Upcoming Aftershock Festival dates
Dates and live ticket listings appear here as soon as they are on sale. The guide below covers what to know before you buy.
Aftershock Pass Choice, Settled Fast
Start with the night, not the tier. Aftershock runs Thursday to Sunday, October 1–4, 2026, at Discovery Park in Sacramento, and each night closes with a different headliner: My Chemical Romance, Limp Bizkit, Pierce the Veil and Tool, in that order. If one band is the reason you are going, a single-day general admission (GA) pass for that night is the efficient buy. If you want the whole run, the 4-day GA pass is the base option.
Then decide how you want to watch the closer. GA puts you on the open field. VIP buys comfort, not a better view. Capital Club is the only tier with a raised viewing platform at the main stage, which is the one real fix for sightlines when the crowd packs in. The festival calls itself the West Coast's largest rock and metal event and reports about 160,000 fans over four days.
GA, VIP and Capital Club, Compared by What You See
The 2026 pass page sets out three admission tiers plus add-ons:
- GA: sold as a 4-day pass, a 4-day four-pack, a 2-day pass for the days you pick, or a single-day pass for any of the four days. It covers all five stages. Your view depends on when you arrive and how far forward you push.
- VIP: 4-day or single-day. You get your own entry lanes, a lounge with seats, live audio and video feeds of the main stages, a water refill station, air-conditioned restrooms and guest services. Useful on a hot afternoon; it does not move you closer for the headliner.
- Capital Club: the top tier. A raised platform facing the main stage, an air-conditioned lounge, fast-track entry, daily re-entry, all-inclusive food and drinks, Wi-Fi and a quick merch line.
- Camping: off site at Cal Expo, as car-and-tent or RV, with shuttles to the park, re-entry and a Wednesday pre-party.
- Hotel packages: sold through JamPack.
Demand differs by night. The biggest-draw headliner sells hardest, so a pass for a lighter night is usually easier to find.
Standing Room Strategy for the Main Stage
On GA, the area in front of the main stage fills hours before the final set. To be close, get there during the early afternoon bands and hold your ground. The cost is mobility: you will miss sets on the other stages and face a long, slow exit.
If you plan to roam, stand farther back and off to one side. You give up detail on stage but keep an easy path to the side stages and to the exits. The 2026 layout has five stages, with the fifth set apart west of the Jibboom Street bridge, so moving between areas takes real time. Capital Club solves this differently: the raised platform gives you a clear line over the crowd without the early arrival.
Getting In and Out of Discovery Park
The park itself offers only a handful of accessible parking spaces, so plan another route. Options as of 2026:
- Park and Ride: the shuttle pass covers parking at Cal Expo (1600 Exposition Boulevard) and a nonstop ride to the Garden Highway gate and back. The easiest choice if you drive.
- Rideshare: pickup and drop-off is on Jibboom Street at the park's south edge, near 500 Bercut Drive. Expect a bridge walk and surge fares after the last set.
- Transit: SacRT light rail links to an extra bus from the 8th and K stop to Jibboom Street. Gold Runner trains stop at Sacramento Valley Station (401 I Street), about 1.7 miles out, a 35- to 40-minute walk.
- Bicycle: a free valet run by the Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates opens about 90 minutes before gates and also accepts skateboards and scooters.
- Park and walk: a few paid lots near Truxel Road and Mill Creek Drive, or West El Camino Avenue and Natomas Park Drive, roughly 20 minutes on foot.
Cars in the accessible lot can be held as long as 45 minutes after the show while foot traffic clears. Budget extra time for the exit no matter how you came.
Aftershock Bag Rules, Re-Entry and Packing
These points come from the festival's 2026 info pages. Policies are revised, so read the current festival info page before you leave.
- Ages: anyone may attend, but each person needs a full-price pass at any age. The festival recommends parental discretion for mature content.
- Bags: clear bags no larger than 14 by 14 by 6 inches. No large backpacks, duffels or hydration packs like CamelBaks.
- Re-entry: not allowed, with exceptions for camping wristbands, JamPack hotel packages and one 4-day VIP package sold through Costco. Capital Club includes daily re-entry.
- Chairs: none, including inflatable loungers. Blankets are fine in most areas.
- Water: free refill stations. Bring an empty plastic refillable bottle; metal bottles are refused.
- Payment: cashless only (cards, wristband pay, mobile wallets), with no reverse ATMs.
- Gates: scheduled for 11 a.m. each day, subject to change.
Pack for both extremes. The 2023 festival hit a heat wave and added hydration stations; 2025 brought rain and mud. Sunscreen, earplugs and a light rain shell cover most of it.
Closing Acts Through the Years
Aftershock books across metal, hard rock, nu-metal and alternative, with a separate closer each night. Highlights from the top of past bills:
- 2026: My Chemical Romance (Thursday), Limp Bizkit, Pierce the Veil and Tool (Sunday).
- 2025: Bring Me the Horizon, Korn, Deftones and Blink-182.
- 2024: Mötley Crüe, Iron Maiden, Slipknot and Slayer.
- 2023: Guns N' Roses, Korn, Tool and Avenged Sevenfold.
- 2022: Muse, My Chemical Romance, Kiss and Slipknot.
- 2021: two nights of Metallica, with Cypress Hill and The Original Misfits.
- 2019: Tool, Blink-182 and Slipknot.
- 2018: System of a Down and Deftones.
- 2017: Ozzy Osbourne and Nine Inch Nails.
Lineups shift late. In 2023 Stone Temple Pilots replaced Pantera, and Corey Taylor pulled out with a leg injury. In 2022 Foo Fighters canceled after drummer Taylor Hawkins died. A dropout hurts single-day buyers most, so watch the festival's lineup updates if one band is your reason to go. Reserved Seat orders carry a 100% guarantee.
From One Day to Four
Danny Wimmer Presents launched Aftershock on September 23, 2012, as a one-day show for close to 13,000 people, topped by Stone Temple Pilots, Deftones and Bush. It expanded to three days in 2019 and to four in 2021, after the pandemic pushed the 2020 edition back a year.
The footprint keeps changing. A fifth stage arrived in 2024, adding room for roughly 30 more bands. In 2025 organizers cut it over congestion and noise complaints and renamed the Jack Daniel's stage the Aftershock stage. The fifth stage is back for 2026, in its own area west of the Jibboom Street bridge.
Frequently asked questions
Who headlines each night of Aftershock 2026?
My Chemical Romance on Thursday, then Limp Bizkit, Pierce the Veil and Tool on Sunday, across October 1–4, 2026, at Discovery Park.
Which Aftershock pass gives the best headliner view?
Capital Club, the only tier with a raised platform facing the main stage. VIP adds comfort and shorter lines but not a closer view; GA fans need to arrive early to get near the front.
Do kids need a ticket for Aftershock?
Yes. All ages are admitted, but every attendee needs a full-price pass, and the festival advises parental discretion for mature content.
Where do Aftershock campers stay?
At Cal Expo, off site, with car-and-tent or RV options. Camping passes include shuttles to the festival, re-entry and a Wednesday pre-party.
Can you leave Aftershock and come back?
Generally no. Re-entry is limited to campers, JamPack hotel-package buyers, one Costco 4-day VIP package and Capital Club holders, per the 2026 rules.
Is there parking at Discovery Park for Aftershock?
Only a small number of accessible spaces. Most drivers use the Park and Ride shuttle from Cal Expo or the paid park-and-walk lots about 20 minutes away.