Slam Dunk Festival 2027 has announced its first wave of artists, with Bowling For Soup, Simple Plan, Killswitch Engage, Beartooth, Sleeping With Sirens, The Used and The Front Bottoms topping a 29-act bill. The UK's biggest independent rock festival returns to Leeds Temple Newsam on Saturday 29 May and Hatfield Park on Sunday 30 May 2027, with fan pre-sale opening on Friday 2 October.

Slam Dunk Festival 2027: key details

  • North: Temple Newsam, Leeds – Saturday 29 May 2027
  • South: Hatfield Park, Hertfordshire – Sunday 30 May 2027
  • Headliners: Bowling For Soup, Simple Plan, Killswitch Engage, Beartooth, Sleeping With Sirens, The Used, The Front Bottoms
  • Fan pre-sale: Friday 2 October 2026, 10am, via the Slam Dunk app (48 hours, subject to availability)
  • General sale: Monday 5 October 2026, 10am, via slamdunkfestival.com
  • Tickets: [CONFIRM PRICE]

When is Slam Dunk Festival 2027?

Fresh from its 20th anniversary this summer, Slam Dunk's 21st edition flips the usual running order. The north leg goes first at Leeds Temple Newsam on Saturday 29 May 2027, before the festival heads south to close the bank holiday weekend at Hatfield Park on Sunday 30 May.

Who's headlining Slam Dunk 2027?

Pop-punk royalty share top billing. Bowling For Soup are back after a 2023 set that frontman Jaret Reddick later called "up there with my favorite shows of our career", and they'll be marking 25 years of breakthrough album Drunk Enough To Dance, home of "Girl All The Bad Guys Want". They swap closing slots across the weekend with Simple Plan, making their first Slam Dunk appearance in eight years as debut No Pads, No Helmets…Just Balls also turns 25, straight off the back of their biggest UK headline show yet at Wembley Arena.

On the heavy stage, Killswitch Engage make their first ever Slam Dunk appearance, following 2025's This Consequence, their first album in six years. Beartooth join them with sixth album Pure Ecstasy and a back catalogue built for mass sing-alongs.

Sleeping With Sirens head up a main stage on the strength of eighth album An Ending In Itself, alongside The Used, who've spent the past year playing their first three albums in full and cap it this autumn as special guests of My Chemical Romance at the Hollywood Bowl. Meanwhile The Front Bottoms step up to a stage-headline slot for their Slam Dunk debut, "Twin Size Mattress" and "Flashlight" in tow.

Reel Big Fish reunion and the ska-punk contingent

The big surprise: Reel Big Fish are back for an exclusive UK reunion show. On hiatus since 2019, Aaron Barrett reunites with original members for the first time in more than 15 years, for the band's first Slam Dunk set since 2018. They're joined by three-decade veterans Less Than Jake, The Interrupters and Isle of Wight punks Grade 2.

Who else is on the Slam Dunk 2027 line-up?

Metalcore and heavy

Wage War arrive ahead of new album Landfall [CONFIRM RELEASE DATE], with Australia's The Amity Affliction, progressive metalcore outfit ERRA, Sydney newcomers Melrose Avenue on their Slam Dunk debut, and Pennsylvania's rap-tinged From Ashes To New.

Emo and pop-punk anniversaries

Expect plenty of nostalgia. We The Kings celebrate 20 years of their self-titled debut and "Check Yes Juliet", The Academy Is… mark two decades of Santi, and Cute Is What We Aim For cross the Atlantic especially for the festival. The Maine return with a career-spanning pop-rock set, Four Year Strong bring the breakdowns, and Australia's Trophy Eyes play Chemical Miracle for its 10th anniversary, only at Slam Dunk.

Rising and UK acts

Chicago's Knuckle Puck, "nu-grunge" outfit Overgrown and Leeds mathcore upstarts Love Rarely (fresh from debut album Pain Travels) fill out the bill, alongside Hot Milk, Leicester's Mouth Culture, DIY pop-punks As December Falls and Australian genre-blenders RedHook.

How do I get Slam Dunk Festival 2027 tickets?

Fan pre-sale runs via the Slam Dunk app from 10am on Friday 2 October, for up to 48 hours while stocks last. General sale opens at 10am on Monday 5 October through slamdunkfestival.com and all other outlets. [LINK: ticket page]

With more names still to come and a reunion nobody expected to see again, this is one of the strongest openers Slam Dunk has put out in years. Keep an eye on our festival page for the second wave. [LINK: festival page]