Sharon Osbourne promises OzzFest is 'absolutely' happening
Sharon Osbourne has confirmed she is definitely bringing OzzFest back.
Sharon Osbourne has promised OzzFest will "absolutely" happen.
The long‑running metal festival last appeared as a standalone event in 2018, followed by a one‑off New Year’s Eve edition in 2019.
While at the MIDEM (The Global Meeting for Music Industry Leaders) 2026 conference recently, Sharon said when asked if it's actually happening: “Yes, absolutely. We’re gonna do it.”
Previously, when she spoke to her late husband, Ozzy Osbourne — the festival’s namesake — about bringing it back, he wasn’t sure it could work without him.
She continued: “The last one we did was 2018. It was just a month before Ozzy got sick, and that was at the Forum in L.A. And there [were] no plans to stop it. We were still gonna do it, but Ozzy couldn’t. And Ozzy and I would talk about it, and he’d say, ‘Do you think Ozzfest would work without me?’ And I’m, like, ‘Yeah, it’s a brand. It will work without you.’ And he said, ‘We should do it.’”
The festival’s official Instagram has been teasing a return, first asking: “Will Ozzfest return in 2027??”, just days after Sharon revealed she is in talks to resurrect the event.
Sharon believes the demand for a full‑scale return has only increased, confirming that early discussions have taken place with promoters Live Nation about bringing the travelling festival back — and potentially expanding it further than ever before.
Speaking to Billboard, she said Ozzy was always passionate about giving emerging artists a major platform.
She said: “We really started metal festivals in this country.
“It was never done with the spirit of what ours was, because ours was a place for new talent. It was like summer camp for kids.”
Sharon also hinted that a modern Ozzfest would embrace a broader, more eclectic lineup to reflect how fans consume music today, admitting she would “like to mix up the genres” for a refreshed, multi‑genre experience.
If the plans move ahead, Ozzfest would once again tour internationally, echoing its late‑’90s and early‑2000s peak when it became a crucial launchpad for rising metal acts and a major showcase for established names.
Ozzfest was launched by Ozzy and Sharon in 1996 as a two‑day event before expanding into a full touring festival the following year. Its most recent edition in 2018 was a single‑night show at The Forum in Inglewood, California, featuring Ozzy alongside Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson and Korn’s Jonathan Davis.
