If you ever went to an Ozzfest, you know it wasn’t just another festival. It was different. Less like a lineup of bands and more like a huge gathering built around metal. Now, Sharon Osbourne says that spirit is coming back!
Ozzy Osbourne’s manager and widow has confirmed that Ozzfest is being planned for 2027, with the first event set to take place at Villa Park in Birmingham, England (the same venue where Ozzy performed his final show at “Back To The Beginning” in July 2025).
“It’s going to be at Villa Park again,” Sharon told Metal Hammer. “Whether it’ll be two nights, that’s up for the fans to tell me.”
While she wouldn’t reveal which artists may appear, Sharon said plans are already moving forward.
“Of course we’re speaking to people,” she said. “I can’t let that out yet, but it’ll be soon.”
The 2027 return is expected to begin with a two-day event in Birmingham before moving to North America for another two-day festival. Sharon says the future of Ozzfest will depend on fan response, with the possibility of expanding again in 2028 and beyond.
For Sharon, bringing back Ozzfest is about more than nostalgia. It’s about continuing what the festival was originally created to do: give new artists a chance.
“It was something Ozzy was very passionate about: giving young talent a stage in front of a lot of people,” she previously told Billboard.
She also wants the next version of Ozzfest to feel different.
“I’d like to mix up the genres,” Sharon said.
Ozzfest launched 30 years ago and became one of the most influential hard rock and metal festivals ever created. Over the years, the event featured some of the biggest names in the genre while also providing a platform for emerging bands.
Sharon says what made Ozzfest special was the atmosphere.
“It was more fun,” she explained. “When you go to other festivals, everybody’s so uptight. But that was always the thing about our festival. There was never anybody jockeying for position or thought they were better than anyone else. It was a summer camp.”
After years away, Ozzfest is returning with the same question it has always asked: who’s ready to step onto that stage?
Do you think Ozzfest can recapture the magic that made it one of metal’s most important festivals?
