After being canceled in 2024, Rockfest once again set up an excellent edition held from June 12th until June 14th, 2025. This time, Rockfest was held at Artukaistenkenttä in Turku and saw bands like MUSE, JUDAS PRIEST, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE, THE CULT, SEPULTURA, JINJER, MOKOMA, CEMETERY SKYLINE, SARA, MOON SHOT, AWAKE AGAIN, and many more. We will all remember its 2025 edition with nostalgia once we get our much-needed 12 hours of sleep. 3 days, 32 bands, endless liters of beer (for others), and over 2000 photos taken (for me).
The third and final day of Rockfest started with DEMOLITION 23 on the Main Stage. Michael Monroe was energetic as always, doing splits on stage at 62; a true legend. From the DEMOLITION 23 concert, we went straight across the field to see GHØSTKID on the Pirkka Stage. Performing in scorching sun, they delivered a top-tier, electrifying performance, with the bassist Stanni going into the circle pit at one point and having people mosh around him; truly an epic sight.
The next act of the day was THE CULT on Main Stage, followed by a true dilemma – four great bands playing at the same time on both Pirkka and Black stages. We picked IMMORTAL DISFIGUREMENT inside the Gatorade Centre over UGLY KID JOE, and it was a splendid choice for anyone who prefers heavier music. The blasts and breakdowns during that gig were insane. I often talk about the wall-shattering sound the bands have, but none of them even come close to what IMMORTAL DISFIGUREMENT did in that poor Gatorade Centre. Annihilation is an understatement.
We left the Gatorade Centre briefly to catch MANIC STREET PREACHERS on the Main Stage, only to come back inside for the performance of HEALTH, an American industrial rock formation playing an interesting blend of electronica and heaviness. The highlight of the third and final day, however, was MUSE. The Brits took over the main stage for almost 1.5 hours and played their most well-known hits, such as “Supermassive Black Hole,” “Starlight,” and “Knights of Cydonia.” In the light of current geopolitical events, it was incredibly freeing to scream “They will not control us” and other equally defiant lyrics alongside tens of thousands of other people. And if MUSE was the cherry on top, the late-night, midnight performance of MOKOMA was certainly the sprinkle on the lush Rockfest 2025 sundae. Check our photo gallery here…
Demolition 23
Ghøstkid
The Cult
Kovaa Rasva
Manic Street Preachers
Immortal Disfigurement
Health
