Bloodstock Festival 2025

Bloodstock has been hailed as one of the largest independent festivals in the UK and simply the holy grail for  metalheads. The brainchild of artist Paul Raymond Gregory and his business partner Vince Brotheridge back in 2001, it's a four-day rock and metal extravaganza that happens each August.

Set against the idyllic village of Walton-on-Trent, Derbyshire in central England, the Bloodstock Festival offers a green ribbon of land upon which a glorious green field suddenly becomes a city of heavy metal enthusiasts.

There are fans to be found both nationwide and internationally since the festival holds a 360° approach for entertainment, drawn to its metal mecca.

With over 120 international metal acts across four stages, BOA really does become the defining heavy metal festival. The core essence of the event will always relate to heavy metal and hard rock music, with further sub-genres such as thrash and gothic also very welcome.

Since its inception, Bloodstock Open Air has taken pride in being "by the fans, for the fans," and that philosophy has earned it a highly regarded place among the UK's top rock music festivals. For many years, it has successfully hosted some towering figures from the music world, such as Devin Townsend, Sabaton, and Nightwish.

Having started indoors originally, Bloodstock Open Air later moved outdoors in 2005 onto permanent grounds at the Catton Hall Estate. As such, it expands the capabilities to increase stages count and grow overall attendance to current levels of up to 20,000 per day.

Devoted to fostering the development of new talent, Bloodstock does this with a showcase for newer bands. The New Blood Stage offers a platform for the most talented artists in every subgenre of metal and rock, giving them that all-important exposure and experience among legends.

For those seasoned in worshiping metal as for a freshman just discovering it, Bloodstock Festival calls-an experience not to be missed, all because it is deeply connected with nurturing and promoting hard rock and heavy metal.