Chicago’s long-running alternative music institution RIOT FEST has revealed the lineup for its 2026 edition, set to take over Douglass Park from September 18-20.
Leading the bill are TOOL, TWENTY ONE PILOTS, PIERCE THE VEIL, and ALANIS MORISSETTE, while the undercard is packed with punk, hardcore, metal, indie, and alternative heavyweights spanning multiple generations.
Among the artists confirmed for this year’s festival are BAD RELIGION, RISE AGAINST, PENNYWISE, TAKING BACK SUNDAY, PIXIES, MORRISSEY, SOCIAL DISTORTION, DESCENDENTS, GWAR, CHAT PILE, MELT-BANANA, IGGY POP, PATTI SMITH, and the increasingly impossible-to-ignore microtonal chaos merchants ANGINE DE POITRINE.
While not a metal festival by any stretch, RIOT FEST once again delivers one of the most eclectic lineups in North America, bringing together legendary punk acts, alternative icons, cult favorites, underground oddities, and heavier names under one banner.
For fans of dark, unconventional, and genre-defying music, highlights include TOOL, CHAT PILE, GWAR, MELT-BANANA, MORRISSEY, PIXIES, ANGINE DE POITRINE, and SEX PISTOLS featuring Frank Carter, alongside dozens of other artists spread across the three-day event.
The all-ages festival returns to Douglass Park in Chicago, Illinois on September 18-20. Three-day passes are available now.
