Photo by Clemente Ruiz

Following the unexpected cancellation of the 2025 installment of the festival that forced organiers to halt the rollout with headliners in Metallica and Linkin Park, Sick New World is back to stake it's claim as one of heavy music's most important annual events. Strategically teasing their return throughout Las Vegas will billboards during weekend one of When We Were Young, the congregation of nu, alt, progressive and extreme metal has firmed up plans for a 2026 return - along with plans of expansion. 

Sick New World 2026 will again take on Sin City, descending upon the Las Vegas Fairgrounds on April 25th. Additionally, the festival has confirmed that Sick New World will be traveling outside of Las Vegas for the first time ever, with a second confirmed date in Fort Worth, Texas At Texas Motor Speedway set for October 24th. 

While the teaser campaign offered a pretty good indiction of who was onboard, the festival's top line os anchored by giants of the culture with System Of A Down marking their return as Sick New World headliners for both dates. As also hinted, Sick New World's two dates will feature the surging Deftones who recently delivered their album of the year candidate, Private Music taking on an chor spot for the Texas installment.

While KORN was expected to round out the top line, given their music was used in the teaser, the nu-metal legends will perform in Las Vegas only with a third anchor in Bring Me the Horizon lighting up Sin City.  As for the the wild card, Slayer have been confirmed as the third in the trifecta in Fort Worth, celebrating 40 Years of Reign in Blood. 

Additional standouts on the mammoth line-up include featured sets from AFI, Evanescence, Knocked Loose, Marilyn Mason, Mastodon, Underoath, Ministry, Speed, Kittie, Poison the Well, Snot, Pain of Truth and more have been confirmed for both dates. Adding some individual identity to each show, the Vegas edition will see sets from Cypress Hill, Acid Bath, Twin Tribes, Pig Pen, Carpenter Brut and Bloodywood among others. As for the Texas edition in the fall, Sick New World touts The Prodigy, Power Trip, Boy Harsher, KMFDM, Sleep Theory, Haywire and more. 

See the complete line-up for both Sick New World Las Vegas and Fort Worth, Texas below. Presale for Las Vegas begins Cotber 23rd at 10am PT. Presale for Forth Worth begins October 24th at 10am CT. Get complete info - HERE