2021 Rock + Metal Festival Guide

A music festival season unlike any other awaits us this summer and fall. As businesses come back from the pandemic, festivals, too, are navigating the tricky business of how to return. That means many are holding back and waiting for 2022. But a healthy amount of rock and metal festivals in the United States and elsewhere are coming back full force — or as close to it as possible — in 2021.

Familiar favorites such as Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza aim to mount big comebacks. Yet Coachella is taking another season off to regroup after the global health crisis paused live events and touring for a year and change. But rock and metal fans have tons of options when it comes to music fests this year.

Furnace Fest, Rock Fest, Inkcarceration, Upheaval. There's simply no shortage of high-voltage rock and metal fests taking place over the next few months. And that's just in the U.S.! Across the pond, fests such as Bloodstock and M'era Luna and have heavy music covered.

Still, other fests in Europe are saving their comebacks for 2022 — Hellfest (France), Mad Cool (Spain), Metal Days (Slovenia), NOS Alive (Portugal) and Germany's Rock Am Ring and Rock Im Park are all postponed another year, to name a few.

But what remains for 2021 still has the makings of a great festival season if you're in the right area. Ready to rock? Start digging into the rock and metal festivals making a loud return this year below.