The Sanctum: Modern Metal Festival 2026

Grab a ticket by 30th April to be entered into our giveaway for a FREE Acid Wash Lineup T-Shirt!THE SANCTUM: MODERN METAL FESTIVAL 2026
Fri 14 / Sat 15 / Sun 16 August 2026
Dead Wax Digbeth, Birmingham UKFor the bands. For the moments in between. For the love of the music. For discovering something new. For forgetting our divisions.THE SANCTUM: MODERN METAL FESTIVAL 2026 is an upcoming independent grassroots metal festival taking place at Dead Wax Digbeth, Birmingham UK on Friday 14 Sunday 16 August 2026. Our belief and ultimately, our reason for establishing The Sanctum is that the future of music is in community, and the coming together of ideas and sounds that challenge and change us.THE SANCTUM: MODERN METAL FESTIVAL 2026is set to erupt with its first headline set by SHIELDS on Friday 14 August. Returning from a six-year hiatus following their debut LP, " Life in Exile ", SHIELDSoffer a number of visceral cuts from their latest record " Death & Connection ", one of the most emotionally-resonant, dizzyingly-heavy and musically mature outings ever released by a British metal band. Featuring standout tracks such as " Lacerate " [ft. Graphic Nature], " Parasites " and " Kill ".At the helm of the Sanctum's stacked Saturday stands HACKTIVIST, the genre-defying titans best known for cultivating the next generation of nu-metal with their cutting-edge, confrontational spinup of grime vocals and dark djent grooves. Armed to the teeth with a catalogue spanning fifteen years of precipice-pushing progressive metal and a history of supporting the likes of Kornand Enter Shikari, HACKTIVISTreturn to Birmingham for an exclusive 2026 live performance with expected tracks such as " Elevate " and " Armoured Core ".Concluding the festival with emotionally-evocative post-hardcore, Oxfordshire quintet LASTELLEclose out the weekend with a Sunday headline set, comprising cuts from their latest outings Exist vol. I and " Exist vol. II . Following LASTELLE's performanceat Download Festival 2025 the band have furthered their reverence across the globe, often praised for their abundance of atmospheric, ambient instrumentation, soaring, spine-chilling choruses delivered by drummer Mike Hayden, and the incredible utilisation of cinematic brass and trumpet passages.FRIDAY LINEUP
SHIELDS | DOWNPOUR | TAKE BREATHSATURDAY LINEUP
HACKTIVIST | CHUGGABOOM | SWARM6IX | ALCHEMIZE | SIXTH WONDER | SCATTER THE TRIBE | ARCHIVES | ANDROMEDOUS | RUPCHA FARMSSUNDAY LINEUP
LASTELLE | DEFENCES | COBER MOUTH | VANITAS | WRITHE |MEET YOUR MAKER | DIVINITAS | TOOTH & DAGGER"Standing on the shoulders of the giants who brought us UK Tech-Fest, The Sanctum are confidently carrying that torch by bringing together breakout bands and seasoned devastators to put together a modern and high-quality event setting a bar above the rest." Laz & Dan, UK Death Dealers"The Sanctum has been one of the best small festivals I have ever been to. Every detail has been beautifully polished. The Sanctum team should be so proud of what they have achieved in bringing an entire community together." Sam, Metal Junkbox