Alcest (pictured) are playing the festival this year. (Image: GETTY)
ArcTanGent Festival has become an annual retreat for metalheads and music-lovers alike. And 2026 is no different. The five-day event kicks off on August 19 in Bristol, and it has some incredible names on the line-up. This year, Fernhill Farm in Compton will see the likes of Chelsea Wolfe, Igorrr, Eivor, Oathbreaker, Perturbator and plenty of other incredible artists hit the stage.
And there’s plenty more on the docket, as well. With Svalbard, Agent Fresco and Napalm Death keen to get things moving for fans. At the helm of this deep-rowing ship is James Scarlett. One of the main men behind ArcTanGent Festival (as well as 2000trees Festival), he’s got the main track into how things work, what’s best to do when you get there, and what’s coming up. We had an exclusive interview with the organiser ahead of 2026’s show, and grilled him on what’s to come.
James, we’re not far from ATG 2026 – which act are you most looking forward to?
It has to be Primus. They’re absolute legends of the scene and they only come to the UK once every 10-15 years. This is the 12th year of ArcTanGent and I already feel like this set will be one that will go down in the ATG history book (if one is ever written!).
Is there anything majorly different about this year’s event compared to previous years?
I think it’s the best line-up I’ve ever booked and that is reflected in the highest sales we’ve ever had. The point of ATG is to make it as easy as possible to see as many bands as possible (while also being able to experience a huge range of great food and drink). The festival doesn’t have loads of bells and whistles. It has great bands, great sound & light and the most chilled rock/metal audience you’ll ever meet.
As the festival continues to grow in popularity, size and scale, how are you retaining its independence and intimate feeling? And do you feel you’ve achieved that this year?
Three of us own the festival, so it’s independent until we say otherwise. If people keep coming in these numbers (12,000 and counting) then that isn’t going to change. We’ve had big corporations try to buy us but honestly we’re just not interested. I’ve got my ideal job so why would I want that to change? ATG is certainly still intimate – if you want to get to the front barrier of any of the stages then that is easy in two minutes [maximum]. Bar and food queues are short. The campsite is close. And the audience are 99.9 percent friendly. All that adds up to a wonderful community vibe.
James’ most-anticipated artist, Primus. (Image: GETTY)
James Scarlett opened up about his upcoming festival. (Image: PROVIDED)
For many attendees, this will no doubt be their first year at the festival, do you have any advice or tips for them?
Dig into the clashfinder before you come or listen to our Spotify playlist. Your favourite new band is out there, you’ve just got to go and find them. Seriously, the quality of the ATG line-up is as good at 11am as it is at 11pm. So get out there and discover some bands! ATG has a very varied line up featuring Prog, Math-rock, Post-rock, Experimental, Post-metal, left-field electronic music and loads more besides.
At what point do you start looking at next year’s event? The day after 2026’s festival ends? A week later?
I started booking the line up for 2027 in March 2026! We’ve also got a new site for 2027 so that has taken a serious amount of work over the last nine months or so. Watch this space for more details on our new location.
What do you tackle first – dates, line-up, logistics, something else?
The dates are always the weekend before the August bank holiday. The primary focus is booking the line up and then the sales and marketing. Logistics come last because after running ATG for 12 years (and 2000trees for 19 years) the running of the actual festival is the easy bit. We should know what we’re doing by now!
ArcTanGent 2026’s line-up. (Image: ARCTANGENT)
