TONS OF ROCK today confirms its biggest artist announcement ever – a festival lineup stretching from rock’s greatest legends to the most innovative and uncompromising bands.
What unites both the bands and the festival is the genre’s extraordinary growth and the constant recruitment of new fans. This year’s Tons of Rock success looks set to continue into 2026, both in ticket sales and next year’s lineup.
Iron Maiden, Bring Me the Horizon and Limp Bizkit top the most diverse and spectacular announcement in the history of Tons of Rock.
The full spectrum of rock is represented as Tons of Rock today unveils its biggest lineup ever. At the top stand Iron Maiden, Bring Me the Horizon and Limp Bizkit – three of the most influential and popular bands in the world right now. Alongside legends such as Alice Cooper and Twisted Sister, audiences will experience a program where generations meet and rock’s many expressions are celebrated.
Iron Maiden – back as the kings of heavy metal
Iron Maiden are the very definition of heavy metal and a global phenomenon, having sold over 100 million albums and played for millions of fans worldwide. With classics such as The Number of the Beast, Run to the Hills, and Fear of the Dark, they have shaped the genre for more than five decades. “When Bruce Dickinson once again shouts ‘Scream for me Oslo!’, we know Tons audiences will experience one of the greatest moments in the festival’s history,” says festival director Jarle Kvåle.
Bring Me the Horizon – one of today’s biggest acts
In just a few years, Bring Me the Horizon has become one of the world’s biggest bands, with Grammy nominations, a BRIT Award win and over one billion YouTube views. With their explosive mix of metal, electronica and alternative rock, they’ve stormed both festivals and the charts and Tons of Rock 2026 will be their biggest Norwegian concert ever.
Limp Bizkit – the nu metal icons who defined an era, performing in Norway for the first time. From the late ’90s into the 2000s, Limp Bizkit set the standard for an entire generation. With tracks like Break Stuff, My Way, and Rollin’, they became the soundtrack to an era. Now they’re back at the top of the bill – ready to deliver a show where both nostalgia and raw energy explode from the stage.
The legends who never lose their power
Shock rock’s godfather Alice Cooper makes a long-awaited return to Norwegian soil. His macabre rock theatre filled with guillotines, blood, and timeless hits like School’s Out and Poison makes him an indispensable part of rock history – and the festival. At the same time, glam rock giants Twisted Sister return to the stage, ready to shout We’re Not Gonna Take It along with thousands of fans at Ekebergsletta.
Mayhem – pioneers of black metal, uncompromising and dark for four decades, and still one of the genre’s most influential forces.
Anthrax – thrash metal heroes from New York, one of the “Big Four” alongside Metallica, Slayer, and Megadeth.
A proud celebration at home
Today’s announcement also reveals that the festival has secured Dumdum Boys and Raga Rockers. Both are living institutions in Norwegian rock, each in their own way having defined Norway’s musical history – a history that The Carburetors have also become part of, to the delight of fans at Ekeberg.
Fans will also get Blood Fire Death – A Tribute to Bathory – an exclusive homage to Quorthon, performed by members of Watain, Enslaved, Mayhem, and Emperor.
Kublai Khan TX and Die Spitz – young, uncompromising bands pointing forward, proving that hardcore, punk, and alternative rock are alive and thriving.
Queensrÿche and Blood Incantation – from progressive metal to cosmic death metal, both bands represent rock’s ability to constantly reinvent itself.
Tons of Rock 2026: A meeting of generations
With today’s gigantic first announcement, Tons of Rock brings together both the legacy of rock’s early breakthrough years and the most exciting forces shaping its future. It’s a festival where legends like Iron Maiden and Alice Cooper stand side by side with bands like Bring Me the Horizon and Limp Bizkit – proof that rock has never been stronger or more diverse.
150,000 fans attended Tons of Rock 2025. Early bird tickets for next year sold out at record speed, and if last year’s success continues, the festival will once again create waves far beyond Ekeberg and Oslo – both economically and historically.
The full list of already confirmed acts for Tons Of Rock 2026 reads as follows:
Iron Maiden
Bring Me the Horizon
Limp Bizkit
Alice Cooper
Twisted Sister
Mayhem
Anthrax
Dumdum Boys
Raga Rockers
The Carburetors
Blood Fire Death – A Tribute to Bathory
Kublai Khan TX
Die Spitz
Queensrÿche
Blood Incantation
For more inspirations about the festival and a trip to Oslo, Norway check out the websites:
