Bloodstock Open Air has fired the starting gun on 2027. With this year's festival still underway at Catton Park in Derbyshire, organisers stepped onto the Ronnie James Dio stage straight after MUNICIPAL WASTE's set to unveil the first wave of bands for the next edition, running August 5–8, 2027.
Friday night on the main stage belongs to MERCYFUL FATE. The Danish institution — whose return to live work we reported earlier this month, with a Leyendas Del Rock booking for the same summer — will arrive with a long-awaited new album finally in hand. "MERCYFUL FATE is honored and looking extremely forward to playing Bloodstock again," King Diamond said. "Last time was awesome, and this time with a brand new album out, FINALLY!!!"
Saturday goes to ELECTRIC CALLBOY, headlining Bloodstock for the first time. "Our first-ever Bloodstock. Heavy music, questionable outfits, and thousands of metalheads? Sounds like a perfect fit to us," the German metalcore-meets-EDM crew said. Sunday closes with another first-time headliner, MOTIONLESS IN WHITE. "We were told that we are one of the most requested bands to perform at your legendary festival," frontman Chris Motionless said, confirming the slot will be the band's only U.K. show of 2027 and their first European festival headline.
The Sophie Lancaster stage is stacked as well. MADBALL open Thursday with more than 35 years of New York hardcore behind them, GAEREA close Friday, KANONENFIEBER take Saturday's top slot with their blackened death metal built from First World War diaries, and DETHKLOK play the final set of the entire festival.
Elsewhere on the Dio stage: ACID BATH as Friday special guests, GREEN LUNG on Saturday and CHILDREN OF BODOM on Sunday, returning to honour the legacy of the late Alexi Laiho. Also confirmed are DEVILDRIVER, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY, IMMINENCE, WIND ROSE, SYLOSIS, DECAPITATED, WITCH CLUB SATAN, HAMMERFALL, HYPOCRISY, THE HALO EFFECT, TORTURED DEMON, GUTALAX, HUMANITY'S LAST BREATH and CONAN. DOOL, PIG DESTROYER and FULCI round out the early Sophie stage news, with roughly 100 more bands still to be announced.
Early bird weekend tickets are on sale at the festival box office at £210 with no booking fee; general on-sale opens Monday, August 10 at £235 plus fees. VIP and campervan tickets follow on Wednesday, August 12, alongside a new Serpent's Lair VIP Sanctuary with deluxe pods a short walk from the arena.
Source: blabbermouth.net