Ozzfest will return to the UK, the US and Mexico in 2027.
The travelling heavy metal festival, co-founded by its late namesake Ozzy Osbourne and his wife/manager Sharon in 1996, is coming back following the Prince Of Darkness’s death aged 76 in July last year.
Although no performers have been announced, promoter Live Nation has confirmed that the event will make its comeback with a one-day instalment at the National Bowl in Milton Keynes on July 10.
The news cancels out previous statements from Sharon that Ozzfest will return at Villa Park – the Birmingham stadium where Ozzy played his farewell show Back To The Beginning, 17 days before his death – as the venue is undergoing construction work.
A US edition will follow on September 11 at Glen Helen Amphitheater in San Bernardino, California: one of the spots Ozzfest played on its first run 30 years ago. A Mexico City date will follow at Estadio GNP Seguros on September 18.
Special ‘Early Bat’ tickets for Milton Keynes will go on sale on Friday, November 6, at 10am UK time.
Sharon comments: “Ozzy was the first to launch his own travelling metal festival, and Ozzfest will always remain an important part of Ozzy’s legacy.
“Unfortunately, due to continuing construction, Villa Park won’t be ready for any live shows this summer, so we had to relocate to Milton Keynes. The choice was to move Ozzfest or postpone it for another year.”
Sharon and Ozzy co-founded Ozzfest after the Prince Of Darkness was denied a slot on the Lollapalooza lineup. The inaugural edition was a two-date US tour, where Ozzy headlined with support from Slayer, Danzig, Biohazard, Sepultura and more.
As nu metal began to gather steam in the late 90s, Ozzfest became famous for putting up-and-coming artists on its bill. Such acts as Slipknot, Limp Bizkit and System Of A Down performed at the festival around the release of their debut albums.
Ozzfest expanded to have international offshoots in markets including the UK, Germany, Belgium and Japan before hosting its final incarnation – a single show in Inglewood, California – in 2018.
In 2023, Sharon explained why Ozzfest went away, saying on her family podcast The Osbournes that other managers got greedy.
“It was a very weird beast,” she said, “because all the bands were our mates, but the managers were greedy, and for some reason they thought that we were making billions on it and we weren’t. We made a profit. But it was not like – we couldn’t retire on it. And managers and agents wanted more and more and more, and it just wasn’t cost-effective anymore. We stopped because it just wasn’t cost-effective.”
However, the following year, she added that “of course” Ozzfest can return one day. “You can do it for a baby stage, but you still need the headliners,” she said. “It’s always great to have the baby stage, I mean, that’s what it’s all about – breaking new bands. That’s why we did it.”
Back To The Beginning took place at a sold-out Villa Park and was live-streamed by more than five million people worldwide. Ozzy performed both with his solo band and Black Sabbath: the heavy metal pioneers’ first show since 2017, and their first with their all-original lineup since 2005. The support lineup included Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Tool, Gojira, Anthrax and Mastodon. Proceeds from the event went to the charities Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity and Acorns Children’s Hospice.
A two-and-a-half-hour Back To The Beginning concert film hit cinemas on Wednesday, October 28. A home release is slated for December 11.
(Image credit: Live Nation)
(LouderSound)
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