Written By Caine Blackthorn
Ozzfest 2027
Ozzfest 2027 is officially coming back to America.
The legendary heavy metal festival founded by Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne has confirmed plans for a U.S. return in 2027, expanding a comeback that already includes a previously announced event at Villa Park in Birmingham, England.
The announcement arrived September 21 through Ozzfest’s official social media channels, with a teaser featuring Ozzy Osbourne, the Ozzfest logo and both the U.S. and U.K. flags.
“Ozzfest will come to the UK and US,” the message reads.
No U.S. city, venue, date or lineup has been revealed yet, but the confirmation marks the festival’s first planned American edition since the special New Year’s Eve Ozzfest held at The Forum in Inglewood, California, on December 31, 2018.
The Birmingham edition carries considerably more emotional weight.
Ozzfest will return to Villa Park, the site of Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne’s monumental Back To The Beginning farewell concert on July 5, 2025. It became Ozzy’s final live performance before his death on July 22, 2025.
Jack Osbourne: Ozzfest Is Going Back to Its Roots
Jack Osbourne has been closely involved in rebuilding the festival and recently described the process as getting an old machine running again.
Speaking on SiriusXM’s Page Six Radio in August, Jack said there was considerable excitement surrounding the resurrection of Ozzfest and indicated that organizers were preparing to reveal both the location and main headliner.
He also confirmed that Ozzfest 2027 is expected to return as a single-day festival, rather than the multi-day format occasionally used in previous years.
The lineup is being assembled with Ozzfest history firmly in mind.
Over the years, the festival became a proving ground for bands that would eventually become giants of modern metal, including Slipknot, System Of A Down and Disturbed. Jack said organizers are looking at artists with authentic connections to Ozzy and the festival’s history while also preserving one of Ozzfest’s most important traditions: giving emerging bands a real stage.
At least one slot could potentially be reserved for an unsigned artist.
That philosophy goes directly back to what made Ozzfest matter in the first place.
It wasn’t simply a parade of established names. Ozzfest put developing bands in front of enormous crowds at a time when breaking into heavy music often meant living in a van, playing clubs with questionable plumbing and praying somebody important happened to be standing near the merch table.
For a generation of metal bands, Ozzfest was the door.
Sharon Osbourne Wants the Festival to Evolve
Sharon Osbourne has repeatedly discussed bringing Ozzfest back since Ozzy’s death, explaining that the festival was something he still believed could continue without him.
Earlier this year, she confirmed that the initial 2027 resurrection would not operate as the sprawling touring festival fans remember from its peak years. However, she has also discussed the possibility of taking Ozzfest back on the road in 2028 and beyond if demand supports it.
She has additionally suggested that future editions could broaden the musical palette rather than adhering rigidly to one corner of heavy music.
The essential mission, however, appears unchanged: major artists at the top, younger bands underneath them and a festival culture built around discovery.
That could prove important in 2027.
The modern heavy festival landscape is dramatically different from the world Ozzfest helped create. Many major bands now headline destination festivals, operate their own events or command enormous appearance fees. Jack Osbourne has acknowledged that reality while discussing the challenge of assembling the new lineup.
But Ozzfest has something those newer festivals cannot manufacture.
History.
Launched in 1996 after Ozzy was reportedly rejected by Lollapalooza, Ozzfest eventually became one of the defining heavy music institutions of the late ’90s and 2000s. Across its various incarnations, its stages hosted Black Sabbath, Slayer, Pantera, Judas Priest, Slipknot, System Of A Down, Tool, Lamb Of God, Disturbed, Korn, Rob Zombie and countless others.
Now, more than three decades after it began, the festival is preparing to open the gates again.
And this time, Ozzfest is coming home on both sides of the Atlantic.
Further details on the U.S. location, lineup, headliner, ticketing and exact 2027 dates are expected to be announced later.
About The Author
Caine Blackthorn writes music news, trending topics, commentary, and feature pieces for Metal Lair with a focus on the shifting culture surrounding rock and heavy metal. From rising ticket prices and touring collapse to legacy artists, industry absurdity, and the changing soul of live music, his work blends sharp observation with the grit, humor, and frustration of the scene itself. Whether covering modern chaos or metal history, Caine approaches heavy music as something lived through, not simply reported on.
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