Zabbath Festival

Z-Bau as the Home of Nuremberg's Subculture

The Z-Bau on Frankenstraße is Nuremberg's most important center for alternative contemporary culture — a former industrial site that today hosts concerts, club nights, readings, exhibitions, and political events. This very Z-Bau is the venue for the Zabbath Festival: an open-air stage in the courtyard plus two indoor rooms offer the necessary spatial differentiation for underground metal — from the loud, hard main stage outdoors to the more intimate indoor stage for the late-night bands.

Underground Instead of Mainstream

The Zabbath Festival consciously positions itself in the underground metal segment: not the big festival headliners of the mainstream metal scene (Wacken Open Air, Summer Breeze), but bands from the second and third tier — Black, Doom, Death, Sludge, and Crust. This precise programming has made Zabbath the premier address for authentic underground acts in the North Bavarian underground scene for years.

Ultha as Headliner 2026

Headliner in 2026 is the German black metal band Ultha from Cologne — one of Germany's best-known underground metal acts. Atmospheric, long pieces, melancholic-aggressive profile — Ultha is a perfect choice for the Zabbath Open Air. Nine other bands complete the lineup; the full program will be announced in advance on the festival website and on rausgegangen.de. Visual accompaniment: Misanthropic Art (Visual Art).

Clear Political Stance

A special feature of the Zabbath Festival — and at the same time its trademark — is its clear stance, visible in the festival layout: "No racism. No sexism. No homophobia. Fuck NSBM". (NSBM = National Socialist Black Metal — a right-wing extremist sub-genre existing in the underground, which is explicitly not featured at Zabbath.) This political self-positioning distinguishes the festival from many other underground events and creates a consciously inclusive setting within the often homogeneous metal scene.

Advance Sales, Social Ticket, Supporter

Advance ticket sales for 2026 start on Saturday, March 23, 2026, at 11:00 AM. Prices: Regular €50 (plus fees), Supporter Ticket €65 (plus fees) as a conscious solidarity surcharge, Social Ticket €35 (limited, for low-income individuals). This price structure — solidarity surcharge for solidarity ticket — is also part of the festival's political self-positioning.