All About Welcome to Rockville Festival

Florida, United States

Open-air

XXL – 50+

Rock

$$

Live Music, Alternative

+3 Days

Welcome to Rockville is the largest outdoor rock festival in the United States, drawing over 160,000 festival-goers.

Welcome to Rockville hosts some of the biggest names in the rock music scene, with numerous acts across several stages. It draws tens of thousands of rock ‘n’ roll worshipers from not just the US, but all around the world.

Here’s everything you need to know about Welcome to Rockville.

Welcome to Rockville is the largest rock festival in America

By now, you must have figured out that Welcome to Rockville is a mega festival. With crowd turnouts to the tune of over 160,000, it can get a bit overwhelming for any festival-goer.

But before it became the rock-fuelled titan it is today, Welcome to Rockville had a humble beginning. Kicking off back in 2011 as a one-day event, the festival had to finish the rock-fuelled celebration at 10 PM due to city noise ordinances.

It transformed into a two-day festival in 2013 when sought-after artists like Lynyrd Skynyrd and Alice In Chains rocked the crowds. Fast forward to 2018, Welcome to Rockville became the three-day festival we know and love today.

But this bad boy set the bar while breaking the record for festival attendees. Welcome to Rockville became the most significant rock festival in the US after it delivered a hell of a time to more than 160,000 music lovers.

Welcome to Rockville has enviable lineups

An unwritten rule goes like this: you can’t label yourself a rock music lover if you’ve never booked a one-way ticket to Welcome to Rockville Festival. Committed to satisfying every music lover, Welcome to Rockville puts everything from alternative rock to punk into the spotlight.

Elite international headliners such as Metallica and Korn are the prime names associated with this festival destination. But the roster doesn’t stop there.

Headlining in past editions were global favorites from the rock genre, such as Breaking Benjamin, Shinedown, and The Smashing Pumpkins.

The festival still takes place at the Daytona International Speedway

The first festival was a one-day event held in Metropolitan Park, Jacksonville, Florida. But Welcome to Rockville had to change its location to keep up with its ever-growing popularity.

Although the festival used the same site until 2019, it now found its home on the vast and spacious grounds at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.

The world-class racetrack hosts the famous Daytona 500 NASCAR race. Across the speedway’s grounds, the festival could adapt to its exponential growth by maximizing its capacity to hold hundreds of thousands of revelers.

There are four stages at Welcome to Rockville

The festival has upgraded from the initial two stages to a total of four today, each displaying different talents simultaneously throughout the event.

Ladies and gents, we have the Welcome to Rockville Space Zebra Stage, Octane Stage, Rockvillian Stage, and DWPresents Stage.

Space Zebra and Octane are the two larger stages for headlining acts and A-list artists. Rockvillian and DWPresents are smaller stages tailored for local or lesser-known artists.

Welcome to Rockville gives you plenty of camping options

As Welcome to Rockville Festival takes place over a vast area, the camping grounds are equally large and spacious.

It’s best to arrive early at the festival to get hold of the best spaces. These areas are located away from the stages, where the music is loud enough to stop you from catching some Zs.

While selecting your tickets, it’s favorable to go in for campsite upgrades that give you larger spaces, allowing you to share the area with more friends.

Campers are encouraged to deck their campsite in their best 80s-inspired decor, as winners get a variety of prizes, from VIP upgrades to food vouchers.

The festival keeps you engaged beyond the music

With stellar live performances and hardcore rock music constantly blasting the fest’s speakers, sometimes a proper time-out is needed.

Don’t worry about that. Welcome to Rockville has you covered with its variety of fun rides.

Cool off in-between sets at the WhipSplash water slide or head up the Roundabout Ferris Wheel for sweeping views of the festival grounds.

The Round Up is there to take you for a fun spin if you’re craving an adrenaline rush. You can also enjoy the breeze on The Swinger if you are in a chill mood.

Festival-goers can win prizes

Welcome to Rockville Festival regularly partners with American Musical Supply to run contests for a chance to win a bunch of free stuff, from Bose audio sunglasses to Paul Reed Smith guitars.

But the real prize was the 2021 chance to win a signed Epiphone Les Paul guitar by Slash, an iconic British-American guitarist, best known for being part of Guns N’ Roses.

Get Rockville-ready with the festival’s merch

Forgot to pack soap? Ran out of sunblock? Went on a hunt for the perfect Welcome to Rockville-themed souvenirs? No sweat. Stop by the shops scattered on Welcome to Rockville’s grounds to load up on your essentials – whatever those might be.

From quirky stuff to your everyday needs, there are shops that will make your long stay at the festival easy to navigate.

Get hold of some seriously sleek Welcome to Rockville merchandise, which looks swell with the iconic race theme printed on every item.

From hoodies and beach towels to bandanas and hats, you are spoilt for choice, so make sure you collect them before they get sold out.

Thunderstorms canceled Welcome to Rockville’s headlining acts

What hurts more than not seeing your beloved music hero because of shitty weather? Sadly, Welcome to Rockville 2022 attendees know the answer is nothing.

2022 saw severe thunderstorms over the festival weekend – so much that Korn, Breaking Benjamin, and Guns N’ Roses were forced to cancel their shows. Plagued by bad weather and unexpected storms, the festival’s management had to cancel Friday and Saturday acts.

It’s not all bad news, as the festival’s management introduced Jerry Cantrell, Shinedown, and Alice in Chains for shorter sets before ultimately shutting down for the day.

Welcome to Rockville Festival prides itself as an environmentally conscious event

The festival partnered with Clean Vibes to provide sustainable event cleaning and waste management services that focus on dedicating its efforts to the environment.

All cups, cans, and bottles used at the festival are recycled.

In 2022, Clean Vibes accepted volunteers to help with the clean-up and recycling process in exchange for free admission to the festival.