Riot Fest has published stage-by-stage set times for its 2026 edition, and the headline slots collide.
The festival runs September 18 to 20 at Douglass Park in Chicago’s North Lawndale neighbourhood, its 21st year, with more than 100 acts across six stages.
Tool take the Riot Stage at 8:20 p.m. on Saturday. Nas begins on the Rise Stage at 9:00 p.m. Anyone wanting both gets 40 minutes of one.
Sunday is worse. Pierce The Veil close the Riot Stage at 8:25 p.m., Elvis Costello & The Imposters start five minutes later on the Rise Stage, and Insane Clown Posse follow at 8:55 p.m. on the Radical Stage. Three of the day’s biggest draws inside half an hour.
Earlier on Saturday, Angine De Poitrine, the masked Canadian psych duo who have built substantial attention through the year, hit the Riot Stage at 2:45 p.m., the same minute Hot Rod Circuit start on the Radical Stage, with Destroy Boys ten minutes behind them on the Rebel Stage.
William Shatner comes out largely unscathed, with no major conflict against his Sunday slot.
The festival has heard the complaints before. Its own promotional line reads: “Punk Rock (& more) Music Fest | I’m sorry we didn’t book the exact bands you wanted, in the exact order you wanted, in the exact location you wanted, for free.”
The 95-year-old actor plays the Rebel Stage at 5:25 p.m. on Sunday, fronting a new band called The *uckers. It is his first live performance with the group.
Behind him are guitarists Marcus Nand, who has worked with Mike Tramp and Candice Night, and Britt Lightning of Vixen and Cactus, plus bassist Phil Soussan, a veteran of Ozzy Osbourne‘s and Billy Idol‘s bands, and drummer Fred Aching.
The set previews an album due through Cleopatra Records, reported to contain covers of Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden alongside original material, plus reworked versions of songs from Shatner‘s own catalogue.
“I’ve always believed that music, like space, is about exploration,” Shatner said. “Riot Fest is exactly the kind of place where anything can happen. We’re bringing volume, intensity, and a few surprises. With this incredible band behind me, I expect nothing less than lift-off. I can’t wait to share this experience with the fans.”
Riot Fest has said it spent more than a decade writing to him before he agreed.
Friday, September 18
Riot Stage
- 12:00 p.m. – Cardinals
- 1:10 p.m. – JMSN
- 2:20 p.m. – Violet Grohl
- 3:30 p.m. – The Paradox
- 4:40 p.m. – Joey Valence & Brae
- 6:30 p.m. – The All-American Rejects
- 8:40 p.m. – Twenty One Pilots
Roots Stage
- 12:35 p.m. – Teen Mortgage
- 1:45 p.m. – Fleshwater
- 2:55 p.m. – 3OH!3
- 4:05 p.m. – Bayside
- 5:25 p.m. – Alkaline Trio
- 7:35 p.m. – Rise Against
Rebel Stage
- 12:15 p.m. – Glixen
- 1:15 p.m. – División Minúscula
- 2:15 p.m. – Radio Free Alice
- 3:15 p.m. – Tricky
- 4:45 p.m. – Motion City Soundtrack
- 6:15 p.m. – Santigold
- 8:15 p.m. – Pixies
Rise Stage
- 12:30 p.m. – Panic Shack
- 1:30 p.m. – Soul Glo
- 2:30 p.m. – Mariachi El Bronx
- 3:30 p.m. – Bratmobile
- 4:30 p.m. – Guttermouth
- 5:30 p.m. – Slick Rick
- 7:00 p.m. – Sex Pistols feat. Frank Carter
- 8:45 p.m. – Iggy Pop
Radical Stage
- 12:15 p.m. – Almost There But Not Really
- 1:15 p.m. – Greet Death
- 2:15 p.m. – Slothrust
- 3:15 p.m. – Worry Club
- 4:15 p.m. – Stephen Egerton
- 5:15 p.m. – The Callous Daoboys
- 6:15 p.m. – DeathbyRomy
- 7:15 p.m. – Foxy Shazam
- 8:55 p.m. – GWAR
Saturday, September 19
Riot Stage
- 12:30 p.m. – ASAVA
- 1:35 p.m. – Melt-Banana
- 2:45 p.m. – Angine de Poitrine
- 4:05 p.m. – Public Image Ltd
- 5:55 p.m. – Social Distortion
- 8:20 p.m. – Tool
Roots Stage
- 12:00 p.m. – Kiwi Jr.
- 1:00 p.m. – Yard Act
- 2:10 p.m. – Brian Fallon
- 3:20 p.m. – Bright Eyes
- 4:50 p.m. – Sugar
- 7:00 p.m. – Morrissey
Rebel Stage
- 12:05 p.m. – Nobro
- 1:00 p.m. – Strike Anywhere
- 1:55 p.m. – The Chats
- 2:55 p.m. – Destroy Boys
- 3:55 p.m. – Thrice
- 4:55 p.m. – Descendents
- 7:20 p.m. – Bad Religion
Rise Stage
- 12:00 p.m. – Whispers
- 1:00 p.m. – Show Me The Body
- 2:00 p.m. – The Suicide Machines
- 3:20 p.m. – Less Than Jake
- 4:30 p.m. – PUP
- 6:30 p.m. – Gogol Bordello
- 9:00 p.m. – Nas
Radical Stage
- 12:00 p.m. – Aim High
- 12:45 p.m. – The Iron Roses
- 1:45 p.m. – Burning Airlines
- 2:45 p.m. – Hot Rod Circuit
- 3:45 p.m. – Gurriers
- 4:45 p.m. – Frankie & The Witch Fingers
- 5:45 p.m. – Vana
- 6:45 p.m. – Chat Pile
- 8:00 p.m. – Afroman
Sunday, September 20
Riot Stage
- 12:40 p.m. – Stomach Book
- 1:50 p.m. – Holding Absence
- 3:00 p.m. – Arm’s Length
- 4:25 p.m. – Pennywise
- 6:15 p.m. – Taking Back Sunday
- 8:25 p.m. – Pierce The Veil
Roots Stage
- 12:05 p.m. – Remember Sports
- 1:15 p.m. – Daisy Grenade
- 2:25 p.m. – Sincere Engineer
- 3:35 p.m. – The Beths
- 5:10 p.m. – The Format
- 7:20 p.m. – Alanis Morissette
Rebel Stage
- 1:05 p.m. – Algernon Cadwallader
- 2:05 p.m. – Pretty Girls Make Graves
- 3:05 p.m. – Jejune
- 4:15 p.m. – This Is Lorelei
- 5:25 p.m. – William Shatner
- 6:30 p.m. – Twin Peaks
Rise Stage
- 12:50 p.m. – Macseal
- 1:50 p.m. – Ben Quad
- 2:50 p.m. – Saturdays At Your Place
- 3:50 p.m. – Cartel
- 5:00 p.m. – Mom Jeans
- 6:10 p.m. – Patti Smith And Her Band
- 8:30 p.m. – Elvis Costello & The Imposters
Radical Stage
- 12:35 p.m. – TBA
- 1:35 p.m. – Murphy’s Law
- 2:45 p.m. – Haywire
- 3:55 p.m. – Dead To Me
- 5:05 p.m. – The Flatliners
- 6:15 p.m. – Good Riddance
- 7:25 p.m. – Bowling For Soup
- 8:55 p.m. – Insane Clown Posse
Tickets
Three-day general admission passes start at $339.98. Single-day and two-day tickets begin at $99.98, available through riotfest.org.
