Knotfest

Knotfest
Genre	Heavy metal groove metal death metal metalcore deathcore thrash metal nu metal alternative metal black metal deathgrind hip hop
Location(s)	Council Bluffs, Iowa (2012) Somerset, Wisconsin (2012) San Bernardino, California (2014–2017) Chiba, Japan (2014, 2016, 2023) Toluca, Mexico (2015–2017) Bogotá, Colombia (2018–2019, 2021–present) Mexico City, Mexico (2019) Clisson, France (2019) Indianola, Iowa (2021) Los Angeles, California (2021) Oberhausen, Germany (2022) Turku, Finland (2022) Buenos Aires, Argentina (2022) Santiago, Chile (2022, 2024) São Paulo, Brazil (2022, 2024) Melbourne, Australia (2023-present) Sydney, Australia (2023-present) Brisbane, Australia (2023-present) Des Moines, Iowa (2024) Buenos Aires, Argentina (2024) Bangalore, India (2025)
Years active	2012 2014–2019 2021–present
Website	www.knotfest.com knotfestjapan.com knotfestmexico.com

Knotfest is a music festival created in 2012 by American nu metal band Slipknot and their longtime manager and CEO of 5B Artist Management, Cory Brennan. The event has been held both as a touring festival and a destination festival in several countries including the United States, Canada, Japan, Germany, Mexico, Australia, Colombia, France and Chile. Aside from Slipknot, Knotfest has featured a diverse alumni of past performers including Deftones, Marilyn Manson, Lamb of God, Bring Me the Horizon, Prong, Deadly Apples, In This Moment, Amen, Butcher Babies and Prayers.

History

Creation

Knotfest was officially announced on June 4, 2012. Among the activities, the festival offered as part of its "dark carnival experience" were circus big-top tents, pillars of fire, amusement park rides, burlesque performers, firebreathers, stilt walkers, drum circles made of junkyard cars and graffiti walls. The two shows also debuted a Slipknot museum.

"It's all about having fun and going crazy, bringing it to the standard it used to be," Slipknot's Shawn "Clown" Crahan told Rolling Stone. "It's time for us to really engulf this idea known as Knotfest where we're in control, we make a day devoted to our mindset, our ideas, the people that we want to play with, the people that we think our fans want to be around... When everyone leaves their senses [will be] overloaded, and I'm talking about smells, sights, hearing, your body, everything is overloaded with stimulation, because that's what Slipknot does."

The inaugural Knotfest was a two-city event and took place on August 17, 2012, in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and August 18, 2012, in Somerset, Wisconsin. Among the line-up were bands such as Deftones, Lamb of God, and Cannibal Corpse. On March 24, 2014, it was officially announced that "Knotfest Japan" would be held in November 15 and 16 at Makuhari Messe, Tokyo. Headliners were Slipknot, Korn, Limp Bizkit, Lamb of God, Five Finger Death Punch, Papa Roach, Bring Me the Horizon, Trivium and In Flames. On the first date of the Mayhem Festival 2014, Knotfest 2014 was announced, with it being held at the San Manuel Amphitheater in San Bernardino, California, on October 24–26. Knotfest 2015 was to be held at the same location, from October 23 through 25. In December 2019, it was announced that Knotfest would be held in the United Kingdom for the first time in 2020.

Broadcast

On July 11, Slipknot announced that their closing performance at Knotfest would be broadcast via a pay-per-view streaming website. Shawn "Clown" Crahan said, "It means everything for everyone to see the live spectacle we're creating in the flesh, but we understand some fans around the world can't be at the show. We've now made it possible for you to be there in spirit - so join us live on August 18."

Website

On May 27, 2020, Slipknot and 5B Management relaunched the Knotfest website as a "global media hub" for news, interviews and more.

The Knotfest site is home to She's With the Band, a weekly podcast hosted by Tori Kravitz that focuses on women in the music industry.

Performers

2012 line-up

Friday 17 August		Saturday 18 August
Main Stage	Second Stage	Main Stage	Second Stage
Slipknot Deftones Serj Tankian Prong	Lamb of God Machine Head The Urge Dirtfedd	Slipknot Deftones Serj Tankian The Dillinger Escape Plan	Lamb of God Machine Head Cannibal Corpse Disconnect Hardcore (Ph) Prong Gojira

2014 line-up

California

Friday 24 October
Stage 002	Stage 003	Campground Stage
Suicide Silence Butcher Babies Alterbeast	The Black Dahlia Murder Chelsea Grin	The Athiarchists

Saturday 25 October
Rockstar Energy Drink Main Stage	Stage 002	Stage 003	Headbang for the Highway Stage 004	Extreme Stage 005	Campground Stage
Slipknot Danzig Anthrax Black Label Society Hatebreed	Testament Carcass Maximum the Hormone King 810 Man with a Mission	In This Moment The Devil Wears Prada Butcher Babies Miss May I One Ok Rock	The Faceless Stands with Fists Dehumanizer Kings of Carnage Play for Blood Shortfuse	Fear Factory Otep Prong Amen Immolation	The Athiarchists

Sunday 26 October
Rockstar Energy Drink Main Stage	Stage 002	Stage 003	Headbang for the Highway Stage 004	Extreme Stage 005	Campground Stage
Slipknot Five Finger Death Punch Volbeat Tech N9ne Atreyu Hellyeah	Of Mice & Men DevilDriver Veil of Maya Nothing More	Killswitch Engage Whitechapel Upon a Burning Body Anti Mortem	Dead for Denver Motograter Fire from the Gods I, of Helix A Threat to the Enemy Still Not Dead	Napalm Death Avatar Attika 7 Exmortus Rattlehead	The Athiarchists

Japan

Saturday 15 November	Sunday 16 November
Slipknot Limp Bizkit Lamb of God Papa Roach Bring Me the Horizon Miss May I One Ok Rock SiM Crossfaith coldrain Meaning Crystal Lake HenLee	Slipknot Korn Trivium In Flames Five Finger Death Punch Amon Amarth Maximum the Hormone Man with a Mission Wagdug Futuristic Unity AA= Knock Out Monkey Make My Day Silhouette from the Skylit

2015 line-up

California

Friday 23 October
VIP + Camping Kickoff Party
Sepultura The Faceless Rings of Saturn Khaotika Motorbreath

Saturday 24 October
Rockstar Energy Drink Main Stage	Stage 002	Stage 003	Extreme Stage 004	Headbang for the Highway Stage 005	Campground Stage
Judas Priest Korn Mastodon Trivium Corrosion of Conformity	Body Count At the Gates Red Fang Battlecross	Gwar Born of Osiris Earth Crisis Goatwhore	Kataklysm Belphegor Inquisition Abysmal Dawn Her Name in Blood Khaotika	Fire from the Gods Buried Under Texas Doomsday Mourning Born for War A Tragedy at Hand Grand Lord High Master Piece in Terror Short Fuse Green as Emerald Kaustik Skyburial This Place Is a Zoo Chasing the Bullet	Street Drum Corps

Sunday 25 October
Rockstar Energy Drink Main Stage	Stage 002	Stage 003	Extreme Stage 004	Headbang for the Highway Stage 005	Campground Stage
Slipknot Bring Me the Horizon Clutch Ghostface Killah Mobb Deep	Suicidal Tendencies All That Remains Beartooth Kyng	Cannibal Corpse Helmet Snot Devour the Day	Dying Fetus Disgorge Internal Bleeding Green Death The ReAktion Kings of Carnage	I, of Helix Proletariat Avoid the Void Abhor A Threat to the Enemy Stands with Fists Paranova Everybody Panic! As Oceans Dead Animal Assembly Plant Speaking with Ghost Xero for Life The Darkest Day	Street Drum Corps

Mexico

Saturday 5 December
Main Stage	Tecate Stage
Slipknot Megadeth Lamb of God HIM A Day to Remember Trivium Atreyu Asking Alexandria Tanus	Cradle of Filth Ill Niño The Dillinger Escape Plan Brujeria Resorte 36 Crazyfists Here Comes the Kraken Everyone Likes Cathleen

2016 line-up

"Ozzfest Meets Knotfest" California

Friday 23 September

Armored Saint Metal Church Exmortus Thrown into Exile

Saturday 24 September
Lemmy Stage	Monster Energy Drink Stage 001	Monster Energy Drink Stage 002	Nuclear Blast Stage
Black Sabbath Disturbed Megadeth Opeth Black Label Society Rival Sons	Suicidal Tendencies DevilDriver Huntress	Hatebreed Goatwhore Allegaeon	Municipal Waste Brujeria Kataklysm The Shrine Still Rebel

Sunday 25 September
Lemmy Stage	Rockstar Energy Drink Stage 001	Rockstar Energy Drink Stage 002	Nuclear Blast Stage
Slipknot Slayer Amon Amarth Anthrax Trivium Motionless in White	Sabaton Suicide Silence Butcher Babies	Overkill Emmure Man with a Mission	Whitechapel Combichrist Carnifex Loathe SiM ONI Westfield Massacre

Mexico

Saturday 15 October
Main Stage	Iowa Stage
Avenged Sevenfold Slayer Marilyn Manson Disturbed Chevelle Alesana Attila S7N	Meshuggah Killswitch Engage Sevendust Hatebreed DevilDriver The Black Dahlia Murder Volumes Arcadia Libre

Sunday 16 October
Main Stage	Iowa Stage
Slipknot Deftones The Offspring Ministry Enter Shikari Emmure Thell Barrio Fire from the Gods	Opeth Arch Enemy Iced Earth Carcass Animals as Leaders Agora Nothing More Sabrina Sabrok Joliette

Japan

Saturday 5 November	Sunday 6 November
Slipknot Deftones Disturbed A Day to Remember Hoobastank Issues SiM Rize Rottengraffty Oldcodex coldrain Crystal Lake A Crowd of Rebellion Survive Said the Prophet Jealkb The Sixth Lie	Slipknot Marilyn Manson Lamb of God In Flames Anthrax Butcher Babies Man with a Mission the GazettE Crossfaith MUCC Her Name in Blood Crazy N' Sane THE冠 魔法少女になり隊 彼女 in the Display Salty Dog

2017 line-up

Mexico

Saturday 28 October
Tecate Stage	Day of the Gusano Stage	The Maggots Stage
A Perfect Circle Korn Stone Sour Bullet for My Valentine Cannibal Corpse Ill Niño Maximum the Hormone Deadly Apples Cerberus	Anthrax Children of Bodom Hatebreed Suicide Silence S7N Here Comes the Kraken Lack of Remorse	Anti-Flag Periphery Tech N9ne Attila ONI Parazit

Ozzfest Meets Knotfest 2017

Friday November 3

Monster Magnet Brant Bjork Sasquatch Lo-Pain

Saturday 4 November
Lemmy Stage	Monster Energy Drink Stage 001	Monster Energy Drink Stage 002	Nuclear Blast Stage
Ozzy Osbourne Prophets of Rage Deftones Children of Bodom Orange Goblin	Kreator Baroness High on Fire Iron Reagan	1349 Havok Tombs Night Demon Thrown into Exile	Municipal Waste Possessed Kataklysm Suffocation Rings of Saturn

Sunday 5 November
Lemmy Stage	Rockstar Energy Drink Stage 001	Rockstar Energy Drink Stage 002	Nuclear Blast Stage
Rob Zombie Marilyn Manson Stone Sour Eighteen Visions Prayers	Testament The Black Dahlia Murder Code Orange Stitched Up Heart Goatwhore	Life of Agony Upon a Burning Body Death Angel Oni Ded	Sid Wilson of Slipknot Repulsion Exhumed Warbringer Ghoul Zombie Eating Horse

2018 line-up

Colombia

Friday 26 October

Judas Priest Helloween Kreator Arch Enemy Masacre Iron Reagan Revocation Goatwhore Kilcrops Under Threat Cuentos de los Hermanos Grind Pitbull

Mexico

Canceled due to lack of organization.

2019 line-up

Knotfest meets Hellfest 2019 France

Thursday 20 June

Slipknot Rob Zombie Sabaton Amon Amarth Papa Roach Powerwolf Behemoth Ministry Sick of It All Amaranthe

Knotfest Roadshow 2019 USA & Canada

Lineup

Slipknot Volbeat Gojira Behemoth

Knotfest meets Forcefest 2019 Mexico

Knotfest 30 November
Main Stage	Tecate Stage	Monster Energy Stage	Prudence Stage
Slipknot (cancelled) Evanescence (cancelled) Cherry Bombs Behemoth Stratovarius Chelsea Grin Carajo Tanus Here Comes the Kraken Matherya	Godsmack Bullet for My Valentine Papa Roach Nothing More Of Mice & Men Cemican Never Again Headcrusher Kaizan	311 Suicidal Tendencies The Bronx 8 Kalacas Las Poker Project46 Arcadia Libre Parazit Hate Bullets Hankside	Carcass Belphegor Gore and Carnage Clandestino The Suffering Stone Leek Rejexion Ubon Torcido Monkey Dream Dethdealers The Legion of Hetheria AFK

Colombia

Friday 6 December
Knot Stage	Carnaval Stage	Alternative Stage
Slipknot Behemoth Testament Unleashed A.N.I.M.A.L. Random Revenge Reencarnación	W.A.S.P. Accept Cherry Bombs Stratovarius Perpetual Warfare Arzen	Carnifex Koyi K Utho Aire Como Plomo Poker Gutgrinder

2021

Iowa

Saturday 25 September
Stage 1	Stage 2
Slipknot Suicideboys Gojira Tech N9ne Knocked Loose Gatecreeper Widow7	Megadeth Lamb of God Trivium Fever 333 Turnstile Vended

Knotfest Roadshow USA

Lineup

Slipknot Killswitch Engage Fever 333 Code Orange

Los Angeles

5 November

Slipknot Bring Me the Horizon Cherry Bombs Killswitch Engage Fever 333 Code Orange Vended

2022

Knotfest Roadshow USA & Canada

Jinjer was announced to appear in the first leg, but cancelled due to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, their homeland.

March 16 - April 17	May 18 - June 18	September 20 - October 7
Slipknot In This Moment Wage War	Slipknot Cypress Hill Ho99o9	Slipknot Ice Nine Kills Crown the Empire

Germany

30 July

Slipknot In Flames Ghostemane Meshuggah Jinjer Tesseract Bleed from Within Malevolence Cattle Decapitation Vended

Finland

Friday 12 August
Main Stage	Pulse of the Maggots Stage
Nightwish Lamb of God Arch Enemy Stam1na Timo Rautiainen & Trio Niskalaukaus	Huora Lähiöbotox Sara Bloodred Hourglass

Saturday 13 August
Main Stage	Pulse of the Maggots Stage
Slipknot Bring Me the Horizon Cradle of Filth Tesseract Blind Channel	Huoratron Moon Shot Medeia Stoned Statues Shiraz Lane

Knotfest Roadshow Argentina

8 December	13 December	15 December
Movistar Arena		C Complejo Art Media
Slipknot Arde La Sangre	Judas Priest Horcas	Trivium .MAR

Colombia

9 December

Judas Priest Pantera Bring Me the Horizon Venom Trivium Sepultura Hypocrisy Vended Suicide Silence Samael Walls of Jericho Acutor Ceguera Templa in Cinere Ratos de Porão

Chile

11 December

Slipknot Judas Priest Pantera Bring Me the Horizon Mr. Bungle Trivium Sepultura Vended Rama (cancelled) Weichafe (cancelled) Tenemos Explosivos

Brazil

18 December
Knotstage	Carnival Stage
Slipknot Bring Me the Horizon Mr. Bungle Motionless in White (cancelled) Vended Project46 Black Pantera	Judas Priest Pantera Sepultura Trivium Oitão + Jimmy & Rats

2023

Australia

24 March - 26 March

Slipknot Parkway Drive Megadeth Trivium Northlane Amon Amarth In Flames Knocked Loose Spiritbox Story of the Year Alpha Wolf Void of Vision Bad Omens* Malevolence

• Bad Omens pulled out of the Melbourne show on 24 March due to their vocalist Noah Sebastian losing his voice.

Japan

1 April	2 April
Slipknot Trivium Man with a Mission In Flames The Oral Cigarettes Enter Shikari Rottengraffty Survive Said the Prophet Red Orca Crystal Lake A Crowd of Rebellion Band-Maid CVLTE THE冠 Asterism Ailiph Doepa Wagamama Rakia	Slipknot Korn Maximum the Hormone Parkway Drive Coldrain Noisemaker Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas Petit Brabancon Paledusk THE SIXTH LIE 魔法少女になり隊 PRAISE HIKAGE

Italy

25 June

Slipknot Architects Amon Amarth I Prevail Lorna Shore Nothing More Bleed from Within Destrage

2024

Australia

Knotfest Australia
21 March - 24 March
Stage 1	Stage 2
Pantera Lamb of God The Hu Wage War Escape the Fate Speed Brand of Sacrifice	Disturbed Halestorm Asking Alexandria Thy Art Is Murder Skindred Windwaker King Parrot

Knotfest Australia Sideshows
17 March	19 March		20 March			25 March		26 March
Adelaide		Melbourne			Sydney		Brisbane
Disturbed Wage War	Pantera King Parrot Black Rheno	The Hu	Lamb of God Brand of Sacrifice	Asking Alexandria Wage War	Halestorm Skindred Reliqa	The Hu	Lamb of God Brand of Sacrifice	Halestorm Skindred Reliqa	Asking Alexandria Wage War

Iowa

21 September

Slipknot Till Lindemann Knocked Loose Hatebreed Poison the Well Gwar Vended Dying Wish Zulu Twin Temple Holy Wars Swollen Teeth Spine Dose

Brazil

19 October	20 October
Slipknot Mudvayne Amon Amarth Meshuggah DragonForce Orbit Culture Ratos de Porão Krisiun Project46 Eminience Kryour Eskröta	Slipknot Bad Omens Till Lindemann Babymetal P.O.D. Poppy Black Pantera Ego Kill Talent Seven Hours After Violet Korzus Papangu The Mönic

Argentina

26 October

Slipknot Amon Amarth Meshuggah Babymetal

Chile

2 November

Slipknot Disturbed Mudvayne Amon Amarth Babymetal Poppy Orbit Culture Rama Mawiza

2025

Australia

Slipknot A Day to Remember Babymetal Slaughter to prevail Polaris (Australian band) Within Temptation Enter Shikari Hatebreed (Perseverance 23 Year Anniversary) In Hearts Wake Health (band) Miss May I Vended Sunami (band)