Sharon Osbourne Confirms Plans for Ozzfest 2027 Return

Revival at Villa Park and North American Expansion

In a new interview with the United Kingdom's Metal Hammer magazine, Sharon Osbourne, the manager and widow of Ozzy Osbourne, discussed the long-awaited return of Ozzfest. She confirmed that she is currently planning to revive the festival in 2027, with the event set to launch at Villa Park in Birmingham, the home ground of the Aston Villa Football Club. This venue previously hosted Ozzy’s final performance, the "Back To The Beginning" gig, on July 5, 2025.

"It's going to be at Villa Park again. Whether it'll be two nights [in Birmingham], that's up for the fans to tell me."

— Sharon Osbourne

During a February 2026 appearance on The Osbournes podcast, Sharon and her son Jack outlined a vision for the festival that includes a two-day event at Villa Park followed by two days at a location in North America. Sharon expressed interest in hearing from the public regarding potential host cities in the United States. While the 2027 return is not planned as a traveling festival, Sharon indicated that there are tentative plans to take Ozzfest on the road in 2028 and beyond, provided there is sufficient demand.

"We wanna do two days in Aston Villa and then come to America. And we wanna hear from everyone where we should go in America. And also we've gotta find a lot of young, new talent, because that's what [Ozzy] would want."

— Sharon Osbourne

New Vision and Artist Discussions

Sharon remained tight-lipped regarding the specific artists who might perform at the 2027 installment but confirmed that negotiations are already taking place. She hinted at a desire to see Rob Halford at the event, suggesting a potential appearance by JUDAS PRIEST in a future installment of the festival. She also told Billboard magazine that she has been in discussions with Live Nation about the revival and aims to "mix up the genres" for the next iteration of the brand.

"Of course we're speaking to people. I can't let that out yet, but it'll be soon."

— Sharon Osbourne

A primary focus of the revived Ozzfest will be the promotion of new talent. Sharon emphasized that providing a stage for young artists was a passion for Ozzy. She noted that while many modern rock festivals in the U.S. are essentially "spin-offs" of Ozzfest, she believes the original festival possessed a unique spirit, comparing it to a "summer camp" where artists did not "jockey for position."

"It's very hard for acts who are not known to suddenly go and be in front of 50,000 people on a main stage at a festival and understand what they're meant to do. It's very intimidating. You could have maybe five thousand people at that baby stage, and then to go from five to fifty to sixty thousand people, and it's really, really hard for baby bands. They've pay their dues anyway. That's what it's all about."

— Sharon Osbourne

Historical Context and Financial Challenges

Ozzfest debuted 30 years ago as the first national music festival dedicated to hard rock. The event has faced various format changes over the years, including a "free" edition in 2007 and a merger with SLIPKNOT's Knotfest in 2017. The 2017 "heavy metal juggernaut" saw over 17,000 attendees, with Ozzy headlining one day and Rob Zombie closing the next. The most recent Ozzfest was a special New Year's Eve event on December 31, 2018, at The Forum in Los Angeles. That Live Nation-produced concert was attended by 12,465 fans and grossed $1.2 million, with ticket prices ranging from $59.50 to $179.50.

Sharon has previously addressed why the festival originally stopped, citing "greedy" managers and agents as a primary factor that made the event no longer cost-effective. During a podcast episode in October 2023, she recalled an incident where Glenn Danzig allegedly refused to perform until he was promised an additional $10,000.

"Yeah, it was a very weird beast because all the bands were our mates, but the managers were greedy and for some reason they thought that we were making billions on it and we weren't. We made a profit. But it was not like — we couldn't retire on it. And managers and agents wanted more and more and more, and it just wasn't cost effective anymore."

— Sharon Osbourne

Despite the challenges, Sharon remains confident that the Ozzfest brand can thrive without Ozzy as a regular performer. Speaking at MIDEM 2026 in Cannes, France, she recalled discussing the brand's future with Ozzy before he became ill. She told him that Ozzfest is a brand that "will work without you," to which he reportedly encouraged the revival.