Ozzfest is set to officially return to Milton Keynes Bowl for its 2027 edition.
Ozzy Osbourne‘s widow and manager, Sharon, first shared plans to revive the legendary live event earlier this year. She said Ozzfest – which hosted its first edition in 1996 – would “absolutely” return with the former Black Sabbath frontman’s blessing.
But due to continuing construction, it will be held in Milton Keynes instead.
“Ozzy was the first to launch his own travelling metal festival and Ozzfest will always remain and important part of Ozzy’s legacy,” she said.
“Unfortunately, due to continuing construction, Villa Park won’t be ready for any live shows this summer, so we had to relocate to Milton Keynes. The choice was to move Ozzfest or postpone it for another year.”
Producer/manager Andy Copping added: “It was a huge honour to work with Sharon on ‘Back To The Beginning’, so I’m thrilled to be working with her again at Ozzfest and and bringing it back to the UK, back to the National Bowl where it all got started. We’re so excited about the line-up we’re putting together and can’t wait to share it with the fans.”
The first Mexico edition of Ozzfest will also be staged in Mexico City on September 18 at Estadio GNP Seguros.
Ozzfest was first held in 1996 and became one of the defining touring metal festivals of the late ’90s and 2000s, giving major early exposure to bands including Slipknot, System Of A Down and Disturbed.
Its final edition to date took place at The Forum in Inglewood, California on New Year’s Eve 2018, with a bill featuring Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson, DevilDriver and Ozzy himself.
Sharon previously explained that the original event came to an end because rising demands from managers and agents eventually made it financially unsustainable.
“We made a profit. But it was not like – we couldn’t retire on it,” she said in 2023. “Managers and agents wanted more and more and more, and it just wasn’t cost-effective anymore.”
More recently the venue has seen the likes of Yungblud stage his own festival BludFest in 2024 and earlier this summer The Prodigy also performed there.
