Wales to gain new rock festival from Alter Bridge

Hard rock band Alter Bridge is launching its first festival, Blackbird Festival, set to take place next June at Wales’ Cardiff Castle.

The American unit will curate and headline the rock-focused event, which takes place as part of the TK Maxx presents Depot Live series at the 10,000-capacity Cardiff Castle, staged by promoters Depot Live and Cuffe & Taylor.

The one-day event, set for 27 June 2026, will mark the first Welsh show for the K2 Agency-represented band — comprised of Myles Kennedy (vocals/guitar), Mark Tremonti (guitar/vocals), Brian Marshall (bass) and Scott Phillips (drums) — in more than seven years.

“To make up for lost time, we thought it would be cool to do something extra special,” says Kennedy.

“Not only does this commemorate 20-plus years of being a band, but it’s also a way to show our appreciation for the fans in Wales who’ve patiently waited for our return.”

Welsh bands Skindred, Florence Black, and Cardinal Black will support, with one more band to be announced.

Ahead of Blackbird, Alter Bridge will also headline theatres and arenas in support of their forthcoming self-titled album, out in January.

“This move opens up possibilities we’ve never had before”

The 31-date What Lies Within Tour starts on 15 January at Hamburg’s Sporthalle (7,000) and will see the band play across cities including Oslo, Copenhagen, Vienna, Zagreb, Barcelona, Paris, and London before wrapping up at Nottingham’s Motorpoint Arena (10,000) on 5 March.

Elsewhere, music and motoring festival Carfest is set to move to Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire from 2026.

Travis, Rita Ora, and Madness are on tap for this year’s event, taking place this weekend (22-24 August) at Laverstoke Park Farm in Overton. Busted, Sam Ryder, Squeeze, Tom Walker, and dozens more artists are slated to perform.

“This move opens up possibilities we’ve never had before, more space, more cars, more ways to surprise and delight our audience and most importantly, an opportunity to raise even more money for UK children’s charities,” says radio presenter Chris Evans, who founded the event in 2012.

The move comes Silverstone’s team pushes the circuit to become a standalone music venue. Earlier this year, the circuit hosted Sam Fender, Raye, Fatboy Slim and Becky Hill as headliners during the Formula 1 British Grand Prix, bringing in an estimated 500,000 attendees.

“We are an incredible motorsport circuit, but also have this incredible infrastructure right in the heart of England,” said Nick Read, Silverstone’s chief commercial officer, to IQ. “We can do a standalone festival, or several nights of shows, so that’s really our next stage – music, without motorsport.”

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