Steelfest XIV returns to Villatehdas, Hyvinkää on May 14–16, 2026, bringing the usual blend of underground staples, exclusive shows, and rare live gigs across three tightly packed days. Here is what the fans coming from all over the world to this small city in Southern Finland need to expect during the event:
Thursday 14th: opening in warfare mode
The main focus of the first day will be on REVENGE and SATANIC WARMASTER. The Canadians chaotic war metal will bring dense riff‑storms, and a barrage of blasts, filling with adrenaline the fans at the very end of the night, while the Finns have had some of their best performances in the last few years here at Steelfest raising the bar for their audience’s expectations.
Brazilian HOLOCAUSTO is definitely another highlight not to miss if you decide to join the festival already on Thursday (which this year falls on a holiday in Finland), being a one-off, exclusive live show. Another exclusive will be COMMANDER AGARES album release show. and we can perhaps expect something special coming from WHITE DEATH as well, given their “one of a kind” live rituals in the previous years. When factoring in the rest of the bands, CHAMBER OF UNLIGHT, SABATHAN, FIN, BLOOD CHALICE, EVIL ANGEL and EPÄKRISTUS, the first day will have an immediate impact, promising to be loud and unforgiving.
Friday 15th: cult bands and hard hitters
Most eyes will be on BEHERIT, likely one of the main reasons why many of the people will come here to the festival. Seeing one of THE most iconic Finnish black metal bands headline at the biggest event of the genre in the Nordics if not in Europe, will definitely be a sight to behold. FORTERESSE and AKHLYS will add fuel to the fire with their intensity, and as we have already witnessed them both, we can promise you don’t want to skip either, as they are likely to deliver real killer shows.
Let’s not forget that AETERNUS fans will be treated with a special set performing their entire debut album “Beyond the Wandering Moon” from 1997, and with the return of critically acclaimed SEVEROTH and Finnish staple DEATHCHAIN, as well as THY ANTICHRIST, another must see will be CONCRETE WINDS. A band that sounds exactly like its name, delivering a crushing death / noise combo that will leave you wanting for more.
If this wasn’t enough Thai black metal masters SURRENDER OF DIVINITY, MAVORIM, HEINOUS, ANTIHUMAN INDUSTRIES, will complete this second day, along with HIISI, in one of those “coming back from the tomb once, never to be seen again” moments we got used to at Steelfest. A mixture of legendary acts and crushingly intense deliveries, with more atmospheric shows (see SEVEROTH), is what this day of the festival should go down in history for.
Saturday 16th: more rare appearances in the grand finale
While the return of Attila Csihar‘s TORMENTOR will definitely be a great way to finish off this XIV edition bringing people back to the early days of black metal, INQUISITION is another much welcome return to the festival ground. A lot of DSBM fans will be “delighted” to see LIFELOVER on the bill, of course it will be more of a “KALL (and perhaps some guest vocalist(s)?) plays LIFELOVER“, but still one of the highlights of the day!
Quietly taking the status of “house band”, WARMOON LORD has grown leaps in a very short time and righteously gained a recurrent spot in Steelfest‘s lineup, while the oddball of the day might just be ERZEBET, with their rare return on the stage. On the other hand the Ukrainian BEZMIR and FAMULUS AB SATANAS will be at their first ever live performances, so you might just want to come in early enough during the day to witness that. With the return of well-established acts such as TORTURE KILLER, SHAPE OF DESPAIR, IFERNACH, MORGAL, DEMONICAL, the special appearance of Dutch CIRITH GORGOR with their original singer Nimroth (performing an old-school set), and finally IMPERIAL CRYSTALLINE ENTOMBMENT, the last day of the festival promised to be a solid sent-off for the coming edition.
Good to know
Getting there
- Hyvinkää is 35–45 minutes by train from Helsinki Central Station and 40–55 minutes by train from Helsinki‑Vantaa Airport; trains also run after the last bands back to Helsinki. The railway station is ~500 meters from the festival gates.
Tickets & entry rules
- Tickets are available with various options at Steelfest.fi
- One entrance per day policy is in place, there are lockers available for a fee, but make sure you have all you need for the day along with you.
Accommodation
- Budget accommodation is positioned inside the festival area (close to the outdoor stage): 89€ / whole weekend.
- Camping is available and is the cheapest option.
- Hotels and partner accommodations are listed on the official site.
Inside the gates
- No outside alcohol allowed into the festival area or you will be removed without warning.
- You may bring one transparent unopened non‑alcoholic bottle or an empty transparent bottle (max 0.5L).
- Payment: cards + cash accepted for official points, while some vendors may be cash‑only.
