Article Contributed by ASHTON-MAGNUSON MEDIA
Published on 2026-05-24
Sonic Temple crowd, by Sam Shapiro
Sonic Temple Art + Music Festival welcomed a record-breaking, sold-out crowd of over 184,000 music fans, retaining its reputation as the Pinnacle of Rock Festivals in America.
Held May 14-17, 2026 at Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, the 4-day destination event from festival producer Danny Wimmer Presents offered nearly 145 bands on 5 stages, with headlining performances from My Chemical Romance on Thursday, Shinedown on Friday, Bring Me The Horizon on Saturday, and Tool on Sunday.
The massive lineup also included Pierce The Veil, Staind, Good Charlotte, Godsmack, Breaking Benjamin, Sublime, Marilyn Manson, Megadeth, and many more.
This year’s event also delivered an incredible number of special performances, collaborations, and exclusive moments. My Chemical Romance celebrated the 15th anniversary of Danger Days with performances of songs like “Vampire Money” for the first time in years, while Bring Me The Horizon wrapped up their North American tour and brought out special guest MAPHRA for a performance of “Doom.”
Shinedown invited Daughtry to join on “Monsters” and also covered 3 Doors Down’s “Kryptonite” in memory of Brad Arnold. Breaking Benjamin was joined onstage by Lacey Sturm of Flyleaf for “Dear Agony,” while hip-hop legends Public Enemy marked their debut at a DWP festival in celebration of the band’s 40-year legacy.
Other highlights included Daughtry inviting Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale to guest on their cover of Journey’s “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart),” Flyleaf performing “So I Thought” with Breaking Benjamin’s Ben Burnley, Atreyu covering Audioslave’s “Like A Stone” to commemorate the 9th anniversary of Chris Cornell’s passing, and Body Count making their Sonic Temple debut and first Ohio show in 8 years, with Ice-T joined by his son Tracy “Lil’ Ice” Marrow Jr. on backing vocals.
Fan proposals also took place during Slaughter To Prevail and Paleface Swiss.
Beyond the music, one of the most distinctive elements of Sonic Temple was its celebration of visual art—transforming the festival into a living, breathing gallery experience. Featured artists this year included contemporary American painter Terry Urban, known for his vibrant pop-meets-street style, and illustrator and cartoonist Jay Howell, the creative mind behind Bob’s Burgers and Sanjay and Craig.
Some of the exclusive art moments included Brian Butler illustrating sets from Nekrogoblikon, The Pretty Wild, Buckcherry, Lit, Butcher Babies, Novelists, and Castle Rat, and Jay Howell creating live portraits with surprise guests Atreyu, State Champs, Castle Rat, and SiriusXM’s “Metal Ambassador” Jose Mangin.
A new art component this year was Secret Walls, the world’s premier live paint battle, where global street artists went head-to-head in real time creating live murals. The matchups included Austin Tolliver vs. Dave Tattoos, Hakimartnstuff vs. Joshua Stout, Dane Khy vs. Patch Whisky, and Lamour Supreme vs. Brian Butler.
The Rock Royalty VIP experience also included meet & greets with Hawthorne Heights, Stone Temple Pilots, New Found Glory, Daughtry, Pop Evil, Bush, P.O.D., and Saliva.
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
“Rock is alive and well. Thank you, Sonic Temple.” — Richland Source
The 2027 festival dates for Sonic Temple Art + Music Festival will be announced soon.
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 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 economic impact on the region.
Sonic Temple was proud to partner with an incredible lineup of partners in 2026, including Beatbox Beverages, Bud Light, Brixton, Jack Daniel's, Middle West Spirits, Mountain Dew, Ohio Lottery, Rockstar Energy & White Claw, and more.
For more information on Sonic Temple Art + Music Festival, visit:
Website: sonictemplefestival.com
Facebook: facebook.com/sonictemplefestival | @SonicTempleFestival
Twitter: twitter.com/sonictemplefest | @SonicTempleFest
Instagram: instagram.com/sonictemplefestival | @SonicTempleFestival
