Hellfest Open Air 2026
Official Travel Partner
Hellfest Open Air – Clisson, France
More information about the Package
Hellfest is a music festival held annually in the town of Clisson, in the Loire-Atlantique region of France. It has become one of the most iconic events in the world for metal and heavy rock music. Originating in the 2000s, the festival has grown to be an international reference, attracting tens of thousands of fans from various continents. Since its inception, Hellfest has established itself as a vibrant space celebrating alternative culture, embracing different branches of rock and metal, with multiple stages and a diverse lineup that blends nostalgia and innovation.
Clisson, a picturesque town with the typical charm of the French countryside, undergoes a true transformation during the first days of summer. Its narrow streets fill with color and movement as visitors wear styles ranging from monochromatic black to wildly extravagant colors, with piercings, tattoos, dyed hair, and scenography that evokes gothic or extreme imagery. The festival takes place across several open-air stages, strategically placed around a beautiful rural landscape among vineyards and woods, creating a unique atmosphere: the union of raw musical power and natural beauty.
The infrastructure of Hellfest is impressive. With multiple main and secondary stages, each has its unique character. The main stage hosts the most well-known and anticipated acts, while smaller stages provide space for intimate shows or emerging bands, offering a bridge between legendary idols and new talent. In addition to stages dedicated to traditional heavy metal, there is room for subgenres such as death, black, doom, thrash, stoner, sludge, metalcore, hardcore, punk, and more extreme or hybrid styles. Alongside this, side events like Hell City (focused on tattoo culture) and the Hell Print Market (featuring clothing, accessories, and art) complete the experience, making Hellfest a global cultural celebration that goes beyond music.
The gastronomic experience is also remarkable: there are numerous food stalls offering everything from classic fast food to artisanal meals, including vegetarian and vegan options, craft beers, mead, and even traditional French dishes. The entire setting contributes to the festival’s immersive vibe, with decorations reflecting dark, mystical, or post-apocalyptic themes, adding a fantasy or medieval festival feel.
Socially, Hellfest stands out for promoting diversity within a passionate community of heavy music lovers. It's common to see fans of all ages, genders, and orientations united by a shared passion. Families often attend, with children accompanied by parents who wish to pass on the culture of rock; young people searching for freedom and belonging; veteran fans who’ve traveled for decades to never miss an edition. This creates a plural environment where tolerance and respect are essential values, even in a setting saturated with visual transgression.
The Hellfest schedule is designed to offer a comprehensive experience, generally taking place over three days—Friday, Saturday, and Sunday—though some side events may stretch out before or after. Each night builds toward its climax, with epic performances by major bands, but also moments of discovery: thousands of visitors take the chance to explore and discover new bands, especially at the smaller stages. This strengthens the community feel and gives emerging musicians the chance to grow their fan base.
In addition to the concerts, Hellfest offers complementary activities such as workshops, artist meet-and-greets, autograph sessions, art exhibits, and discussion panels on topics related to rock and metal culture. Lectures may explore the history and creative process behind music styles or even teach screen printing and t-shirt design techniques. There are also humorous and light-hearted tutorials for headbanging and moshing, especially geared toward first-time festival-goers.
Security and logistics are carefully planned. The venue includes medical stations, emergency teams, police presence, and effective evacuation systems to ensure safety during incidents. Waste bins, enough portable toilets, and crowd management systems all contribute to the audience’s comfort. Sustainability is also a concern: recycling campaigns, reusable cups, and environmental awareness actions are part of the festival’s commitment to reducing its ecological footprint.
Hellfest plays a significant economic and cultural role in the Clisson region. The festival generates massive tourist activity, benefiting hotels, restaurants, guesthouses, and local businesses. Many visitors arrive days early or stay after the event to enjoy the wine region and scenic countryside. This creates a virtuous cycle of development and a positive image for the region, now internationally known thanks to Hellfest.
Over the years, the festival has faced challenges, from weather conditions—heavy rains can turn the grounds into a mud field—to opposition from groups critical of the visual or symbolic content of the shows. However, every edition has been marked by overcoming these hurdles through resilient organization and evolving infrastructure. Stages have been reinforced, covered areas improved, and ground drainage optimized. Each year brings better safety and amenities.
Culturally, Hellfest acts as a guardian of the metal scene. With a lineup that honors both icons and new artists, the festival sustains the vitality of the genre, encouraging the emergence of new bands and attracting worldwide media attention. It has hosted legendary groups such as Iron Maiden, Metallica, Slayer, Black Sabbath (during their final tours), Rammstein, Marilyn Manson, and AC/DC, while also spotlighting French bands and international underground acts that gain visibility in Clisson.
The fans' connection to Hellfest goes beyond the concerts: many create personal rituals, like tracking down friends across the grounds, building custom playlists for each stage, trading band t-shirts or pins, getting flash tattoos, riding the Ferris wheel or zipline, or decorating their campsites thematically. Some even bring instruments to jam in shaded areas, especially in the more relaxed camping zones.
In recent years—despite financial constraints or global restrictions such as the pandemic—the event has come back stronger. New stages were added, the gourmet area expanded, and a multidisciplinary program (featuring cinema, theater, and dance) began to emerge. New features like “mosh pit personal trainers,” sensory rest areas, and kid-friendly zones have made the festival more inclusive.
Production-wise, the Hellfest team is highly specialized in scenography, sound, lighting, and audiovisual experiences. The sound system is calibrated for extreme volume while ensuring musical clarity; lighting includes strobes, lasers, pyrotechnics—all with strict safety protocols. The audiovisual coverage is robust, with livestreaming and recorded footage broadcast on networks and social media. Even the visual communication—website design, signage, posters—adheres to a signature aesthetic rooted in heavy metal iconography, reinforcing the festival’s unique identity.
Positioned in early June, Hellfest fits strategically into the global festival calendar, often overlapping with other summer European events. Fans often plan their travels to attend multiple festivals, making Clisson a key stop on the “festival circuit.” Organizers offer ticket packages with combined transport, premium camping (with pre-set tents), and even optional tours of regional landmarks.
Due to its visibility, Hellfest becomes a platform for partnerships with instrument brands, sound and lighting equipment companies, alternative fashion labels, craft breweries, and small businesses linked to the rock world. Stands allow visitors to test guitars, get tattooed, visit photo booths, and browse album releases. The event thus fosters a collaborative network among musicians, cultural managers, producers, journalists, and alternative tourism professionals.
Over its two decades of existence, Hellfest has become a cultural phenomenon that transcends music. It’s a global gathering for fans, a springboard for newcomers, a cultural tourism landmark, and a space where counterculture finds grand-scale expression. It has crafted a hybrid experience: deeply rooted in the traditions of metal and hard rock, yet adaptable to modern sensibilities, promoting wellness, sustainability, accessibility, and even family participation.
In summary, Hellfest represents far more than just a festival. It is a contemporary manifestation of heavy music culture that blends music, art, fashion, gastronomy, and tourism. It serves as a cultural platform that connects history, identity, and future. It’s a place where the audience doesn’t just watch shows but lives a lifestyle, creates collective memories—screaming choruses, cheering guitar solos, getting tattoos in the heat of the moment, strolling through decorated tents, or walking through Clisson among colorful, noisy crowds. In this space where brutality meets celebration, Hellfest continues to challenge, captivate, and inspire those who dare to be part of it.
Event Name: Hellfest Open Air 2026
When does it happens?: 18/06/2026 ~ 21/06/2026
Where does it take place?: Hellfest Open Air – Clisson, France
Venue
Notes
Hellfest is a music festival held annually in the town of Clisson, in the Loire-Atlantique region of France. It has become one of the most iconic events in the world for metal and heavy rock music. Originating in the 2000s, the festival has grown to be an international reference, attracting tens of thousands of fans from various continents. Since its inception, Hellfest has established itself as a vibrant space celebrating alternative culture, embracing different branches of rock and metal, with multiple stages and a diverse lineup that blends nostalgia and innovation.
Clisson, a picturesque town with the typical charm of the French countryside, undergoes a true transformation during the first days of summer. Its narrow streets fill with color and movement as visitors wear styles ranging from monochromatic black to wildly extravagant colors, with piercings, tattoos, dyed hair, and scenography that evokes gothic or extreme imagery. The festival takes place across several open-air stages, strategically placed around a beautiful rural landscape among vineyards and woods, creating a unique atmosphere: the union of raw musical power and natural beauty.
The infrastructure of Hellfest is impressive. With multiple main and secondary stages, each has its unique character. The main stage hosts the most well-known and anticipated acts, while smaller stages provide space for intimate shows or emerging bands, offering a bridge between legendary idols and new talent. In addition to stages dedicated to traditional heavy metal, there is room for subgenres such as death, black, doom, thrash, stoner, sludge, metalcore, hardcore, punk, and more extreme or hybrid styles. Alongside this, side events like Hell City (focused on tattoo culture) and the Hell Print Market (featuring clothing, accessories, and art) complete the experience, making Hellfest a global cultural celebration that goes beyond music.
The gastronomic experience is also remarkable: there are numerous food stalls offering everything from classic fast food to artisanal meals, including vegetarian and vegan options, craft beers, mead, and even traditional French dishes. The entire setting contributes to the festival’s immersive vibe, with decorations reflecting dark, mystical, or post-apocalyptic themes, adding a fantasy or medieval festival feel.
Socially, Hellfest stands out for promoting diversity within a passionate community of heavy music lovers. It's common to see fans of all ages, genders, and orientations united by a shared passion. Families often attend, with children accompanied by parents who wish to pass on the culture of rock; young people searching for freedom and belonging; veteran fans who’ve traveled for decades to never miss an edition. This creates a plural environment where tolerance and respect are essential values, even in a setting saturated with visual transgression.
The Hellfest schedule is designed to offer a comprehensive experience, generally taking place over three days—Friday, Saturday, and Sunday—though some side events may stretch out before or after. Each night builds toward its climax, with epic performances by major bands, but also moments of discovery: thousands of visitors take the chance to explore and discover new bands, especially at the smaller stages. This strengthens the community feel and gives emerging musicians the chance to grow their fan base.
In addition to the concerts, Hellfest offers complementary activities such as workshops, artist meet-and-greets, autograph sessions, art exhibits, and discussion panels on topics related to rock and metal culture. Lectures may explore the history and creative process behind music styles or even teach screen printing and t-shirt design techniques. There are also humorous and light-hearted tutorials for headbanging and moshing, especially geared toward first-time festival-goers.
Security and logistics are carefully planned. The venue includes medical stations, emergency teams, police presence, and effective evacuation systems to ensure safety during incidents. Waste bins, enough portable toilets, and crowd management systems all contribute to the audience’s comfort. Sustainability is also a concern: recycling campaigns, reusable cups, and environmental awareness actions are part of the festival’s commitment to reducing its ecological footprint.
Hellfest plays a significant economic and cultural role in the Clisson region. The festival generates massive tourist activity, benefiting hotels, restaurants, guesthouses, and local businesses. Many visitors arrive days early or stay after the event to enjoy the wine region and scenic countryside. This creates a virtuous cycle of development and a positive image for the region, now internationally known thanks to Hellfest.
Over the years, the festival has faced challenges, from weather conditions—heavy rains can turn the grounds into a mud field—to opposition from groups critical of the visual or symbolic content of the shows. However, every edition has been marked by overcoming these hurdles through resilient organization and evolving infrastructure. Stages have been reinforced, covered areas improved, and ground drainage optimized. Each year brings better safety and amenities.
Culturally, Hellfest acts as a guardian of the metal scene. With a lineup that honors both icons and new artists, the festival sustains the vitality of the genre, encouraging the emergence of new bands and attracting worldwide media attention. It has hosted legendary groups such as Iron Maiden, Metallica, Slayer, Black Sabbath (during their final tours), Rammstein, Marilyn Manson, and AC/DC, while also spotlighting French bands and international underground acts that gain visibility in Clisson.
The fans' connection to Hellfest goes beyond the concerts: many create personal rituals, like tracking down friends across the grounds, building custom playlists for each stage, trading band t-shirts or pins, getting flash tattoos, riding the Ferris wheel or zipline, or decorating their campsites thematically. Some even bring instruments to jam in shaded areas, especially in the more relaxed camping zones.
In recent years—despite financial constraints or global restrictions such as the pandemic—the event has come back stronger. New stages were added, the gourmet area expanded, and a multidisciplinary program (featuring cinema, theater, and dance) began to emerge. New features like “mosh pit personal trainers,” sensory rest areas, and kid-friendly zones have made the festival more inclusive.
Production-wise, the Hellfest team is highly specialized in scenography, sound, lighting, and audiovisual experiences. The sound system is calibrated for extreme volume while ensuring musical clarity; lighting includes strobes, lasers, pyrotechnics—all with strict safety protocols. The audiovisual coverage is robust, with livestreaming and recorded footage broadcast on networks and social media. Even the visual communication—website design, signage, posters—adheres to a signature aesthetic rooted in heavy metal iconography, reinforcing the festival’s unique identity.
Positioned in early June, Hellfest fits strategically into the global festival calendar, often overlapping with other summer European events. Fans often plan their travels to attend multiple festivals, making Clisson a key stop on the “festival circuit.” Organizers offer ticket packages with combined transport, premium camping (with pre-set tents), and even optional tours of regional landmarks.
Due to its visibility, Hellfest becomes a platform for partnerships with instrument brands, sound and lighting equipment companies, alternative fashion labels, craft breweries, and small businesses linked to the rock world. Stands allow visitors to test guitars, get tattooed, visit photo booths, and browse album releases. The event thus fosters a collaborative network among musicians, cultural managers, producers, journalists, and alternative tourism professionals.
Over its two decades of existence, Hellfest has become a cultural phenomenon that transcends music. It’s a global gathering for fans, a springboard for newcomers, a cultural tourism landmark, and a space where counterculture finds grand-scale expression. It has crafted a hybrid experience: deeply rooted in the traditions of metal and hard rock, yet adaptable to modern sensibilities, promoting wellness, sustainability, accessibility, and even family participation.
In summary, Hellfest represents far more than just a festival. It is a contemporary manifestation of heavy music culture that blends music, art, fashion, gastronomy, and tourism. It serves as a cultural platform that connects history, identity, and future. It’s a place where the audience doesn’t just watch shows but lives a lifestyle, creates collective memories—screaming choruses, cheering guitar solos, getting tattoos in the heat of the moment, strolling through decorated tents, or walking through Clisson among colorful, noisy crowds. In this space where brutality meets celebration, Hellfest continues to challenge, captivate, and inspire those who dare to be part of it.
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All service offers for the event Hellfest Open Air 2026 are provided by companies with years of experience in tourism, whether they are transport, receptive or hotel companies.
Payment methods vary from: in cash to installments with or without credit card, reaching up to 12 installments of equal value, depending on the start date of your trip.
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