One of the most delightfully chaotic festival lineups for the 2026 season has finally been revealed, with Alanis Morissette, Tool, Elvis Costello, Morrissey, and Nas among the artists set to play Chicago’s Riot Fest in September.
The annual punk blowout — which returns to Douglas Park Sept. 18 through 20 — always features a wildly eclectic lineup, and this year is no different. Morissette and Tool are among the headliners, alongside Pierce the Veil and Twenty One Pilots. Other big-name acts include Iggy Pop, Pixies, the All-American Rejects, Bright Eyes, Santigold, Descendents, and Patti Smith.
The festival has even managed to orchestrate the closest thing we’ll probably ever get to a full Sex Pistols reunion. The fest will feature a performance from the Sex Pistols featuring Frank Carter, the reunion outfit comprising original members Steve Jones, Paul Cook, and Glen Matlock, plus Carter (vocalist for the hardcore band Gallows), filling in for Johnny Rotten. But Rotten (real name John Lydon) will also be at Riot Fest, performing with his other band, Public Image Ltd.
Riot Fest hasn’t released the full schedule yet, so it’s unclear if the two groups will be performing on the same day. But the fact that they were placed right next to each other on the poster — especially with all the sparring that’s been going on — is eye-popping enough.
As for the rest of the Riot Fest lineup, it features a comprehensive mix of old favorites and exciting newcomers from across the punk, hardcore, emo, pop-punk, alt-rock, rap, indie, and metal spectrum. Additional performers include Social Distortion, Rise Against, Bad Religion, Taking Back Sunday, Mom Jeans, Twin Peak,s Angine de Poitrine, the Beths, Tricky, Motion City Soundtrack, 3Oh!3, Gwar, Bowling for Soup, This is Lorelei, Batmobile, Yard Act, Afroman, Slick Rick, Violet Grohl, and Soul Glo.
You can peruse the full lineup on the Riot Fest lineup on the festival’s website, where tickets are also on sale now.
