Sonisphere Festival, Knebworth House, UK 2012

Sonisphere Festival

 
Date:
6th - 8th July 2012
Location:
Knebworth Park, Stevenage, UK (click for map)
Website:
Cost:
LIMITED TICKETS ON SALE FROM WEDNESDAY 13TH JULY

2012 information coming soon

 


There will be 12 Sonisphere Festivals in 2012 - click the links below for more information

Warsaw - Poland - 10th June
Prague - Czech Republic - 11th June
Getafe - Spain - 16th June
Athens - Greece - 17th June
Istanbul - Turkey - 19th June
Sofia - Bulgaria - 21st June
Jonschwil Degenaupark - Switzerland - 24th June
Italy - new for 2011 - 25th to 26th June

Kalasatama, Helsinki - Finland - 2nd July
France - new for 2011 - 8th to 9th July
Stockholm - Sweden - 9th July
Knebworth - UK - 8th to 10th July



For more information see the Official Sonisphere Festival UK website

2012 Line up information coming soon

HISTORY

The idea for Sonisphere was first conceived when Stuart Galbraith, was working for now business rivals and organisers of Download Festival, Live Nation. The plan was to hold a series of events that would 'translate into other territories'. The event did not begin to materialise however, until Galbraith left Live Nation for events company Kilamanjaro Live. Galbraith gained the support of influential metal band Metallica who will help curate the festival in coming years, however, rumours were quickly denied of them being signed to a multi million pound deal which would see them headline the festival for three years. Galbraiths' plans for future festivals are to expand the number of festivals making the event global rather than local to Europe, expanding the UK event to a 3 day festival and increasing the UK capacity from 40,000 to 60,000

The 2009 Sonisphere festival tour was made up of six one day festivals across Europe with an final festival in England spanning two days. The festival had a core group of bands that played each of the 6 dates with numerous extra bands added to each date individually. The locations for the 2009 festivals were Goffert Park, Nijmegen, the Netherlands, Hockenheimring, Germany The Forum, Barcelona, Spain, Folkets Park, Hultsfred, Sweden, Kirjurinluoto, Pori, Finland, and Knebworth House, Knebworth, England. Metallica have been announced as the main headliners for each of the 2009 Sonisphere Festivals

Sonisphere UK 2009 - Line Up
Metallica, Linkin Park, Heaven & Hell, FACT, Anthrax, Taking Back Sunday, Alien Ant Farm, Nine Inch Nails, Limp Bizkit, Machine Head, Lamb of God, Killing Joke, Buckcherry, Bullet for My Valentine, Airbourne, The Used, Bjorn Again, Skindred, SOiL, Avenged Sevenfold, Alice in Chains, Feeder, Mastodon, Saxon, Paradise Lost, The Wildhearts, Thunder, Fucked Up, Rolo Tomassi, Oceansize, Coheed & Cambria, Flood of Red, Twin Atlantic, Fighting With Wire, Failsafe, Glamour of the Kill, Sylosis, Blakfish, Telegraphs, Hundred Reasons, Zebrahead, Pepper, Architects, Cancer Bats, Little London, Corey Taylor, Lauren Harris, Dead By April, Attack! Attack!, Rise to Remain, Young Guns, Exit Ten, Blackhole, New Device, Fin,The Dead Formats, Heaven’s Basement, The Defiled, Young Guns The Crave, Sharks, Me Vs Hero, Dear Superstar and many many more.....

Sonisphere UK 2010 - Line Up
Rammstein, Placebo, Iron Maiden, Pendulum, Alice In Chains, Slayer, Skindred, Karnivool, Madina Lake, Good Charlotte, Papa Roach, Anthrax, Lacuna Coil, Family Force 5, Alice Cooper, Gary Newman, Europe, Turisas, Delain, Motley Crue, Skunk Anansie, Apocalyptica, Fear Factory, Soulfly, Sabaton, Terrorvision, 65daysofstatic, Fastway, Sylosis, Bigelf, Black Spiders, Karma To BUrn, Winnebago Deal October File, Throats, Little London, Chrome Hoof, Failsafe, And So I Watch You From Afar, Deaf Havana, Chickenhawk, Ultimate Power Dj's, Fei Comodo, Lower Than Atlantis, March of The Raptors, You and What Army, Never Means Maybe and many many more.....

Sonisphere UK 2011 - Line Up
Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, Slayer, Slipknot, Biffy Clyro, Motörhead, Mastodon, In Flames, Parkway Drive, Weezer, Airbourne, Architects, Diamond Head (opening for the Big 4), Kids In Glass Houses, Gallows, One Minute Silence, Volbeat, Gojira, Inme, Darkest Hour, Sisters of Mercy, Limp Bizkit, House Of Pain, Arch Enemy, Periphery, Grinspoon, Fozzy, You Me At Six, All Time Low, Sum 41, The Mars Volta, Opeth, Killing Joke, Four Year Strong, The Black Dahlia Murder, Black Tide, Watain, Firewind, Rise To Remain, Alestorm, The Treatment, Six Hour Sundown, Bad Religion, Cavalera Conspiracy, Sylosis, The Answer, Cancer Bats, My Passion, Kylesa, Pulled Apart By Horses and many many more.....
 

GETTING TO SONISPHERE FESTIVAL - KNEBWORTH PARK

Getting to Knebworth Park is EASY! Only 25 minutes from London and 2 hours from Birmingham, Knebworth is right on the A1(M) and served by a mainline train station. Add to that the FREE shuttle service and coach packages offered by Sonisphere and you can be sure you will be standing in front of the Apollo stage in no time!

SHUTTLES

A FREE shuttle bus service will run during the scheduled train timings from Stevenage Train Station to the Sonisphere site starting at 1pm on the Thursday and ending once you have all gone on Monday. It will be a continuous service rather than at set times. More buses will be available during busy periods but you may need to wait for a short while to get the next available bus.

Please DO NOT walk to the festival site. It is a 2 mile walk and involves crossing a motorway junction where you may be stopped for safety reasons

The shuttle bus is not reserved for just rail users. It can be used by local festival goers and people staying or parking in Stevenage. The shuttle bus will leave from the Leisure Park at the foot of the railway station bridge and takes you close to the entrance to the festival.

Rock Royalty camping customers have an additional shuttle which picks them from the main shuttle drop off point in the festival site and takes them to the Rock Royalty reception. This will be signposted but please ask a steward if you are unsure of its location.

TRAVELLING BY AIR

Knebworth is in close proximity to all of the main London airports: Heathrow (30 miles), Stanstead (25 miles), Gatwick (75 miles) and Luton (12 miles). Trains run from all these airports to London where you can pick up a train to Stevenage.

TRAVELLING BY RAIL

The nearest useable rail station is Stevenage, two miles away. There is a free shuttle service from the station (see above) plus is a taxi rank. Taxis should cost around £5 to the festival site (depending on traffic). Non-stop Inter-City and local services run to Stevenage from London Kings Cross Station around every 30 minutes. Plus, there are frequent Inter-City connections on the East Coast main line to Cambridge, York, Newcastle, Glasgow, Edinburgh and many other destinations.

Please note that there will be NO festival access from Knebworth Train Station. You must use Stevenage station.
It is STRONGLY recommended that return train tickets are bought in advance. Stevenage is on a very busy commuter line and has narrow platforms so it will not be possible for festival goers to gain access to the station till after 9.30am once the commuter traffic has died down. The free shuttle service will start at 9.15am from the site but you may need to wait for a short while at the station before accessing the platforms. It is therefore recommended that trains are booked for after 10am to ensure you can meet your travel plans.

TRAVELLING BY COACH

The Big Green Coach Company - Don’t worry about the driving, lack of sleep or over indulgence and travel with 48 other rockers direct to the festival, and then home again. By travelling on Big Green Coach you’re helping the environment too as coach travel is the most environmentally friendly way of getting to Sonisphere and in addition, Big Green Coach will plant a tree for every full coach they take to Sonisphere UK! 45 departure points.

National Express coaches take you right to into the coach park at Knebworth and back from major towns and cities throughout the UK.  We’ve organised a convenient schedule for arrival and departure, to give you time to set up camp and to get you home afterwards, without you having to miss a thing.

TRAVELLING BY ROAD

There are two entrances to the site which are accessed via junction 7 and 8 of the A1(M) motorway, 10 miles north of the M25. Signage on the A1(M) will direct you to the appropriate entrance. If using Sat Nav systems, please use the postcode SG1 2AX to direct you till you pick up the road signage.

Ample parking is available on site. Parking can be booked via the ticket page in advance for £10 or on the day for £20. There is no restriction on re-entry.

If you were at Sonisphere Festival UK this year then check out our review and photos and let us know what you think!

Sonisphere Festival UK 2011 review - click here >>>

Sonisphere Festival UK 2011 photos - click here >>>