Article Contributed by ASHTON-MAGNUSON MEDIA
Published on 2026-05-13
Welcome To Rockville’s massive 2026 crowd, by Sam Shapiro
Welcome To Rockville celebrated its 15th anniversary with a bang, marking one of the biggest events in the festival’s history, with 210,000 music fans from all 50 states and 30 countries taking in more than 160 bands on five stages at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.
The World Center of Rock featured a wide range of rock and metal performances from headliners including Foo Fighters, My Chemical Romance, Guns N' Roses and Bring Me The Horizon, plus TURNSTILE, Five Finger Death Punch, The Offspring, Breaking Benjamin, A Day To Remember, Godsmack, Staind, Parkway Drive, Lamb of God, Yellowcard and many more.
Florida’s Largest Rock, Metal & Punk Festival also offered an incredible number of additional special performances and exclusive moments, including:
Guns N’ Roses paid tribute to the late Ozzy Osbourne by reviving their cover of Black Sabbath's “Never Say Die” for the first time this year.
Bring Me The Horizon staged their only Florida show of 2026.
A Day To Remember held a surprise pop-up set at the Kona Big Wave Halfpipe area, featuring songs from 2007’s breakthrough For Those Who Have Heart.
Breaking Benjamin debuted “Something Wicked” live and introduced new drummer Brian Medeiros. They were also joined onstage by Lacey Sturm of Flyleaf for “Dear Agony.”
Parkway Drive brought an exclusive 2026 U.S. performance.
Godsmack debuted new drummer Wade Murff, plus DWP Founder Danny Wimmer joined Sully Erna on stage to spotlight the partnership between Sully’s nonprofit, the Scars Foundation, and The DWP Foundation, and to raise awareness for the Wellness Lounge, which provided mental health support onsite.
Ice Nine Kills performed “Twisting The Knife” from Scream 7 for the very first time and were joined by special guest/internet sensation MAPHRA and the Volusia Community Orchestra for a theatrical performance.
Dragonforce performed with new co-vocalist Alissa White-Gluz, formerly of Arch Enemy, for the first time.
Waka Flocka Flame made his major rock festival debut and his debut at a DWP event with one of the most attended sets at his stage.
Sepultura marked their final Florida show.
Flyleaf performed “So I Thought” for the first time in 14 years with Breaking Benjamin’s Ben Burnley.
Sullivan King hit the Garage Stage at 1 a.m. for the latest set in Welcome To Rockville history.
In addition to the music, Welcome To Rockville also kicked things off Wednesday, May 6, with the inaugural Blood4Blood bare knuckle fighting event at Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, co-produced by Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, Danny Wimmer Presents, and 5B Artist Management, in which Slaughter to Prevail frontman Alex Terrible fought middleweight and PBR star Cameron “The Bull” Delano. Blood4Blood also featured performances from Slaughter To Prevail, Black Label Society, Crowbar and Malevolence at this one-of-a-kind event, merging combat sports and hard rock.
Fans also enjoyed additional onsite experiences and festival enhancements, including The Pit Stop, a brand-new zone that featured intimate performances from Atreyu, Paleface Swiss, We The Kings, Kreator, Dead Poet Society, Wolves At The Gate, and 200 Stab Wounds as Kerrang! brought its flagship live series The K! Pit across the pond. Fans could also watch live artist interviews with Breaking Benjamin, Five Finger Death Punch, Ice Nine Kills, Hollywood Undead, Black Veil Brides, Lorna Shore, The Warning and more during the SiriusXM Octane Headbangers Happy Hour with hosts Caity Babs, Shannon Gunz and Jose “Metal Ambassador” Mangin, and more. During the festival, fans around the world could also tune in live to hear interviews and live performances from various Welcome To Rockville artists on SiriusXM’s Rockville Radio takeover on Octane, Ch. 37. The best of Rockville highlights on Rockville Radio can also be streamed on the SiriusXM app and web player now through May 22.
For the first time ever, the festival’s Garage Stage was fully tented, offering up to 15,000 square feet of coverage. This new stage atmosphere provided more shade, better production and bigger sound. Onsite at Welcome To Rockville there were also opportunities to enjoy a series of carnival rides including the Rockvillian Wheel, refresh and enjoy non-stop karaoke at the iHeart Radio Dive Bar, check out the festival’s vintage merch pop-up, and spend time at the Salty Skeeters tiki bar.
Here’s what the media had to say about Welcome To Rockville 2026:
“The 2026 Welcome to Rockville festival is in the books, leaving music lovers with plenty of memorable moments. Over the four-day music weekend, we saw song debuts, first-time performances, tributes to legends, new band member debuts, old band member reunions and quite a bit more.” — Loudwire
“A four-night music festival that rivals the biggest rock-metal events in North America … the heavy metal heaven is finally here.” — Daytona Beach News-Journal
The 2027 festival dates for Welcome To Rockville will be announced soon.
Welcome To Rockville is produced by Danny Wimmer Presents, one of the largest independent producers of destination music festivals in America. DWP was proud to partner with an incredible lineup of partners for Welcome To Rockville 2026, including Beatbox Beverages, Bud Light, Jack Daniel's, KONA, Milagro, NÜTRL and Red Bull. As well, The DWP Foundation supported multiple nonprofit activations throughout the weekend, including the Scars Foundation / DWP Foundation Wellness Lounge, Music Saves Lives, HeartSupport, and Recovery Alliance.
Originally launched in Jacksonville, Florida, in 2011, Welcome To Rockville found its permanent home at Daytona International Speedway in 2021. Since then, the festival has established itself as The World Center of Rock, welcoming record-breaking crowds and cementing itself as a flagship event on the global festival calendar. Each year, Rockville generates over $80 million in economic impact through tourism, hospitality, and local business engagement, making it not only a cultural powerhouse but also a major driver of regional growth.
For more information on Welcome To Rockville, please visit welcometorockville.com.
Website: welcometorockville.com
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