The legendary metal festival is reportedly kicking off at Villa Park in the UK
After previously revealing the long-awaited return of Ozzfest in Ozzy’s native Birmingham, the legendary metal festival is reportedly coming back to the U.S. for the first time since 2018.
Organizers confirmed the U.S. comeback on September 21 through Ozzfest’s official social media accounts. The announcement follows confirmation that Ozzfest will also return to the United Kingdom in 2027 at Villa Park in Birmingham, England—the same stadium where Ozzy and Black Sabbath gave their final performances at the massive Back to the Beginning concert on July 5, 2025. The latest teaser featured an image of Ozzy, the Ozzfest logo and the British and American flags, confirming that the festival will take place in both countries. Specific U.S. dates, location and lineup have not yet been announced.
Jack Osbourne has been closely involved in putting the revived festival together and recently compared the process to finding an old car and getting its engine running again. During an August appearance on SiriusXM’s “Page Six Radio,” Jack said there has been considerable excitement surrounding the comeback and indicated that organizers were preparing to reveal the main headliner and location. He also explained that the new Ozzfest is expected to return to the festival’s traditional one-day format rather than becoming a sprawling multi-day event. Booking the festival has presented challenges, however, because many major rock and metal bands now operate their own festivals or command enormous appearance fees. Jack said organizers are particularly interested in artists who have a genuine connection to Ozzy or Ozzfest, noting that bands such as Slipknot, Disturbed and System of a Down gained important exposure through the festival during their rise.
Just as importantly, the Osbourne family intends to restore Ozzfest’s reputation as a launching pad for emerging bands. Jack said new artists will make up a significant portion of the lineup and that organizers will likely reserve at least one position for an unsigned act. That philosophy was a defining part of Ozzfest during its heyday, when smaller stages gave developing metal bands an opportunity to perform before thousands of potential new fans. Sharon Osbourne has repeatedly emphasized that giving young musicians that opportunity was extremely important to Ozzy, and she wants the revived festival to preserve that part of his legacy. Earlier in 2026, Sharon also said she would like to broaden the musical scope somewhat by mixing genres rather than simply recreating previous Ozzfest lineups.
The 2027 comeback is something Sharon and Ozzy had discussed before his death in July 2025. Sharon recalled Ozzy asking whether Ozzfest could continue without him, and she told him that the festival had grown into a recognizable brand capable of surviving beyond his own participation. Ozzy reportedly agreed that they should bring it back. Sharon subsequently revealed that she had been talking with Live Nation about resurrecting the festival and publicly confirmed the plans in early 2026. She has described the original Ozzfest atmosphere as being more relaxed and communal than many competing festivals, comparing it to a “summer camp” where bands generally interacted without obsessing over status.
The initial revival will apparently be used to gauge whether Ozzfest can once again become a regular fixture. Sharon previously explained that the festival would return to Birmingham and North America in 2027, with the possibility of expanding into a traveling event again beginning in 2028 if fan demand warrants it. Earlier plans mentioned two days in Birmingham followed by shows in North America, although Jack’s more recent comments indicate that individual 2027 Ozzfest editions are being planned as one-day events. Sharon has also floated Rob Halford as someone she would like to see participate, potentially opening the door for Judas Priest, but no artists have officially been confirmed.
Ozzfest originally emerged after Ozzy was denied a spot on Lollapalooza and developed into one of the most important touring festivals in heavy music. During its peak years it combined established acts with emerging artists and helped introduce massive audiences to a new generation of metal bands. Its days as an annual U.S. touring festival effectively ended after the 2007 “free” Ozzfest. A single event followed in Dallas in 2008, the festival skipped 2009 and returned for a limited six-city run in 2010. Later incarnations included the Ozzfest Meets Knotfest events and a special New Year’s Eve Ozzfest at The Forum in Inglewood, California, on December 31, 2018. That show, featuring Ozzy alongside Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson, Jonathan Davis, Body Count and Zakk Wylde’s Zakk Sabbath, drew 12,465 fans and generated approximately $1.2 million in ticket sales.
Sharon has said that rising artist fees were one of the major reasons Ozzfest became economically difficult to sustain. She has recalled managers and agents demanding increasingly large guarantees because they believed the Osbournes were making enormous profits from the festival. In one particularly contentious story, Sharon claimed Glenn Danzig once demanded an additional $10,000 before performing at an early Ozzfest; she said she initially agreed so the show could continue but ultimately did not pay the extra money because a contract was already in place. Those financial pressures remain relevant today, with Jack noting that major artists can now command extraordinary festival fees.
The 2027 revival therefore represents more than simply bringing back the Ozzfest name. For the Osbourne family, it is being positioned as a continuation of Ozzy’s commitment to heavy music and to introducing audiences to new artists. The Birmingham event carries particular symbolism because Villa Park hosted Ozzy’s final concert, while the newly confirmed U.S. edition will bring Ozzfest back to the country where it became a major touring institution. The biggest unanswered questions are now where the American Ozzfest will be held, who will headline it and which established and emerging bands will make up the lineup, with further announcements expected in the coming months