Dortmund Deathfest

Dortmund Deathfest — Death Metal in an Industrial Setting

The Dortmund Deathfest has established itself as one of Europe's most important Death Metal festivals in just a few years. On July 31 and August 1, 2026, the next edition will take place at the JunkYard Dortmund — a weekend of continuous brutality on two stages.

Line-up 2026 — The Death Metal Elite

The full lineup, officially announced in November 2025, brings together international Death Metal heavyweights:

• Asphyx (Netherlands) — Doom/Death legends
• Deicide (USA) — Florida Death Metal pioneers
• Immolation (USA) — New York Brutal Death
• Benediction (UK) — Birmingham Death veterans
• Cryptopsy (Canada) — Technical Brutal Death
• Misery Index (USA) — Grindcore/Death
• Sanguisugabogg (USA) — Slam Death rising stars
• 200 Stab Wounds (USA) — Brutal Death newcomers
• + around 20 more bands from Europe, North and South America

Two Stages — Outdoor and Indoor

The festival utilizes both floors of the JunkYard:

• Outdoor Stage (1,500 people) — Main floor under the open sky
• Indoor Stage (500 people) — Smaller floor for a more intense atmosphere

The concept minimizes breaks and avoids scheduling conflicts — bands switch between stages.

Death Metal in Germany

With the Party.San Open Air (Bad Berka), the Eindhoven Metal Meeting (Netherlands), the Brutal Assault (Czech Republic), and the Dortmund Deathfest, Central Europe has developed a strong Death Metal festival landscape. The Dortmund Deathfest benefits from being more compact and affordable than the major events — and having its own identity due to the unusual JunkYard location.

JunkYard as a Death Metal Venue

The JunkYard Dortmund in the Huckarde district is established as a heavy rock and underground venue (see JunkYard Open Air). With the Deathfest, the booking team expands its profile into the most extreme genre of the Metal family. The industrial atmosphere of the former scrapyard — shipping containers, graffiti, DIY structures — perfectly matches the genre's aesthetic.

Dortmund — Metal City with Tradition

Dortmund has a long metal tradition. With the former FZW (Freizeitzentrum West, now reopened) as a legendary concert venue, an active local scene, and bands like Sodom (who hail from Gelsenkirchen but belong to the Ruhr area), the Ruhr region is a central metal hub in Germany. The Deathfest updates this tradition for today's generation.