Wednesday 18 June. The date circled in red for several months on calendars across Europe has finally arrived.
Already in the morning you enter “Hellgates” and the first thing that greets you isn't the music, but the smell: beer in the air, mixed with sweat and sunscreen, the recognizable scent of Hellfest returning.
Hellcity it is the first location of the day: it is the perfect time to stock up on gadgets, pass through the exhibition stands, stop at a signs copies to meet some authors from the alternative literary scene and try your luck at one of the prize games scattered around the city.
You can breathe a family atmosphere even before the first riff is played, that feeling that only this festival can create: you are not just any person among a hundred thousand, you are at home.
At 4pm, it really begins. We Came As Romans they start the dancing. Horns in the air, the pit opens and it's official: Hellfest 2026it has begun. The band's energy is enough to warm up an audience that was just waiting for the start.
Next, i Mikkey Dee With Friends that bring old school energy.
It's incredibly hot, perfectly in keeping with the name of the festival, and the staff starts dousing the crowd with water cannons, a gesture that will become an affectionate constant these days, Honor to Pascal, the “hydrant man” we all loved.
The band closes with class, with a tribute to Motörhead: “Ace of Spades” and “Overkill” played to perfection, standing in front of a crowd singing every word.
On the Mainstage 1 they arrive immediately after the The Plot In You and here the first real adrenaline rush of the day is felt: the audience is an expanse of crowd surfers, one after the other, non-stop.
the pretty Reckless offer the first fireworks of the day, while the Breaking Benjamintheir third time in Europe (lucky to have found a ship to arrive in time, as they don't travel by plane), alternating clean and scream moments with that formula that mixes romanticism and power that has always distinguished them.
Then comes the moment that many have been waiting for: i Deep Purple. The Star Wars style intro opens a show that truly captures everyone, from the oldest to the youngest, without distinction. A guitar solo introduces a new song, “Arrogant Boy”and then comes that instrumental piano feature which is pure rock history, performed in such a masterful way complete with a glass of wine that is slowly sipped by Don Airey.
It's a leap in time that was needed before the crowd returns to jumping between the two main stages.
THE Papa Roach they bring the energy back to the maximum, between continuous twists and turns and an audience that becomes a single, gigantic moshpit. During “Braindead”twist, the singer's son comes on stage to sing, Brixton Shaddix; very exciting, the boy will certainly have a career, he has a voice full of power.
During the set, Jacoby Shaddix he signs a guitar in front of everyone, a moment of pure emotion, which makes you feel at home.
Finally they close with a medley, called “nu metal time machine” in which they show off covers in honor of the historical groups of the genre, before launching into “Last Resort”.
Now it's slowing down, relatively, with the fully theatrical show Alice Cooperwhich leaves the audience's eyes glued to the stage. Shortly afterwards there is a moment that fully unites the audience: ten minutes of tribute in memory of Ozzy Osbourne with a touching video that sums up his person, accompanied by fireworks and songs in time.
And then, once the night has begun, the first Mains of the evening: i Bring Me The Horizon that drag everyone in “Nex Gen” and for an hour it really feels like being inside a video game at itsextreme level”.
Despite the late hour the public opens moshpit after moshpit, the party explodes again as if it were afternoon.
The setlist is executed with masterful precision, offering surprises like a snippet of “Pray For Plagues” tucked into the chorus of “Teardrops”.
But the real twist comes when Will Ramos disguises himself in the crowd, goes on stage together with Oliver Sykes and they sing together “Antivist”personally, an unforgettable moment.
The audience explodes, and with them the first, very long day of this Hellfest 2026 ends in the best possible way.
Check out the gallery from the first day of Hellfest or browse the gallery below
Daniel D`Amico for SANREMO.FM
