How does four days of non-stop rock, riffs, head banging and crazy headliners sound? Well it might be to book a flight and make your way to Sweden Rock Festival. Held in Sölvesborg, SRF turns this quiet town into one of the loudest around for the first week of June. Metal heads make the pilgrimage from lands far and wide to witness performances by some of Sweden and the world’s biggest and best names. There are too many bands to be able to mention them all, but if names like Iron Maiden, Bring me to the Horizon, Babymetal, The Offspring, Volbeat, Trivium, Three Days Grace, Saxon, Savatage, Helloween, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Foreigner, Candlemass, The Halo Effect and Alestorm can’t convince you to get your tickets… maybe this isn’t the festival for you.

First held in 1992, SRF has had 33 years to get this thing down to a science. They nailed the seating, there were plenty of shaded areas to hide from the unstereotypical warm Swedish sun and the more stereotypical sudden downpours, with plenty of food vendors that catered to an array of dietary requirements and most important of all… plenty of bars. All vendors are happy for you to use card, aside from some smaller brands who use a Swedish app called Swish (unfortunately this does not seem to be accessible to Australians, but most bands can work with PayPal!). For those worried about how to get too and from the festival, no need to fear, they have that covered as well! There is both camping and (for the fancy metalheads) glamping on site. Plenty of public transport can get you to the festival, but you might want to check out the specific Sweden Rock Festival buses and trains that will take you directly to site, all the while blasting heavy riffs and festival line up favorites! The Sweden Rock bus timetable hits most of the surrounding areas for those like myself who managed to book nearby accommodation - but for those looking to do the same, be quick! Hotels and AirBNBs book up fast! But enough on the set up, how was the music?

The festival was set to kick off with a performance from a mystery band. When Europe took to the stage, many fans weren’t shocked; with a new album slated for September it was a pretty safe guess. And boy did they get things going! Not many ventured past the first stage as Europe’s electrifying performance set the tone for the festival to come.

I’ve got to admit, the days were pretty overwhelming. With so many bands and such big names on the docket, it was hard to figure out what to see next! Of course, this is a Swedish festival, so for a good chunk of acts I was definitely having to smile and nod along since Duolingo doesn’t exactly cover Swedish death metal lyrics. Regardless, I was on cloud nine. And the language barrier should not be what deters people from attending. One of my favourite sets was Swedish icon Magnus Uggla. Could I understand a word? No. But being in a sea of Swedes who are clearly having the time of their life seeing this man perform - that certainly does something to the heart.

Each day felt like it had its own crazy surprise. From Europe's grand opening, Crashdïet smashing their guitar at the end of their set, Joan Jett (enough said there), a marching band entrance through the crowd for The Halo Effect and of course the legendary Bruce Dickenson from Iron Maiden arriving on a tank… It really was heavy metal Disneyland.

I was especially excited to catch the epic Swedish doom metal band Candlemass, especially with their first ever Australian tour starting at the end of September. This was a milestone band for me and one I never dreamed of being able to see live, let alone now possibly twice in one year! One common thread I noticed was every band that played made sure to cover their big hits. They knew the songs we wanted to hear and they delivered.

Now with just this little 23 year old Tasmanian kid running around trying to catch as many sets as possible and live my own personal dream of photographing an international festival, I had no hope of reviewing every set. As a general note, the sound mixing was fantastic. Any technical issues that pop up were quickly dealt with - even finding a replacement band due to a sudden cancellation. Every big name on the line up delivered a spectacular show. I was giggling like a fool in the pit to Alestorm, beaming during Helloween and thrashing around in the pit to Bring Me The Horizon. The lighting and overall stage design for all these big names was absolute eye candy to compliment the sound.

Eva Dudes as captured by **Fredrik Törnqvist**

I am unsure how you summarise such a massive four days. If I’m honest the whole thing felt like a crazy fever dream. I’ve never witnessed something so large and loud at such a consistently high caliber. So if you’re planning a Scandi-summer and you love to rock, make Sweden Rock Festival a part of your travels. And if you’re disappointed by it, I’ll eat my hat.

The 2027 edition of the Sweden Rock Festival will take place from the 9th - 12th of June. Tickets & further information available via https://swedenrock.com/en/ Or Live Nation Sweden.

Thank you to the Sweden Rock Festival and its organisers for having our Eva & MFA along, and thanks also to all the beautiful people who made us feel so welcome.

Sweden Rock Festival 2026

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4