FIVE FESTIVALS TO CATCH IN 2026

The Afterburn Music Festival 2026 — North Ridgeville, OH

📅 August 14–15, 2026 • 🎸 Victory Sports Park • North Ridgeville, OH

Cleveland’s brand-new, two-day outdoor rock fest is here to scratch a very specific itch: that early-2000s, windows-down, “this was MY high school soundtrack” nostalgia. With two stages running continuous music from 12:30 PM and a genre mix of pop-punk, hard rock, and metal, The Afterburn is shaping up to be the feel-good rock weekend of the summer in its inaugural year.

The Headliners

• Third Eye Blind (Friday, Aug 14) — “Semi-Charmed Life,” “Jumper,” “Never Let You Go” — basically a live jukebox of every ’90s/’00s anthem you know every single word to. The ultimate singalong headliner.
• Skillet (Saturday, Aug 15) — Pyro, power, and arena-rock bombast. The Christian-rock crossover giants (“Monster,” “Hero”) put on one of the most explosive live shows in the genre.

Friday: Pop-Punk Heaven

The Friday undercard is a love letter to anyone who owned studded belts: New Found Glory, The Maine, Switchfoot, lovelytheband, Bayside, and rising favorites Heart Attack Man and Giveth. New Found Glory alone could headline a pop-punk night anywhere in the country.

Saturday: Hard Rock Throwdown

Saturday cranks the distortion: Hoobastank (yes, they’ll play “The Reason,” and yes, you’ll get emotional), plus Set It Off, Puddle of Mudd, Drowning Pool (“Bodies” is going to be unhinged), and Southern-rock road warriors Black Stone Cherry.

Don’t Sleep On

• Small Town Titans — a criminally underrated power trio whose live energy and viral covers will win over anyone who catches them.
• Black Stone Cherry — if you like your rock with grit and groove, get there early for this one.

🎟️ Tickets & Pricing

Tickets are on sale now through the festival’s official ticketing partner. Expect approachable, first-year pricing:

• Weekend GA: reported around $160 for both days — a genuine steal for this lineup.
• Single-Day GA: available for Friday-only or Saturday-only attendees.
• VIP Packages: include hospitality access and premium viewing in the dedicated VIP area.

👉 Buy official tickets: The Afterburn on ShowClix
🌐 Official website & full lineup: theafterburnmusicfestival.com