Sharon Osbourne Hints That Ozzfest Might Return In 2027
Sharon Osbourne has confirmed that Ozzfest, the influential heavy metal festival founded by her husband Ozzy Osbourne, is set to make its return in 2027.
Speaking during an appearance at the MIDEM 2026 conference in Cannes—an interview recorded last month and released on March 2—Osbourne revealed that the long-running festival will once again take the stage nearly a decade after its last edition.
“Yeah, we’re gonna do it,” she said when asked about the festival’s future.
The most recent Ozzfest took place in 2018 at The Forum in Los Angeles, just weeks before Ozzy’s health began to decline.
“The last one we did was 2018. It was just a month before Ozzy got sick, and that was at The Forum in LA,” she explained. “And there were no plans to stop it. We were still gonna do it, but Ozzy couldn’t.”
Originally launched in 1996, Ozzfest became one of the most important touring festivals in heavy metal history, helping introduce generations of metal and hard rock bands to mainstream audiences.
Ozzy’s Blessing to Continue
According to Sharon Osbourne, the idea of continuing Ozzfest even after Ozzy’s death had already been discussed between the couple. The legendary Black Sabbath frontman, who passed away at the age of 76 last July, supported the notion that the festival could carry on without him.
She recalled telling him, “Yeah, it’s a brand. It will work without you.”
With that blessing in mind, Sharon confirmed that the event is now moving forward again, with plans that could expand far beyond the festival’s earlier formats.
She described the 2027 revival as potentially even more ambitious than its previous incarnations from 1996 to 2018. One idea under consideration is turning Ozzfest back into a traveling festival rather than keeping it confined to a single venue.
A Bigger Vision for the Future
While the core identity of Ozzfest will remain rooted in heavy metal and hard rock, Osbourne suggested that the festival may eventually broaden its musical scope. Future lineups could feature artists from a wider range of genres while still honoring the event’s metal foundations.
Last month she also told Billboard that she had begun discussions with Live Nation regarding the logistics of bringing the festival back and determining what form the next chapter of Ozzfest will take.
The renewed plans follow a major moment for the Osbourne family in 2025, when Black Sabbath performed their final show, Back to the Beginning, at Villa Park in Birmingham. The concert took place only weeks before Ozzy Osbourne died unexpectedly from a heart attack on July 22.
In the wake of his passing, tributes poured in from across the music world for the heavy metal pioneer whose influence shaped generations of artists. Some fans and industry figures have even suggested that Back to the Beginning could evolve into an annual tribute event honoring Ozzy’s legacy.
If Ozzfest returns as planned in 2027, it could serve not only as the revival of one of metal’s most iconic festivals but also as a powerful continuation of Ozzy Osbourne’s enduring impact on the genre he helped define.
