ArcTanGent Festival 2026 presents an array of exclusives, reunions and final ever performances over a killer line-up including Primus, Chelsea Wolfe, Cult of Luna with Julie Christmas, and Napalm Death.

ArcTanGent Festival 2026: August 19-22, 2026

Taking place near Bristol (Fernhill Farm, BS40 6LD) between August 19 and August 22, 2026, ArcTanGent Festival 2026 is a all set to cement its hard-earned reputation as THE emerging UK rock festival with an exciting, eclectic curated line-up.

ArcTanGent Festival 2026 will be the 12th edition of the festival so safe to say it has a stellar history. Previous acts have included Mogwai, Opeth, Messhugah, Coheed and Cambria and The Dillinger Escape Plan. ArcTangent was named the Best Small Festival at the UK Festival Awards in 2018.

ArcTanGent Festival 2026 headliners

Primus

Legendary experimental band Primus will be appearing at ArcTangent Festival for the first time. It will be one of their first shows in the UK since 2017.

“They didn’t even compare to Primus…Primus is the new stuff.”

– Mark, Empire Records (1995)

“Primus at ArcTanGent is well overdue.”
– James Scarlett, ArcTanGent Festival 2026 organiser

Chelsea Wolfe

American singer songwriter Chelsea Wolfe earned BBC 6Music Playlist additions last year with her acclaimed album She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She.

ArcTanGent Festival 2026 will be a full-circle moment for Wolfe; she was announced as the 2020 headliner before the event was cancelled due to the COVID pandemic.

Cult of Luna & Julie Christmas

Cult of Luna will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of their album Mariner by performing it in full at ArcTanGent Festival 2026 together with Julie Christmas.

“Mariner by Cult of Luna and Julie Christmas is 100% one of the greatest albums of all time…we’re extremely proud to present a festival line up truly unlike anything else you’ll find on the planet.”

– James Scarlett, ArcTanGent Festival 2026 organiser

It is yet another ArcTanGent Festival 2026 exclusive; their only UK show for the entire year.

“In 2016, we celebrated the 10-year anniversary of Somewhere Along the Highway. At the time, it already felt like a lifetime had passed since we recorded it. That same year, we released Mariner with Julie Christmas and somehow, ten more years have gone by in what feels like an instant. I was about to make a clever analogy about the speed of light and the passage of time to connect it all to the themes of the album, but it’s too early in the morning for that kind of thinking.

It probably just comes down to the fact I’m getting older faster. What I’m really trying to say is simple: I take every chance I get to be on stage with Julie. As a band, we spent a lot of time considering what it would mean to revisit these songs again. Making this album was a risk, we didn’t know what the creative process would look like with someone who wasn’t part of our world at the time.

Julie is now a dear friend, and we’re grateful to ArcTanGent Festival for giving us the opportunity to return to this material together. So with a mix of excitement and a fair bit of fear, we’re preparing to bring these songs back to life next summer.”

– Johannes, Cult of Luna

“This will be an experience, not a performance. Blood, sweat, and tears…light, love, and sound so loud I might shatter. Cult of Luna changed the way I think about making music forever.

The ArcTanGent Festival is run by some of the most hardworking, brave and passionate people I’ve met.

I’m terrified; I feel the electricity already! So grateful to be allowed to be part of something bigger than I could ever do alone. Don’t miss this.”

– Julie Christmas

Other highlights

You’ve heard of festivals having a bonus Thursday ticket, right? Well, for ArcTanGent Festival, Wednesday is the new Thursday. Festival goers with a Wednesday ticket will get to see UK math rock band Sikth headlining.

Other big announcements for ArcTanGent Festival 2026 are Napalm Death, High On Fire, Conjurer, and a UK-exclusive performance by cellist and composer Jo Quail & The Crossbones Ensemble.

Previous announcements included Igorrr (UK exclusive), Alcest (UK exclusive), Perturbator (UK exclusive) and Oathbreaker (UK exclusive). Seeing a pattern here?

Agent Fresco (another UK exclusive!) will be performing for the first time in seven years, and so will TTNG. Meanwhile, Heck will be reforming for the 10th anniversary of their album Instructions, and Humanfly will be reforming for their first show in thirteen years.

Finally, Svalbard will be bowing out with their final festival show.

Line-up so far

Thursday headliner: Chelsea Wolfe
Friday headliner: Primus
Saturday headliner: Cult Of Luna & Julie Christmas performing Mariner

Agent Fresco/Alcest/Amplifier (Silent Disco Live Set)/Barrens/Blessings/Bucket/BRUIT/Chat Pile/Conjurer/Darkher/Erotic Secrets of Pompeii/HAAL/Heck/High On Fire/Humanfly/Igorrr/Jo Quail & The Crossbones Ensemble/KLÄMP/Meatdripper/Michael Cera Palin/Napalm Death/No Violet/Oathbreaker TTNG/Perturbator/Psychonaut/Sara Zozaya/Tanzana/Zatokrev

Wednesday artists

Wednesday headliner: SikTh
Alpha Male Tea Party/Chalk Hands/DIMSCÛA/Giant Walker/The Grey/Lost In Kiev/Overhead, The Albatross/Sans Froid/Shearling/Svalbard/Swamp Coffin/Town Patro

Tickets

Testament to the legacy and reputation of the festival, over half of the 2026 tickets sold in the first two weeks – before the headliners were even announced.

Credit where it’s due to the ArcTanGent team – early-bird pricing tickets are still on sale even though the headliners have now been announced. And there’s a special rate for students and NHS workers. AND there are installment payment options without booking and admin fees and with a free refund option until the end of this year in case your circumstances change. Obviously, please don’t put yourself in a position of buying something you really can’t afford, but if a plan like this helps you manage the cost without missing out, then we applaud the festival’s attempt at fairer terms.

Plus they don’t charge for parking (which should really be a given, but we’ve seen that fee creeping in to festivals and events and we’re not here for it). Don’t forget to buy a specific campercan ticket if that’s what you need, though – they’re selling really fast!

ArcTanGent Festival 2026 tickets are on sale now.

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