Festival Report // 2026-06-26

Tuska Festival 2026 Final Report

Tuska Festival 2026 is done. Metal Madness Weekly's full final report from Suvilahti, Helsinki — three days of metal with Megadeth, Bring Me The Horizon, Bad Omens, Soilwork, Bloodred Hourglass, Amorphis, Lost Society, Ensiferum, Pain, Swallow the Sun, Dogma, P.O.D. and more, plus exclusive interviews and photos.

By Tomi Perrakoski

Tuska 2026 media pass and wristband
Media pass secured yesterday — ready for three days of metal at Suvilahti.

Tuska Festival 2026 is in the books. One of Europe's most iconic metal festivals wrapped up another edition at Suvilahti, Helsinki, bringing together some of the biggest names in metal alongside a strong wave of rising Finnish and international artists. Metal Madness Weekly covered all three days on the ground with photos, interviews and live reports.

This year's line-up delivered from top to bottom: Megadeth, Bring Me The Horizon, Bad Omens, Soilwork, Bloodred Hourglass, Amorphis, Lost Society, Ensiferum, Pain, Gatecreeper, Atlas, Awake Again, Balance Breach, Swallow the Sun, Dogma, P.O.D., Skindred, Hokka, Sara, Tarot and many more turned Suvilahti into a full-scale metal city for the weekend.

Day 1 set the tone with Ensiferum's folk metal fury on the main stage, Pain lighting up the same slot with industrial anthems, Bloodred Hourglass tearing through a packed tent stage, and Skindred turning the whole site into one massive ragga-metal party. The Bloodred Hourglass interview from Friday evening is out now on the Metal Madness Weekly podcast.

Day 2 kicked off with Balance Breach detonating the main stage under the Helsinki sun, followed by an official media tour through Suvilahti and a side-stage view of Hokka commanding a massive crowd. The Dogma interview recorded backstage that day is out now on the Metal Madness Weekly podcast.

Day 3 brought Soilwork, Sara and Tarot to the stages — Soilwork closing with melodic death metal mastery on the main stage, Sara packing out the tent stage with a huge Day 3 crowd, and Tarot returning to Tuska's main stage with classic Finnish heavy metal. The Soilwork interview with singer Björn Strid is out now on all podcast platforms.

Across three days Tuska 2026 delivered exactly what the festival is built for: a stacked international headline bill, a deep Finnish underground, and the kind of atmosphere at Suvilahti that keeps Tuska firmly at the top of the European metal calendar.

See you at Tuska 2027! 🤘

— Tomi Perrakoski

Editor-in-Chief | Metal Madness Weekly

Photo Gallery

Tuska 2026 in Pictures

// Arrival

Tuska Festival 2026 official media pass and wristband for Metal Madness Weekly
Media pass secured — ready to cover three days of metal at Suvilahti, Helsinki.Photo: Tomi Perrakoski / Metal Madness Weekly

// Day 1

Ensiferum performing on the Tuska main stage on day one of Tuska Festival 2026 in Helsinki
Ensiferum bringing folk metal fury to the Tuska main stage.Photo: Tomi Perrakoski / Metal Madness Weekly
Pain live on the Tuska main stage at Tuska Festival 2026 in Helsinki
Pain lighting up the main stage with industrial metal anthems.Photo: Tomi Perrakoski / Metal Madness Weekly
Bloodred Hourglass (BRHG) performing under the Tuska tent stage at Tuska Festival 2026
Bloodred Hourglass tearing through the tent stage in front of a packed crowd.Photo: Tomi Perrakoski / Metal Madness Weekly
Bloodred Hourglass interview backstage at Tuska Festival 2026 with Metal Madness Weekly
Interview of Bloodred Hourglass coming out today from Tuska 2026.Photo: Tomi Perrakoski / Metal Madness Weekly
Skindred performing at Tuska Festival 2026 with the crowd throwing horns under cloudy Helsinki skies
Skindred turning Suvilahti into one massive ragga-metal party.Photo: Tomi Perrakoski / Metal Madness Weekly

// Day 2

Balance Breach opening Day 2 of Tuska Festival 2026 on the Fortum / Nordic Energy main stage in Helsinki
Day 2 kicked off with Balance Breach detonating the main stage under the Helsinki sun.Photo: Tomi Perrakoski / Metal Madness Weekly
Tuska Festival 2026 official media tour gathering at the MEDIA point in Suvilahti, Helsinki
Day 2 — Official media tour briefing at the Tuska MEDIA point before heading backstage.Photo: Tomi Perrakoski / Metal Madness Weekly
Backstage side-stage view of Hokka performing at Tuska Festival 2026 with the Suvilahti gasometer in the background
Day 2 — Side-stage with the media tour watching Hokka command a massive crowd at Suvilahti.Photo: Tomi Perrakoski / Metal Madness Weekly
Swallow the Sun performing at Tuska Festival 2026 under deep blue stage lights in Helsinki
Swallow the Sun covered Tuska in a wall of sorrow and atmosphere.Photo: Tomi Perrakoski / Metal Madness Weekly
Dogma performing live at Tuska Festival 2026 with red lights and a packed crowd
Dogma brought ritual energy and a fierce crowd reaction to Day 2 at Tuska.Photo: Tomi Perrakoski / Metal Madness Weekly
P.O.D. performing on the Tuska main stage during a sunny Day 2 in Helsinki
P.O.D. hit the Tuska main stage with a huge daytime crowd singing along.Photo: Tomi Perrakoski / Metal Madness Weekly
Paleface Swiss performing on the Tuska main stage 2026 with crowd and Nordic Energy barrier
Paleface Swiss bringing crushing Swiss hardcore to the Tuska main stage.Photo: Tomi Perrakoski / Metal Madness Weekly
Rivers of Nihil performing at Tuska Festival 2026 under purple stage lights
Rivers of Nihil delivering progressive death metal under Tuska's purple lights.Photo: Tomi Perrakoski / Metal Madness Weekly

// Interviews

Tomi Perrakoski with members of Dogma backstage at Tuska Festival 2026 after an interview
My Dogma interview is out now on the Metal Madness Weekly podcast.Photo: Metal Madness Weekly
Tomi Perrakoski backstage with Björn Strid of Soilwork after the interview at Tuska Festival 2026
Soilwork interview with singer Björn Strid — out now on all podcast platforms.Photo: Metal Madness Weekly

// Day 3

Soilwork performing on the Tuska main stage on Day 3 of Tuska Festival 2026 in Helsinki
Soilwork closing Day 3 with melodic death metal mastery on the Tuska main stage.Photo: Tomi Perrakoski / Metal Madness Weekly
Sara performing under purple lights inside the Tuska tent stage on Day 3 of Tuska Festival 2026
Sara packing out the tent stage with a massive Day 3 crowd at Tuska.Photo: Tomi Perrakoski / Metal Madness Weekly
Tarot performing on the Tuska main stage on Day 3 of Tuska Festival 2026 in Helsinki
Tarot returning to Tuska's main stage with classic Finnish heavy metal.Photo: Tomi Perrakoski / Metal Madness Weekly
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