Dark Force Fest, the goth-industrial and dark alternative festival held at the Sheraton Parsippany “Castle” in New Jersey, has confirmed the Dark Force Fest 2026 lineup headliners for its next edition, taking place from 1–3 May 2026. Each festival night will close with a different cornerstone act from industrial and goth’s past and present, with additional events and a pre-party extending the weekend.

Dark Force Fest 2026 lineup and daily headliners

For 2026, the Dark Force Fest daily headliners are divided across the three main festival nights:

• Friday 1 May 2026 – Combichrist
  The weekend opens with the return of Combichrist, performing a full-band set.
• Saturday 2 May 2026 – Front Line Assembly
  Front Line Assembly headline the Saturday night. The Vancouver electro-industrial project led by Bill Leeb and Rhys Fulber arrives at Dark Force Fest shortly after renewed touring, including UK dates and shows.
• Sunday 3 May 2026 – London After Midnight
  London After Midnight close the festival on Sunday with a full headline set.

Ahead of the main weekend, a Thursday night pre-party takes place at QXT’s Night Club in nearby Newark, headlined by Ego Likeness.

Across the three main days, Dark Force Fest 2026 is scheduled to host 36 bands on two stages, alongside late-night DJ events, sideshow performances, panels, a pool party and other activities focused on goth, industrial and darkwave culture. The 2026 edition also adds a new outdoor tent area with extra performers, food trucks, expanded vendor space and a dedicated biergarten.

Where to attend Dark Force Fest 2026 and buy tickets

Dark Force Fest 2026 runs from Friday 1 May to Sunday 3 May 2026 at the Sheraton Parsippany Hotel, often referred to as “The Castle”, located in Parsippany, New Jersey. Get your Dark Force Fest 2026 tickets here.

About Dark Force Fest

Dark Force Fest is a three-day goth-industrial and dark alternative festival and convention created by VampireFreaks and held at the Sheraton Parsippany Hotel in New Jersey. The festival grew out of earlier VampireFreaks events such as Dark Side of the Con and Triton Festival and is promoted as one of North America’s largest gatherings dedicated to industrial, goth, post-punk, darkwave and related genres.

The first Dark Force Fest took place in 2023 at the same venue, with subsequent editions continuing to combine live performances, club events, vendors and panels. At Side-Line we previously covered the launch of the festival and its evolution in several news items, including:

• VampireFreaks announces US festival, Dark Force Fest, a three-day goth-industrial music festival (announcement of the 2023 edition)
• VampireFreaks unveils 3-day gothic-industrial festival: Dark Force Fest 2024 (2024 festival announcement and format)
• VampireFreaks announces Dark Force Fest lineup – Order your tickets now (2025 lineup news)

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com