Fortress Festival announce 13 new bands

13 new bands have been announced for next year’s Fortress Festival!

Following a blockbuster 2025, which saw OLD MAN’S CHILD confirmed as next year’s headliner, now, 13 new bands have been announced for 2026’s black metal festival in Scarborough!

Leading the charge in the new announcement is Sunday headliner GALLOWBRAID, the US black/folk metal project of Jake Rogers, in what will be the project’s worldwide live debut. Norwegian experimental black metal band DØDHEIMSGARD will perform their latest album Black Medium Current in its entirety and exclusively at Fortress. American atmospheric black metal band ABIGAIL WILLIAMS will return to the UK for the first time in eight years for a UK exclusive – and potentially final ever UK – set at next year’s festival.

Also confirmed for 2026’s festival is German black metallers DARKENED NOCTURN SLAUGHTERCULT and GROZA, dungeon synth pioneer MORTIIS, and Icelandic black metallers MISÞYRMING in a UK exclusive set. Australian atmospheric black metal project MESARTHIM and fellow countrymen MIDNIGHT ODYSSEY land spots on the lineup, and there’s UK debuts for Finnish dungeon synth project OLD SORCERY, Swedish black blackened sludge metallers THIS GIFT IS A CURSE and German atmos black metallers ANTRISCH. And Slovak symphonic black metallers AEON WINDS will perform a worldwide exclusive set of the 2013 split Aeon Odyssey.

Speaking about the new announcement, Gary Stephenson, founder of Fortress Festival, says, “we announced OLD MAN’S CHILD at our 2025 event, and quickly sold nearly 50% of the festival’s capacity within a few days. That’s a lot of pressure to build an entire bill that everyone will be content with. So, it is my absolute pleasure to announce the first wave of bands that will perform in 2026; 12 exclusive bookings including DØDHEIMSGARD performing their masterpiece album, Black Medium Current in full, ABIGAIL WILLIAMS finally return to the UK after 8 years following the recent release of their excellent record, A Void Within Existence, and the impossible has finally happened; Multi-instrumentalist Jake Rogers‘ GALLOWBRAID project will perform live for the very first time and close the Sunday Grand Hall main stage at Fortress Festival.”

Stephenson also revealed plans for the festival’s third stage, “as with previous years, our third theatre stage is something we would like to continue to experiment with, so I am very excited to announce that next year one of the days will play host to a dungeon synth line-up featuring some of the leading acts within the genre.”

He adds, “Fortress 2025 welcomed people from all around the world – over 50 different countries in fact – so we can’t wait to do this all again in Scarborough come next May. More announcements will follow in the coming months and we have a lot left up our sleeve for 2026.”

Jake Rogers of GALLOWBRAID shares, “I truly didn’t think this would ever happen, but here we are. Sixteen years after the release of the Ashen Eidolon EP, GALLOWBRAID will be making its very first live appearance of any kind at the esteemed Fortress Fest in Scarborough, North Yorkshire next year. This project was never intended to be presented in a live setting, but I’m already working with a group of incredible musicians to make this a reality. We’re looking forward to cracking open these old songs and experiencing them live for the first time ever with you!”

GROZA adds, “after three long years, we are finally bringing the storm back to the UK. After a triumphant debut in London in 2023, we will now be playing an exclusive show at Fortress 2026, Scarborough, England. This will be our only performance in the UK for the whole year, do not miss out on this. Onwards!”

ABIGAIL WILLIAMS shares, “this will be our first time back in the UK in eight years. There’s no clear plan beyond this, no guarantee we’ll return anytime soon-if ever. So we’re approaching Fortress as something final in a way. One night. Everything we’ve carried. Let the weight of it speak.”

And AEON WINDS says, “a few years ago, we had the honour of sharing the stage with our friends from MIDNIGHT ODYSSEY. Given the vast distance between us, it felt like a once-in-a-lifetime experience. That’s why it feels all the more special that Fortress Festival has managed to reunite what once seemed impossible. Together, we will once again revive the spirit of Aeon Odyssey.”

Fortress Festival takes place at Scarborough Spa, Scarborough from May 30th – May 31st 2026. Tickets are available now and can be purchased here.

For more information on the festival like their official page on Facebook.