RVBang Open Air Festival

Hard Rock and Metal on the Swabian Jura

The RVBang Open Air is one of the younger Southern German hard rock and metal festivals, which has quickly made a name for itself in the scene since its first edition. The Balingen exhibition grounds, with its central location on the Swabian Jura — halfway between Stuttgart and Lake Constance — offers a stage for around 5,000 spectators. The next edition runs from July 9th to 11th, 2026; the Thursday warm-up show opens the festival weekend, with Friday and Saturday forming the two main festival days.

The 2026 Headliners

The headliner slot in 2026 is taken by Michael Schenker — the German hard rock legend who has shaped entire generations of guitarists with his UFO and Scorpions past. His program ‘My Years With UFO’ is dedicated to the classics of his UFO years and is considered one of the most nostalgically dense live programs in the current hard rock scene. Also playing are other headliners: US thrash legend Overkill, Rhenish hard rockers Rage accompanied by the Lingua Mortis Orchestra, Finnish power metal classics Sonata Arctica, and Frankfurt thrash icons Tankard.

The Second Tier — Power, Speed, and Sleaze

With Mystic Prophecy, Enforcer, MotorJesus, Cobra Spell, Snow White Blood, Destinity, Mission in Black, Crave, Broken Fate, Here 2 Legend, and Five O Seven, the second tier features renowned power metal, speed metal, and sleaze bands. Cobra Spell from the Netherlands is currently considered one of the hottest newcomer bands in the heavy rock scene; MotorJesus from Mönchengladbach stands for German hard rock with a Detroit influence.

The Format — Camping, Cashless, Family

The RVBang is designed as a camping festival: those who want to stay the whole weekend can pitch their tents directly at the exhibition grounds. Payment at the festival is cashless via a pre-loaded festival wristband — common at current open-air events. Thursday evening serves as a warm-up show, where some bands already play, opening the entrance to the actual festival weekend; Friday and Saturday, the main stages typically run from 6 PM to 11 PM.

Balingen and the Zollernalb District

Balingen, with around 35,000 inhabitants, is the district town of the Zollernalb district in the state of Baden-Württemberg. The city lies at the foot of the Swabian Jura, with Hohenzollern Castle within sight. The exhibition grounds have hosted several open-air festivals in recent years — including the renowned Bang Your Head!!! — and RVBang is part of this dense festival landscape at the gateway to the Alb.