blink-182, Deftones, Korn, Bring Me The Horizon Set To Headline Aftershock In Sacramento

Aftershock, the largest rock festival on the Left Coast, returns to Sacramento, California’s Discovery Park in October with blnk-182, Deftones, Korn and Bring Me The Horizon as headliners.

The event is produced by Danny Wimmer Presents, responsible for other major festivals like Bourbon & Beyond and Louder Than Life, takes place Oct. 2-5 and features more than 115 rock, metal and punk acts across four stages.

blink-182 will close out the opening day of the festival, which also features Good Charlotte, Acid Bath, Hatebreed, All Time Low, The All-American Rejects, Power Trip, Taking Back Sunday and many more.

Friday’s lineup includes A Perfect Circle, Dream Theater, Chiodos, Turnstile, Lamb of God, Knocked Loose, Bruce Dickinson and more before Deftones take the stage.

Korn takes the stage Saturday, Oct. 4, after Bad Omens, Powerwolf, Sunami, Gojira, Chevelle, Three Days Grace and DragonForce, among others.

The final day of the festival features Bring Me The Horizon as headliner, Rob Zombie, Mudvayne, Flyleaf with Lacey Sturm, Motionless in White, Cavalera and nearly two dozen more acts.

Landing Sacramento’s own Deftones as a headliner will surely be a hit and, despite the hometown connection and genre fit with the festival, the band’s only previously Aftershock appearance was at its first incarnation, back in 2012. 

“We’ve been working to have them play again for years but it just never aligned,” said Del Williams, head of global talent for festival producer Danny Wimmer Presents. “They’re always one of the top five most asked acts, so we’re glad to get them back.”

Williams notes this year’s strength in sub-genres and exclusive appearances, including Good Charlotte’s only West Coast festival appearance for 2025, and the Maynard James Keenan-fronted A Perfect Circle, perhaps a consolation to anyone who missed Tool’s headline set in 2023. More variety comes from technical prog wizards Dream Theater, along with fellow guitar wiz Yngwie Malmsteen, with heavier underground genres represented by veteran favorites like High on Fire, Cattle Decapitation, Six Feet Under and Acid Bath.

“it’s just a good combination of variety and passion,” said Williams, who says he predicts the festival to be just as big or bigger as last year’s record-breaker. “But we feel like this particular show is zeroing in on not only what the fans are asking for but what’s really hot at the moment.”

Williams points to the global headlining strength of Bring Me The Horizon as an example of the strength of rock music as a whole.

“They represent the next generation of headliners,” said Williams, who said to expect more experiential offerings on the festival grounds as the promoter works to provide value to ticket holders and keep prices in check. “The industry has never been more competitive than it is now, and there’s a lot going on virtually everywhere, but the DWP festivals have established great loyalty among the rock genre and invested in acts from early on. There’s a culture and a community. I’m really excited about the emerging acts who are really coming into their own, doing 2,500 to 3,000 to 3,500 seats and selling them out.”

Among the special sets at the festival include reunions of 3 Inches of Blood, 12 Stones, Acid Bath, Chiodos, Crossfade, Forbidden, Snot and Winds of Plague. Scott Ian, Dan Lilker, Jamey Jasta and Revel Ian will perform A Tribute to S.O.D., Cavalera will play iconic LP Chaos A.D. in its entirety, Dream Theater and GWAR are celebrating their 40^th anniversary. Another major exclusive is the original lineup for Rev Theory reuniting for the band’s first set since 2014 to celebrate the 20^th anniversary of their debut album Truth Is Currency.

Four-day and single-day general admission passes as well as VIP are available now via aftershockfestival.com for $1 down via layaway. Four-day Capital Club SVIP are also available. Hotel packages from Jampack are also available. VIP perks included a commemorative laminate and wristband, exclusive lounge spaces with furniture, live audio and video streams of both main stages, air-conditioned restrooms, dedicated service and premium food and beverage available for purchase.

Last year’s Aftershock was a major success with more than 160,000 music fans visiting from every state and 30 countries across the globe. The event’s economic impact on Sacramento was reportedly estimated at $30 million.

However, this year DWP announced its second-weekend Sacramento event, Golden Sky country festival, will not take place in 2025. While the festival, which has continued to grow since its first year in 2022, has been popular with fans and the host city, DWP said the stars (and artist calendars) didn’t align for 2025 to make sense.

“We really felt that the mix of talent just was not there for ’25,” said Williams. Last year’s Golden Sky featured Keith Urban, Luke Bryan, Thomas Rhett, Riley Green and many other top country artists. “We didn’t want to force it and put on a show without the lineup that we felt was compelling and represented the identity of the show. It was a difficult decision but a calculated move when looking at the big picture. We have have a long-term plan for Golden Sky, and we want to expand the genres a bit so it’s not considered just a traditional country festival. Golden Sky will come back in a big way, and there’s already some promising acts we’re talking about for ’26.”