The West Coast's biggest rock and metal festival — now four days, with camping, on the Sacramento riverfront.
October 1–4, 2026
This is the Aftershock 2026 lineup. For dates, tickets and trip planning for the next edition, see the current Aftershock guide.
Venue: Discovery Park, Interstate 5 @ Garden Highway, Sacramento, CA, 95833, Sacramento, CA
Aftershock is the biggest rock and metal festival on the West Coast, and in 2026 it gets bigger: four days for the first time, on-site camping for the first time, and a bill that runs from TOOL, My Chemical Romance, and Limp Bizkit down through 140-plus bands on five stages. It takes over Discovery Park in Sacramento, right where the American and Sacramento Rivers meet, and it is unapologetically heavy.
The day-by-day tells you who it's for: Thursday belongs to My Chemical Romance playing The Black Parade at 20, Friday swings from Limp Bizkit to Wu-Tang Clan, Saturday is a scene-kid dream with Pierce the Veil and A Day to Remember, and Sunday closes dark and huge with TOOL, Queens of the Stone Age, and Danny Elfman. This is not a pop-crossover festival dressed up with a few rock acts. It's the real thing.
Insider tip: Sacramento is the quietly smart part. It's cheaper to fly into and sleep in than San Francisco or LA, it's a straight shot down I-5, and now you can skip the hotel entirely and camp on the grounds. For a four-day festival, that adds up fast.
Rock, punk, and metal fans who want the genuine article, not a token stage. Travelers who'd rather spend on the festival than the hotel — Sacramento is affordable and camping is new this year. Anyone in Northern California within driving distance: this is the region's marquee heavy-music weekend.
Less ideal for: anyone outside the rock/metal lane (the crossover is minimal), and travelers who want a polished destination-city weekend — Sacramento delivers, but it's a working river city, not a resort. Four days is also a real commitment of stamina and budget.