Nummirock Metal Festival 2026

We arrived on Wednesday afternoon, like most people. But unlike most, some came to the festival grounds even earlier, up to one week before the first bands played, according to rumors. If you look around, it is understandable. The camping area is next to the lake, surrounded by nature and not so different from the holidays in the Mökki, as most Finns are used to. The “warmup” day fired up two of three stages and was played by an exclusively Finnish lineup consisting of 6 bands. And we already got a taste of Nummi’s genre diversity. From Punk to Black over Industrial and Pagan metal, there was something for everyone.

Thursday started off with a lot of sun and … And Oceans. Most of the lineup was well-known, especially on the main stage. The Inferno and Kaos Klubi Stage filled the 2 hours between the sets and were always worth a visit. In fact, some of my favorite shows this year were on the smaller stages. On this day, Kneel Before The Death blew me away. Deathcore at its finest. With some symphonic and electronic elements thrown into the mix. Awesome stage presence and just a very brutal and heavy sound. Mid-set, I had to subscribe to the guys on YouTube Music. Other honorable mentions are Gaerea from Portugal, Ikinä from Finland, and Asagraum from the Netherlands.

Friday got hot! The sun was relentless and allowed me for the first time in my Nummi-career to wear shorts the whole day! In case you are not aware, even though those are the longest days of the year, temperatures of around 15 – 20 degrees Celsius during the day and 5-8 at night are most common. Not surprising that there were many private saunas on the camping ground and around the lake. Speaking of the lake, that one was cold, but so refreshing. I highly recommend it.

In terms of music, we got strong performances from Moonsorrow, Black Veil Brides, and Stam1na. Immortal Disfigurement had to cancel their show due to logistical issues. My surprise act was Plaguebreeder. Symphonic black metal with a female lead and a cute little squid plush on stage.

Last day, Saturday started like the day before with Rockyoga, or Rockjooga as the Finns call it. I preferred to do some stretching in bed, aka turn around and catch up on some sleep. But of course, not too long.

At 13:30 the day officially started with Boycott, a Finnish original. My friend wanted to see Rise of the Northstar since he is a huge fan of Japan. After he saw the whole show I asked about his thoughts; “It was horrible,” he answered… You just have to love Finnish determination and honesty. I felt entertained and liked the show of the five Frenchmen.

The Kaos Klubi Stage hosted, apart from many newcomers and lesser-known bands, also two Burlesque shows. A welcome change and many people seemed to enjoy the format. Back to music, at the lower end of the timetable was Lost Society and Battle Beast. I was a little bit worried about both for different reasons. Lost Society just released a new album and after listening to it for a few, I was not sure if I liked it or not. But either I was deaf at this time, or just not in the mood, but the live show was awesome, probably the best gig of the band I ever saw.

Battle Beast’s Noora left the band very surprisingly last year and got replaced by Marina La Torraca. The first song increased my worries a bit. It just felt different… because it was. But Marina managed to turn things over and gave so much of her personality into the set. Also, the fact that almost every song had some pyrotechnics led me to enjoy the show a lot.

All in all, I still think for the 40th anniversary, the lineup could have been a little bit stronger. They played it safe with many great bands, a lot of diversity in genres and styles as well as great hospitality. Therefore, the 2026 edition was not the biggest or greatest Nummirock ever, but it does not need to be, because this is exactly the way most people love this festival.