Madness” solo performance
- Loathe in an exclusive Midwest performance
- Alissa White-Gluz, the former voice of Arch Enemy and The Agonist, in a debut show with her new band
- The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus celebrating the 20th anniversary of “Don’t You Fake It”
- Alien Ant Farm celebrating the 25th anniversary of “ANThology”
- Red celebrating the 20th anniversary of “End of Silence”
- Rare sets from Dry Kill Logic and Earshot
- A comeback set from Gemini Syndrome
- Hometown shows from Emarosa, Greyhaven, Tantric, Showing Teeth, Gates to Hell and Billy McNicol
“Last year, we took over Kentucky Kingdom and broke rock festival records. This year, we’re back to deliver the ultimate rock escape,” Danny Wimmer of DWP said. “Louder Than Life is your playground—ride the coasters, catch legendary and emerging bands, enjoy incredible food and bourbon, and dive headfirst into the rock experience you’ve been waiting for. It’s time to let loose and have fun. We’ll see you soon.”
“Year after year, Louder Than Life raises the bar for what a rock festival can be,” said David S. Beck, president and CEO of Kentucky Venues. “Bringing the festival grounds to the heart of the Kentucky Exposition Center last year demonstrated what’s possible when a world-class venue and a visionary festival producer share a commitment to the ultimate fan experience.”
In addition to the music, all Louder Than Life passholders will receive free access to amusement rides inside Kentucky Kingdom, which became part of the festival footprint in 2025 and will be open exclusively to festival attendees.
New this year, Danny Wimmer Presents is organizing the Louder Than Life Battle for the Big Stage competition, kicking off March 1, 2026. Bands can submit entries through March 31 using the link HERE. Leading up to the festival, viewers can vote for who they want to see play Louder Than Life during Sunday episodes of the Space Zebra Show on the DWP Twitch channel.
Passes are on sale now at https://louderthanlifefestival.com/passes starting at $1 down.
Also new this year is the LoudINK Pass offering entry to Louder Than Life in Louisville and Inkcarceration Music & Tattoo Festival in Mansfield, Ohio, July 17-19, 2026. Find more details here. And for fans who want the most music ever, there’s the new Traveler’s Pass that offers entry to Louder Than Life, Inkcarceration and Sonic Temple Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival in Columbus, Ohio May 14-17, 2026. Find more details here.
To learn more about Louder Than Life, visit:
Website: https://louderthanlifefestival.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/louderthanlifefestival
Twitter: https://x.com/LTLFest
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/louderthanlifefest
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@louderthanlifefestival
#LouderThanLife
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