Iron Maiden Announced as First Headliner for Sonic Temple 2027

Steve Harris | Iron Maiden - photo by Justin Hunt

Leading independent festival producer Danny Wimmer Presents is proud to announce the first headliner for the upcoming 2027 edition of Sonic Temple Art + Music. Metal legends Iron Maiden will headline Friday, May 14, as one of the nearly 150 bands taking over Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio during the 4-day destination event, scheduled for May 13–16, 2027.

Following packed shows and rave reactions across Canada and the USA for the recently concluded North American leg of their 50th Anniversary Run For Your Lives Tour, Iron Maiden will return to North America for limited shows in 2027 and will headline Sonic Temple on May 14. The set list for the 2026 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame inductees will include songs drawn from their career-defining early decades.

The announcement of Iron Maiden follows the previously revealed acts including A Perfect Circle, Primus, Sleeping With Sirens, PRESIDENT, Clutch, Imminence, Saosin, PeelingFlesh, Crowbar, Emmure, Escape The Fate, Showing Teeth, and Vana.

The full music artist lineup for Sonic Temple Art + Music Festival will be revealed next week.

4-Day and Single Day General Admission Field, Stadium and GA+ passes, as well as VIP, Rock Royalty and Columbus Owners Club passes are on sale now at early bird prices, starting at only $1 down, with flexible layaway options available. Service fees on all pass purchases include a charity fee for the DWP Foundation, which gives back to local and national charities throughout the year. Hotel packages, RV camping passes, and parking and shuttle add-ons are also available now at SonicTempleFestival.com.

Last year, Sonic Temple—the Pinnacle of Rock Festivals In America—drew a record-breaking sold-out crowd of over 184,000 music fans, with nearly 145 bands on 5 stages. Beyond the music, one of the most distinctive elements of Sonic Temple is the celebration of visual art—transforming the festival into a living, breathing gallery experience with a range of renowned talents and Secret Walls, the world’s premier live paint battle, where global street artists go head-to-head in real time in creating live murals.

Here’s what the media had to say about Sonic Temple Art + Music Festival 2026:

“With record attendance at this year’s festival, the enormous turn-out and vibes just cement the sense that Sonic Temple is fast becoming the spiritual home of metal in the US.” — Metal Hammer

“Sonic Temple never fails to deliver one of the year's biggest spotlights on modern hard rock and metal and this year is no different.” — Loudwire

“Sonic Temple just delivered another massive four-day concert event that found more than 140 acts treating heavy music fans to a hell of a show.” — Revolver

“Sonic Temple 2026 spread its wings over Historic Crew Stadium with a roar that made all its previous editions sound like a warm-up, shattering attendance records and confirming that DWP’s empire of rock and metal festivals has yet to find its ceiling. Columbus keeps answering the call, and Sonic Temple keeps redefining what answering it looks like.” — Metal Injection

“With record-breaking attendance … and a lineup that read like a living archive of heavy music’s past, present, and future, Sonic Temple didn’t just return, it expanded its footprint as one of America’s most essential hard rock festivals.” — Consequence

Sonic Temple Art + Music Festival is produced by Danny Wimmer Presents, one of the largest independent producers of destination music festivals in America.

In 2025, producer Danny Wimmer Presents (DWP) solidified its long-term commitment to Columbus by announcing a five-year extension of its partnership with Historic Crew Stadium, ensuring that Sonic Temple Art + Music Festival will continue through at least 2030. This milestone not only secures the future of one of the nation’s most iconic rock festivals but also underscores the event’s growing cultural and over $40 million in economic impact on the region.

For more information on Sonic Temple Art + Music Festival, visit:

Website: sonictemplefestival.com
Facebook: facebook.com/sonictemplefestival | @SonicTempleFestival
Instagram: instagram.com/sonictemplefestival | @SonicTempleFestival
Twitter: twitter.com/sonictemplefest | @SonicTempleFest