SLAM DUNK FESTIVAL UNVEILS
FIRST WAVE FOR 2025: A DAY TO REMEMBER, ELECTRIC CALLBOY, NECK DEEP, ALKALINE TRIO, AS IT IS (Excl. UK Reunion & Never Happy, Ever After 10th Anniv.) | DELILAH BON, DREAM STATE, GRAPHIC NATURE, HIT THE LIGHTS, HOT MULLIGAN, KNUCKLE PUCK (Copacetic 10th Anniversary), LESS THAN JAKE, MOUTH CULTURE, MOVEMENTS, NEW FOUND GLORY, SPLIT CHAIN, STRAY FROM THE PATH, THE ATARIS, THE STARTING LINE, THE USED, ZEBRAHEAD

Slam Dunk, the UK’s biggest independent rock festival is back for 2025 and this week unveils the hugely anticipated first drop of artists joining the bill. After a “triumphant” (Dork Magazine) Slam Dunk this summer, the festival steps it up once again with a line-up of epic proportions. Fans can get stuck into the best of pop-punk, emo, metal, ska and more, with A Day To Remember, Electric Callboy andNeck Deep topping the bill alongside tons more, as 20+ world-class artists are announced. 

Slam Dunk will return to Hatfield Park on Saturday 24th May, before heading north to Leeds, Temple Newsam on Sunday 25th May 2025. Tickets are on sale Friday 6th Sept at 10am via www.slamdunkfestival.com.

Quite possibly one of the most requested bands by Slam Dunk fans, A Day To Remember joins the line-up for 2025. As the band set off on their North American tour next month, today’s news marks what will be the band’s Slam Dunk debut. The festival will be the first place to see ADTR live in the UK in 2025 for a set that’s not to be missed. “We’re really excited to get back to the UK, and to play Slam Dunk for the first time” – A Day To Remember 

Electric Callboy will be making their way to Slam Dunk, too. Garnering phenomenal recognition on a global scale, the German 6-piece have rewritten the music scene with a sound which is uniquely their own, blending metalcore, electronicore, and a live show which is not to be missed. Next up, it’s Neck Deep. Long-time Slam Dunk favourites, the band are set to make a return to UK soil next year including a stop off at Slam Dunk. Following a sold-out show at Alexandra Palace this year, described by Kerrang! as putting on a “mega-show”, get ready for a roaring set at Slam Dunk next May.

Following the release of 2024 album ‘Blood, Hair, and Eyeballs’ as well as two brand new singles which dropped just two weeks ago, Alkaline Trio are on the bill, armed with not only a whole load of new music but a hefty back catalogue of huge hits, too. In an exclusive UK reunion, AS IT IS is inviting Slam Dunk to ring in the 10th anniversary of ‘Never Happy, Ever After’ together. Plus, self-dubbed ‘brat punk’ artist Delilah Bon joins the bill. Hailing from Yorkshire, fans can expect an unapologetically outspoken performance, anthemically combining hip hop with punk and nu metal. Hot on the heels of this year’s EP release titled ‘Still Dreaming’, South Wales’ own alt-rockets Dream State are on the bill, as well as Kent nu-metallers Graphic Nature who burst onto the scene just one year ago and have been tearing it up ever since. 

Serving up a mega dose of emocore, fans will be treated to a visit to Slam Dunk from Hit The Lights, who since forming in 2003 have cemented themselves firmly as emo favourites. New favourites who are firmly riding the wave of their well-earned hype, Hot Mulligan are added to the line-up for next summer with a live show brimming with energy and some of the catchiest hooks out there. It’s been 10 years since the release of Copacetic, the album which brought hits including Disdain, True Contrite and Untitled. To celebrate, Slam Dunk welcomes Knuckle Puck to the festival for what’s poised to be a set brimming with fervent unity.

An extensive discography including legendary hits All My Best Friends Are Metalheads, a welcome drop of new music, and a healthy dose of unapologetically brilliant ska-punk, it could only be Less Than Jake hurtling to Slam Dunk. And with nothing short of a meteoric rise since their 2023 debut release ‘Mishaps Of My Mid Twenties’, Mouth Culture have proved themselves to be an unstoppable force. They’ll be at Slam Dunk, as will Cali post-hardcore band Movements who dropped their anthemic latest single ‘Afraid To Die’ this summer. Knocking rave reviews out of the park, fans will now get the chance to witness the band for themselves, in the hallowed grounds of Slam Dunk.

Celebrating 20 years since the release of seminal album ‘Catalyst’ this year, the hype continues into 2025 as New Found Glory pay a visit across the pond. With hits including All Downhill From Here and My Friends Over You, fans can expect a veritable feast of era defining pop punk from the band. They join the huge line up alongside another band on the rise Bristol nu-gazers Split Chain showing no signs of slowing down. Also not to be missed, Stray From The Path serving hardcore punk, and pop-punkers who first gained cult status in the 90s and still going strong to this day, The Ataris. Pennsylvania’s punk-poppers The Starting Line, renowned for their biggest hits including The Best Of Me and Bedroom Talk, The Used, whose latest album MEDZ was welcomed with awesome reviews, and punk icons Zebrahead who, now in their “self-declared third era” dropped their first single I Have Mixed Drinks About Feelings from their upcoming EP earlier this year, complete the first stack of bands for Slam Dunk Festival 2025.

A must-attend on the UK festival circuit, Slam Dunk promises the best of rock, alt, pop-punk, metal and emo. Since 2006, it’s put everyone from  legends of the scene, internationally renowned rock icons and the most exciting breakthrough acts from the UK, US and even further afield, on the Slam Dunk stage. Located across two sprawling greenfield sites in Leeds and Hertfordshire, Slam Dunk is in a league of its own – described by NME as “one of the UK’s most exciting young festivals”, DIY as “one of the best outings in recent years” and The Hoot Leeds as  “a festival favourite”. With a line-up shaping up to be nothing short of unmissable, fans are urged to get tickets now to avoid missing out. 

Slam Dunk Festival returns to Hatfield Park on Saturday 24th May and Leeds Temple Newsam on Sunday 25th May 2025. Tickets are on sale this Friday 6th September, 10am at www.slamdunkfestival.com.