Slam Dunk Europe 2026: Knocked Loose lead a transcontinental summer for alternative music

Slam Dunk is gearing up for a landmark summer in 2026, and this time the celebrations aren’t stopping at the UK border. Fresh from announcing a stacked 20th‑anniversary edition in Hatfield and Leeds, the festival has confirmed a return to mainland Europe — with Knocked Loose topping the bill for both dates and carrying the momentum of their explosive new single with Denzel Curry.

For a festival that began life as a one‑day gathering in 2006, Slam Dunk has spent two decades evolving into one of the most recognisable alt‑music institutions in Europe. Its reputation has been built on a simple formula: champion the heavy, the heartfelt, and the high‑energy, while giving both legacy acts and rising names a platform that feels communal rather than corporate. The 2026 run looks set to double down on that ethos.

The party begins on home turf:

• Slam Dunk South – Sat 23 May, Hatfield Park

• Slam Dunk North – Sun 24 May, Temple Newsam, Leeds

These will be the only UK shows for Knocked Loose this summer — a detail that’s already sending fans scrambling for tickets. Once the dust settles on that back‑to‑back main stage weekend, the festival heads across the Channel for two new European chapters.

On Friday 29 May, Slam Dunk makes its long‑awaited German debut at Turbinenhalle 1&2 in Oberhausen. It’s a suitably heavy introduction: Knocked Loose lead the charge, joined by a lineup that blends hardcore muscle with melodic punch — Paleface Swiss, Stand Atlantic, Hawthorne Heights, Static Dress, Holywatr, and Sweet Pill.

It’s a bill that feels like a snapshot of where alternative music is right now: genre‑fluid, emotionally charged, and unafraid to collide nostalgia with new blood.

The final stop lands in Milan on Monday 1 June, where Circolo Magnolia hosts Slam Dunk Italy. The lineup expands again, this time adding hardcore legends Gorilla Biscuits to the mix alongside Knocked Loose, Paleface Swiss, Stand Atlantic, Hawthorne Heights, Static Dress, Holywatr, and Sweet Pill.

It’s a closing night that reads like a love letter to the festival’s roots — a blend of modern heaviness and classic punk energy, all wrapped in the sun‑drenched chaos of an Italian summer evening.

With its 20th anniversary falling this May, Slam Dunk is marking the milestone not with nostalgia, but with forward motion. Expanding deeper into Europe feels like a natural next step for a festival that has always thrived on community — whether that’s a sweaty club show, a field in Leeds, or a warehouse in Oberhausen.

Tickets for the European dates go on sale Thursday 19 February at 9am GMT via slamdunkfestival.com, with UK tickets already moving fast.