[Dajana] It's a wrap, the ROCK HARD FESTIVAL 2026 is over. It was hot. And it was wonderful! It felt so good to see all my friends, fellow writers and photographers, and the Pit Unicorns again :) I missed some, but I was thinking of them.
And no, I won’t complain and I’ll keep this short.
The weather is what it is; nobody can do anything about it. You can dress for it or against it (drink plenty - hot or cold, hat or poncho, and SPF 50++ sunscreen) ;)
The same goes for the drink prices - the amphitheater operator is solely responsible for those. As for food prices - those are entirely in the hands of the respective stall owners. Take your complaints to them.
And the bands? Yes, there are stronger and weaker lineups. But there’s ALWAYS something for everyone (for me: ARMORED SAINT, CORONER, DARK TRANQUILLITY, NAILED TO OBSCURITY). There is ALWAYS something new to discover (for me, THE NEPTUNE POWER FEDERATION), surprises (PARADISE LOST, SLIME, GUS G. & RONNIE ROMERO), and, of course, bands that make you want to go eat.
Of course, RHF has to do the math too. Anyone who’s been to concerts or festivals over the last 2 or 3 years, or who generally keeps their eyes and ears open in the music scene, has probably noticed how and in what direction the business has changed. But that also means that “business as usual” won’t work for the RHF anymore (or for much longer), regardless of the venue. The RHF team needs to rethink its approach, open up, and develop new concepts to keep the festival profitable without ripping off the fans and while keeping the love of music at the forefront. Certainly no easy task…
Hopefully we’ll all see each other again next year at the ROCK HARD FESTIVAL 2027 ♥
[Psycho] First of all, it’s great that the RHF was able to take place more or less without a hitch despite the ongoing renovation work. But I have no idea how that’s supposed to work next year, when Pentecost falls right in the middle of the IGA exhibition period. The only option might be to reschedule, even if that doesn’t sound realistic. On the other hand, some members of the NH crew suggested the nearly completed new Preussen Stadium in Muenster as a venue alternative. It’s too big for the local soccer club following its relegation to the 3rd division, and it’s conveniently located near the A1 and A43 highways. And it’s not that far from Dortmund either - think about it, dear RH editorial team… ;)
The second very positive aspect, despite the sometimes really hot weather (especially in the late afternoon, it was truly almost unbearable in that concrete bowl): to my knowledge, no one seriously collapsed or was otherwise injured. The free water certainly contributed to that (best idea in years), but so did the consistently unobtrusive and professional work of all the helpers and emergency personnel on site. Thank you very much for that!
Let’s talk about the music, where my initial expectations were ultimately confirmed. Great headliners (who, by the way, still put on an amazing show despite their many years in the business), with CORONER as a top co-headliner, but after that, the lineup starts to thin out. Basically, three cover bands and three so-called newcomers (who all played on the same day, no less) - I find that a bit of a stretch. Add to that two bands from the extended circle of the editorial staff - I think the tight budget left little room to meet the higher standards that were actually expected.
I had high expectations for NAILED TO OBSCURITY and wasn’t disappointed, so there was no surprise there. HIRAX put on a great show, and NECKBREAKKER are, after all, a promising newcomer. Otherwise, though, in my view there were too many second-tier classics or hyped-up newcomers who just aren’t ready yet. Is that what you call B-billing? Because the money is mainly invested in the headliners?
Aside from the venue issue already mentioned, things aren’t going to get any easier in the coming years. As Sui has noted elsewhere, the core audience that has built up over time isn’t getting any younger - in other words, it’s shrinking. And the concept tried (again) this year simply doesn’t attract enough new people. The heavier Friday was also sacrificed to the band contest, which may have been financially necessary but was musically superfluous. This was clearly evident in the audience numbers on Friday… Saturday and Sunday were a bit busier, but the RHF hasn’t been close to selling out in a long time. It’s a disaster when you’re then financially forced (?) into things that don’t even fill the place up.
My overall conclusion is still positive, though. This is partly because, age-wise, I’m exactly the targeted audience and partly because of the location, which is simply perfect for a festival (and conveniently located for us). Also, by no means should we underestimate the fact that you simply get to meet a lot of lovely people whom you otherwise see far too rarely - or not at all - during the rest of the year. And what could be better than listening to loud music together and drinking an (overpriced) beer… or two…
[Sui] There’s no question about it: for me, the RHF is and always will be something I look forward to - and rightly so - 362 days a year. As I said, it’s a family reunion in the truest sense. We quickly got used to the changed conditions due to the construction site. My heart skipped a beat when they tried to confiscate my homemade meatballs at the entrance (maybe I shouldn’t have shaped them with a throwing star mold before frying them). But that was settled peacefully as well. Overall, all the staff and security were top-notch again. By the second day, I had already acclimated to the temperatures, especially since the beer just wasn’t really hitting the spot. The Legolas effect (I feel a tingling sensation) kicked in suspiciously late.
My musical takeaway: The headliners ARMORED SAINT and SAXON delivered the strongest performances. There wasn’t a single great new discovery for me personally this year, though NAILED TO OBSCURITY and MAAMUUT came closest. Still, there were definitely a few reasons to pay a bit more attention to one or two established bands. There weren’t any total flops either, even if it was clear with one or two bands that the RHF might be a size or two too big for them.
All that remains is the anxious question of what will happen next year.
[Seb] What can I say? Since the ROCK HARD FESTIVAL is for me, first and foremost a chance to meet up with lots of people I rarely - if ever - see the rest of the year, that aspect is always my top priority - and for that alone, as well as for the venue steeped in tradition, it was worth it, just as it always has been.
Just listening to music among so many familiar faces, having a beer or two, and enjoying the view of the stage and the canal basically marks the unofficial start of every summer. Despite the occasional lulls, I really enjoyed CORONER (best sound of the first day); I hadn’t seen DARK TRANQUILITY in ages (the last time must have been many, many years ago at Dong) and was pleasantly surprised. Despite the occasional “pop-ish” moments, SLIME offered me enough nostalgia to enjoy the show for the most part, and the same went for MIKKEY DEE (who, unfortunately, was missing his usual singer for other reasons).
My wishes for next year: First and foremost, the obvious - namely, that the RHF 2027 please take place at the usual venue. Anything else (the suggestion about the Preussen Stadium is nice, but it just doesn’t really fit with a traditional “Ruhrpott Festival” ;)) wouldn’t just be the same - it would simply feel wrong, at least to me: I wouldn’t even hold it against the organizers if they chose to cancel the festival (temporarily!) instead.
Second, I’d love to have dry weather again (which we rarely get), but it doesn’t have to be over 30 degrees - the area heats up really fast, and there’s practically no shade. And last but not least: Get back to normal deposit prices. €3 for a plastic cup like that - especially when more than half of them are “plain” with no decoration at all - is just ridiculous. And if it has to be that way, then I’d like one with a design and the year on it ;)
Oh, and here’s another thing: We could definitely use a few (better-known!) “harder” bands again in 2027. Of course, the lineup is quite a challenge if you don’t want ticket prices to skyrocket, but I don’t necessarily need to have bands from the U.S. here, for example, if that means - with all due respect to the local scene - you don’t have to field quite so many absolute newcomers instead. There are plenty of excellent bands from Europe, and the target audience doesn’t live across the Atlantic.
Last but certainly not least, a big thank you to security and the rest of the crew (especially the gentleman with the water hose near the entrance); once again, everyone was always very friendly (despite the many questions due to the changed routes/entrances, etc.), and as far as I know, the entire event went off without a hitch as usual!
[Dirk] The renovations didn’t detract from the RHF; while everything looked a bit different, nothing essential was missing.
I’d sum up the lineup like this: Strong headliners and co-headliners, a solid to good afternoon program, and underwhelming openers. My highlights were CORONER on Friday, PARADISE LOST on Saturday, and SAXON on Sunday - of which I’d overall crown PARADISE LOST as the best band of the festival. NAILED TO OSCURITY, SLIME, and DARK TRANQUILLITY provided some pleasant surprises.
The weather was marked by plenty of sun and heat, but better that than last year’s constant rain. Hats off to the mobile beer carriers, who had to run up and down the arena all day with a keg on their backs in that heat. I hope they were paid fairly and received a decent tip.
The party tent was awesome as always on all three days!
Thanks to the very laid-back security staff, and big kudos also for the security concept with just one entrance to the campground to curb theft - in fact, I didn’t hear of a single incident. A major bonus was that the sandwich cart was right on the tent grounds this time. A minor downside was the shortage of toilet paper on Saturday morning. And the shower truck, without any shelf space, is an absolute design failure.
Finally, a huge thank you for letting us celebrate this festival again this year with so many friends, so many other wonderful people, great music, excellent organization, and plenty of beer.
[BRT] ROCK HARD FESTIVAL 2026 is in the books. As always, it was a pleasure to be there and see all the familiar faces - some of whom, unfortunately, we only get to see once a year, right here.
The sun and heat were probably the biggest challenges, along with the hangover on Saturday morning - both were survived relatively unscathed, with just a bit of sunburn and some sleep disturbances. There’s little to complain about regarding the organization, and the new venue didn’t really stand out in a negative way either. Well, when it comes to prices, you really have to scratch your head sometimes - food prices are steep, and the cost of (sparkling) water is completely absurd. It’s a good thing the ROCK HARD team kept reminding everyone about the free drinking water, where long lines were still rare. Musically, there was a little bit of everything; fans of the heavier stuff in particular might have been a bit dissatisfied. But then again, with a mixed lineup covering such a wide range of subgenres, you just have to make some compromises.
As expected, my highlights were CORONER, ARMORED SAINT, HÄLLAS, and THE NEPTUNE POWER FEDERATION. HIRAX and SLIME were absolutely top-notch, and I’ve actually never seen PARADISE LOST perform live quite as well as they did this time. WYTCH HAZEL were good, but unfortunately not quite as compelling as they are at a club gig. On Sunday, there were perhaps a few too many bands celebrating the past or tribute bands; I think that could be improved. It works, of course, because there are plenty of old classics to hear, but so many venues are doing the cover/tribute band concept these days that you really need to stand out from the crowd.
I expected a bit more from the up-and-comers’ gig; I’d say the concept wasn’t quite fully developed yet. Thanks a lot for a great festival, but once again, I would have liked to have some info about the next edition.
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