Header Photo: Rock am Ring 2025 [Jonas Tellkamp: @bookings_always_closed]
40 years of Rock am Ring – and the first day of the legendary festival at the Nürburgring kicked off this massive anniversary in the best way possible! The festival grounds were shaking once again as thousands of fans celebrated their favorite bands at the stages. And what’s essentially a huge birthday party for Rock am Ring turned into an all-out rager with the day’s lineup. Headliners like Bring Me The Horizon and K.I.Z. drove the crowd wild, and for those still going strong early Saturday morning, the Electric Callboy DJ Set helped burn off that last bit of energy. Here are our impressions and highlights from day one!
Live Highlights Across All Stages
The day started with a mystery: two Very Special Guests were announced as opening acts for the Utopia Stage – alongside Knocked Loose, who had already been revealed in advance. The surprise acts turned out to be none other than Electric Callboy and Roy Blanco & Die Abbrunzati Boys – two major early highlights to kick things off with a bang!
What an opener – Electric Callboy delivered their trademark chaos, humor, and breakdowns, proving yet again why they’re now considered a staple festival headliner. Check out some impressions here:
Photos: Jonas Tellkamp: @bookings_always_closed
Next up: Knocked Loose unleashed a brutal wave of hardcore on the crowd – with a standout moment at their crushing track “Suffocate.” It hit hard and marked a clear highlight for many fans. Not long after, Poppy took over the Mandora Stage with a performance that impressed across the board. It was her Rock am Ring debut – powered by her genre-defying sound, showcased perfectly on her latest album Negative Spaces.
Static Dress was one of our top band picks of the day. Known by many as former tour support for BMTH, they finally had the chance to step into the spotlight at Rock am Ring. And their debut at the Ring was a total success with lots of post-hardcore bangers!
Photo: Jonas Tellkamp: @bookings_always_closed
A Day To Remember kept things melodic but still heavy. The crowd loved their mix of pop-punk, metalcore, and pure nostalgia – sing-along moments guaranteed. Tracks like “All I Want” and “If It Means A Lot To You” brought on big emotional energy.
As the night crept in, Bring Me The Horizon took the stage and blew the roof off (figuratively, of course). With their signature live power, pyro explosions, and a crowd that screamed every lyric back, the band delivered a headline set for the books. Oli Sykes had the audience completely under his control, and songs like “Can You Feel My Heart” and “Kool-Aid” gave us chills. If you weren’t in full festival mode by then – you definitely were afterward.
Photos: Jonas Tellkamp: @bookings_always_closed
Still had energy? Good. Because K.I.Z. weren’t about to slow things down. The Berlin-based rap provocateurs turned the Nürburgring into a wild party zone with a mix of chaos, humor, and bangers like “Urlaub fürs Gehirn” and “VIP in der Psychiatrie.” With smoke cannons, beer showers, and confetti flying, people danced and jumped until 2:30 a.m.
And the night still wasn’t over! The Electric Callboy DJ Set kept the party going into the early hours with late-night aftershow energy at its peak. With remixes of their biggest hits and a ridiculous amount of good vibes, day one came full circle – starting with EC, ending with EC!
Headliner for 2026: Linkin Park!
Rock am Ring topped the whole experience off with announcing one of the headliners for their next festival edition - and we couldn't be more excited, because none other than Linkin Park will be taking the stage!
Photo: Cat Eye Photography
Community Love at the Impericon Booth!
Huge thanks to everyone who stopped by the Impericon booth across from the Mandora Stage yesterday! You brought the vibes and grabbed loads of surprise shirts. Can’t wait to meet even more of you today!
Photos: Jonas Tellkamp: @bookings_always_closed
These were the first signing sessions of the weekend!
The first bands we welcomed for signing sessions this weekend were Boston Manor and Creeper! We hope you had a great time – up next: Future Palace, Heaven Shall Burn, and Imminence on Saturday. You’ll find the full signing session timetable below.
If you’re reading this from home but don’t want to miss out on merch – no worries! We’ve got a 15% discount on band merch from the Rock am Ring lineup currently running in our online shop. Get your favorite items delivered straight to your door!
