Spring Breakdown Festival Dillenburg

Hesse's Metalcore Highlight

The Spring Breakdown Festival is one of the most important metalcore and hardcore festivals in Middle Hesse. It has been held annually since 2015 in the Hofgarten Dillenburg – a historic park area surrounding the ruins of Dillenburg Castle. The 11th edition will take place on Saturday, May 9, 2026. The organizers are the dedicated Spring Breakdown team, who have established the festival as a fixture on the Middle Hesse genre calendar.

Line-up 2026: Caliban and the New Generation

The headliner is the German metalcore heavyweight Caliban – active since 1997, one of the defining bands of the German metalcore scene with albums like 'Coverfield' and 'I Am Nemesis'. Supporting them are emerging and established bands of the genre:

• Half Me – Atmospheric Metalcore with a strong live reputation
• Accvsed – Modern Metalcore
• Lastelle – Newcomer hope
• Left Betrayed
• Leyka
• Dying Breed

Open-Air Concept in the Hofgarten

The festival is a pure daytime open-air event: Admission from 4 PM, program until midnight. Local street food vendors offer meat, vegetarian, and vegan options – cash payment at the food stalls. There is free tap water, no cup deposit system. Vouchers for food and drinks in denominations of €5 or €10 are sold immediately after admission.

Strict Admission Control

The minimum age is 16 years. Prohibited items: knives, glass bottles, fireworks, pointed umbrellas, weapons, brought food and drinks. Re-entry is possible with a valid festival wristband; drinks must remain on the premises. The venue is wheelchair accessible, with an accessible toilet.

Dillenburg – City of the Orange Princes

Dillenburg is located in the Lahn-Dill district in northern Middle Hesse and is historically known as the birthplace of William I of Orange – the later founder of the Dutch royal house. Dillenburg Castle was destroyed during the Thirty Years' War; its ruins now shape the city center. The Hofgarten on Schlossberg is a quiet park surrounded by old trees – during Spring Breakdown, it becomes an open-air arena.

A Scene with Local Identity

Spring Breakdown is part of the wave of German metalcore festivals that emerged in the 2010s, bringing the genre beyond the major open-airs (Wacken, Rock am Ring) into smaller towns. The audience comes from Middle Hesse, Westerwald, southern Sauerland, and Wetterau – the festival is a meeting point for the regional hardcore and metalcore scene.