From Slipknot to italo-Schlager: the 40th edition of Rock am Ring Festival had it all
One of Germany's biggest Festivals, "Rock am Ring" ended a few days ago, and we can now draw our conclusions about the 40th anniversary edition of the legendary Festival. From 6–8th June 2025, the Festival came to life at the famous race-car track "Nürburgring". It was a fun way to stand on the tracks and have somewhat stable ground, even in the really wet and dry weather.
First things first - let's talk about the line-up.
Many expected various big bands as the three secret acts. With Knocked Loose, the first secret act was announced a few days prior to the big festival start - many, including us, were happy about this selection. They showcased rawness and delivered a great show as the third secret act on Friday evening. German Metal Band Electric Callboy joined the ranks as the first secret act that had the privilege of opening the festival at the Utopia Stage on Friday, which was not unexpected as they fit in the usual lineup. However, the second secret act was one that we did not expect to see at a rock festival. The icons of Italo-Schlager "Roy Bianco und die Abbruzanti Boys" split the attendees - one either loved or hated it. The act was talked about vividly online and on-site, as many expected bigger names, more in the genre or international surprise acts. However, one could still see enough "Schlager-strudel" dance circles and people singing to their anthems during their show. So even though it wasn't an act that fit the lineup or the usual music, it definitely brought a fun change to the roughness of the festival and lifted the mood a bit as the weekend was off to a bit of a rough start with heavy weather and a bit of various struggles with the camp organization on the arrival/departure day. Nevertheless, the RAR anniversary delivered more than just these three secret acts. With yet another unannounced secret act Kraftclub at the infield on Saturday, as well as additional shows by ZSK or Feine Seine Fischfillet at the camping site. In general, the lineup was a great mix of rock, indie-rock, and metal - and one that, in our opinion, was well worth the endurance of the rain and organizational troubles some festival attendees experienced. With four newly added stages, a total of over 100 artists graced the attendees with various powerful light and stage shows at the main stages or in an intimate setting at the smaller stages.
We asked around, and the crowd was very happy about the show of icons like Slipknot or KoRn; however, the clear fan-favorite was British band Bring Me the Horizon, as they played the biggest and only concert in the European mainland at the two sibling festivals. For me, BMTH was definitely one of many highlights from the lineup; the show just delivered and did not stop to impress. It was engaging with fun video interludes and great performances of their most well-known songs, as well as a fun fan moment on stage where a girl came up on stage to sing a song with lead singer Ollie. For this show, it was clear that the event did not fail to show up in terms of the little gimmicks that made the show exceptional.
Another favorite of the Weekend was the British progressive metalcore band Sleep Token, which also played their only concert in Germany this year at the Mandora stage. Sleep Token played some songs from their new album "Even in Acardia": Look to Windward, Emergence, Caramel, and brought their beloved songs such as Thread the Needle, The Summoning, or Rain. With a whole new stage and mask set up, the performance of Rock am Ring ushered in a new show era for the band - one that delivered unexpected gimmicks like a waterfall on stage, a saxophonist, or the new masks for IV, III & II - all exclusively revealed by a falling curtain at the RAR / RIP shows. This was a show that one will surely talk about in the weeks to come.
The other headliners, such as Rise Against, K.I.Z., The Prodigy and KoRn left nothing left to wish for fans of the genre, all delivering their usual greatness. Especially K.I.Z. was in high spirits during their society critical speeches and we loved every bit of it. However, it has to be said that Falling in Reverse, although they delivered a good musical experience and were still celebrated by many, this band's attendance was seen very controversially by some of the festival's fans. Lead-singer Ronnie Radke is known for his controversial background and beliefs; therefore it was an interesting choice for the lineup, which granted many fans still attended. Overall, the lineup was mostly newer artists and some of the names that are well known for the RAR festival crowd, such as Beatsteaks or Weezer; personally, I think the many newer artists and bands in the lineup were a great way to keep up with the times in the fast-paced music industry and there was still enough for everyone else that enjoyed the legacies.
At the new and smallest Atmos stage, artists like LØLØ, Boston Manor or Unpeople were hidden favorites. Unpeople started the festival on friday at 2pm, yet the pits opened and people came though with For singer LØLØ the crowd cheered loudly with pompoms to the catchy alternative rock-pop sound - it was a great pause from some of the harder, but fun metal bands such as Thrown or Lorna Shore in the lineup. Boston Manor closed on Friday at 2 am and still brought one of the best energies from the whole day. One could catch me yelling their songs loudly and dancing with other fans in the pit as the whole performance just brought an intimate but collective setting.
The sets by Poppy, The Warning, Jinjer and Spiritbox were just some of the artists that brought some much-needed female rock power to the festival and the scene. As the metal and rock scene is known for a lack of female artists and bands, it is great to see those loved by the fans as they played their shows with full energy. However, in the future, we cannot wait to see even more female musicians enter the rock scene, and with that, the representation in the lineup of Rock am Ring.
In regards of the festival setup much can be said, but let us just break down some of it.
Although the areas right in front of the stage could feel dense and crowded for some of the more popular bands, the four stages made the festival with 90.000 attendees feel less overcrowded and brought a bit of variety to the lineup. The cashless chip system worked great, attendees could effortlessly pay with their festival wristband, which they could load up online and buy anything with at the many food, beverage or merch stands. Various brands had their stands and program to fill up breaks in between concerts, but a true highlight were the people. One could see (and talk to) people of various ages and all walks of life at the Festival; yet one thing that brought these people together was a great lineup, tradition & their love for the music. We danced with strangers, were invited to play beerpong at the camping grounds as we did our interview rounds or found many strangers come together with the people next to them in the crowd as they sang the the same rock anthems.
All in All, the anniversary edition of the famous festival had its highs and lows. Yet the great lineup and the great spirit that lives in such legendary festival made up for all misheaps along the way. 40 years of Rock am Ring was celebrated like always - in high spirits, with unpredictable weather & united as a community.
Rock am Ring and Rock im Park just announced the tickets for 2026 and let us tell you, they are selling fast - so be sure to get yours soon if you don't want to miss out on recently announced 2026 headliner Linkin Park! The band was already wanted by many this year and announced with fireworks just before this year's festival came to a close. We cannot wait to see which artist's will wait on next years lineup, we will be sure to report it once we hear whispers about it.
SEE ALL PHOTOS OF THE WEEKEND HERE:
REVIEW & PHOTOS BY
Maxine
I love to capture little moments in busy streets, but for our magazine, I mostly take editorial, portraits and concerts shots. You can sometime find me reviewing concerts or talking about all and everything during a hot chocolate in interviews with our guests.
