Prophecy Fest, currently underway, has already announced its dates for next year and the first bands for the 2026 edition at the Balve Cave.
Prophecy Fest 2026 will begin on Thursday, 3 September, with the last performance shortly before midnight on Saturday, 5 September. The price for the 3-day passes remains unchanged at €149 (plus service fees).
3-day passes for Prophecy Fest 2026 will be available at the Prophecy Fest ticket shop starting Sunday, 14 September, at 00:01 [CEST]. Guests of Prophecy Fest will be able to purchase 3-day passes for 2026 exclusively at the official merchandise stand during this year's event in advance.
The first bands announced for the 2026 edition are the legendary Norwegian doom act The 3rd And The Mortal, performing their Sorrow EP and Tears Laid In Earth album with the original singer Kari Rueslåtten! Swedish gothic metal veterans Tiamat will be offering their beloved breakthrough album Wildhoney (1994) in full at the cave. Prophecy Fest fan favourites Empyrium will celebrate 30 years of A Wintersunset... (1996) live on stage, and mastermind Markus Stock is also going to add a set with his ambient black metal band Sun Of The Sleepless to his tasks for next year. Secrets Of The Moon are reuniting with drummer Thelemnar and bass player Daevas to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Antithesis (2006), which is rightfully ranked among the most important German black metal albums. And last but not least, the Italian neoclassical ensemble Camerata Mediolanense has answered numerous requests to return to the cave for what is sure to be an unforgettable concert, while Dornenreich will return to Balve to replace the inevitably cancelled performance this year.
The fest's founder, Martin Koller, comments: "We want to offer our loyal guests, who attend Prophecy Fest every year and some of whom even travel from other continents, the opportunity to secure their tickets early and plan their trip well in advance. We are also a little proud to be able to present the first exciting highlights with this announcement. We hope to see you again next year!" Link

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