For the bands. For the moments in between. For the love of the music. For discovering something new. For forgetting our divisions.

THE SANCTUM: MODERN METAL FESTIVAL 2026 is an upcoming independent grassroots metal festival taking place at Dead Wax Digbeth, Birmingham UK on Friday 14 – Sunday 16 August 2026. Our belief – and ultimately, our reason for establishing The Sanctum – is that the future of music is in community, and the coming together of ideas and sounds that challenge and change us. The spirit of underground metal must endeavour, and it is our privilege to welcome the bands we believe in to carry that torch forwards, ahead, beyond.