The Sanctum: Modern Metal Festival 2026 tickets
Venue Location
About This Event
THE SANCTUM: MODERN METAL FESTIVAL 2026 is an upcoming independent grassroots metal festival taking place at Dead Wax Digbeth, Birmingham UK on Friday 14 – Sunday 16 August 2026. Our belief – and ultimately, our reason for establishing The Sanctum – is that the future of music is in community, and the coming together of ideas and sounds that challenge and change us. THE SANCTUM: MODERN METAL FESTIVAL 2026 is set to erupt with its first headline set by SHIELDS on Friday 14 August. Returning from a six-year hiatus following their debut LP, "Life in Exile", SHIELDS offer a number of visceral cuts from their latest record "Death & Connection", one of the most emotionally-resonant, dizzyingly-heavy and musically mature outings ever released by a British metal band. Featuring standout tracks such as "Lacerate" [ft. Graphic Nature], "Parasites" and "Kill". At the helm of the Sanctum's stacked Saturday stands HACKTIVIST, the genre-defying titans best known for cultivating the next generation of nu-metal with their cutting-edge, confrontational spinup of grime vocals and dark djent grooves. Armed to the teeth with a catalogue spanning fifteen years of precipice-pushing progressive metal and a history of supporting the likes of Korn and Enter Shikari, HACKTIVIST return to Birmingham for an exclusive 2026 live performance with expected tracks such as "Elevate" and "Armoured Core". Concluding the festival with emotionally-evocative post-hardcore, Oxfordshire quintet LASTELLE close out the weekend with a Sunday headline set, comprising cuts from their latest outings “Exist vol. I” and "Exist vol. II”. Following LASTELLE's performance at Download Festival 2025 the band have furthered their reverence across the globe, often praised for their abundance of atmospheric, ambient instrumentation, soaring, spine-chilling choruses delivered by drummer Mike Hayden, and the incredible utilisation of cinematic brass and trumpet passages. FRIDAY LINEUP FRIDAY HEADLINER: SHIELDS FRIDAY MAIN SUPPORT: DOWNPOUR FRIDAY SUPPORT: TAKE BREATH FESTIVAL OPENER: THE MECHANIST SATURDAY LINEUP SATURDAY HEADLINER - EXCLUSIVE: HACKTIVIST SATURDAY MAIN SUPPORT - EXCLUSIVE: CHUGGABOOM SATURDAY SUPPORTS: SWARM6IX | ALCHEMIZE | SIXTH WONDER | SCATTER THE TRIBE ARCHIVES | ANDROMEDOUS | RUPCHA FARMS | DJ DOOMED CYNICISM SUNDAY LINEUP: SUNDAY HEADLINER: LASTELLE SUNDAY MAIN SUPPORT: DEFENCES SUNDAY SUPPORTS: COBER MOUTH | VANITAS | WRITHEMEET YOUR MAKER | DIVINITAS | TOOTH & DAGGER "Standing on the shoulders of the giants who brought us UK Tech-Fest, The Sanctum are confidently carrying that torch by bringing together breakout bands and seasoned devastators to put together a modern and high-quality event setting a bar above the rest." – Laz & Dan, UK Death Dealers "The Sanctum has been one of the best small festivals I have ever been to. Every detail has been beautifully polished. The Sanctum team should be so proud of what they have achieved in bringing an entire community together." – Sam, Metal Junkbox