Preview: Slam Dunk North 2026

Words by Laurent Swyngedauw

If you grew up listening to pop-punk, post-hardcore or anything in between, Slam Dunk Festival needs no introduction. If you didn't — 2026 might be the year to start. Returning to Hatfield Park in Hertfordshire on Saturday 23 May, and Temple Newsam in Leeds on Sunday 24 May, the festival marks its twentieth anniversary with a line-up that comfortably ranks amongst the best it has ever put together.

What has always made Slam Dunk worth the trip is its refusal to water itself down. While other festivals gradually chase the mainstream, this one has stayed committed to a very specific corner of rock music — and the fans have rewarded that loyalty by coming back every single year. To mark two decades, founder Ben Ray has announced that two main stages will run side by side with no clashing sets, one dedicated entirely to metalcore, one for hardcore, and one for post-hardcore. For anyone who has ever had to choose between two bands playing at the same time, this alone is worth celebrating.

Headlining are Good Charlotte, back in the UK for the first time since Alexandra Palace in 2019. Fresh off 'Motel Du Cap' — their first album in seven years — Joel and Benji Madden return with a back catalogue that barely needs any introduction and, by the sounds of it, a real sense of purpose. "We're hungrier than ever," the band said recently. "This story is still unfinished." They headlined Slam Dunk back in 2018 and, by all accounts, it was one of their best UK shows in years. Despite their small hiatus, we expect this to comeback gig to go even harder.

Joining them are two bookings that genuinely feel like a big deal. Sublime play their first ever UK shows at the festival — a sentence that still feels slightly surreal to type. The Californian ska-punk legends arrive off the back of US number one 'Ensenada' and with a new album reportedly in progress with Travis Barker for their first in nearly thirty years. Knocked Loose, meanwhile, bring a different kind of energy to the top of the bill. If you have not caught the Kentucky hardcore outfit yet, this is your chance — and it will be loud.

Taking Back Sunday round out the headliners, performing 'Louder Now' in full to mark its twentieth anniversary. They are not the only ones celebrating a milestone: Cartel play 'Chroma' in its entirety, and Deaf Havana revisit 'Fools and Worthless Liars', making this a particularly good year for fans of records that defined a generation.

Further down the bill, the names start stacking up fast. Dashboard Confessional, Motion City Soundtrack, Saosin, Bayside, The Menzingers, and Goldfinger all feature, sitting alongside the mysterious PRESIDENT — widely believed to be fronted by Busted's Charlie Simpson — who remain one of the more intriguing acts on the entire line-up. On the heavy stage, Malevolence, Currents, Cancer Bats, Dying Wish, Heriot, Comeback Kid, and Bury Tomorrow make a compelling case for spending most of the day in the pit, whilst Japanese hardcore icons SIM are arguably the most exciting booking the festival has made in years.

Boston Manor, Stand Atlantic, State Champs, Tonight Alive, Trash Boat, Hawthorne Heights, Dead Pony, Vukovi, Origami Angel, Broadside, Zebrahead, Madina Lak,e and The Home Team fill out the rest of a weekend that is, frankly, stacked from top to bottom.

"When I started the festival 20 years ago, I had no idea it would get to the milestone of 20 years," Ben Ray reflected. Twenty years on, it has never looked better. Temple Newsam is a straightforward trip from Manchester — there really is no excuse.

Credit: Slam Dunk Festival / Gala PR