Following Saturday’s successful opening day in Hatfield, Slam Dunk Festival arrived at Temple Newsam on Sunday for the second half of its huge 20th anniversary celebration, and what a day it turned out to be.
After previous years of rain, mud and battling the Yorkshire weather, 2026 instead brought scorching sunshine from start to finish, with thousands of fans packing into Temple Newsam for a full day of pop-punk, emo, hardcore and metalcore favourites. The atmosphere throughout the day was incredible, with huge crowds at every stage and fans singing along to almost every word from early afternoon right through to the final headliners.
Despite Boston Manor sadly having their set cut short due to a medical emergency in the crowd, the band handled the situation brilliantly by stopping immediately to allow medics to safely reach the person needing attention. Thankfully, the rest of the festival ran incredibly smoothly, with stages, bars and facilities all feeling well organised throughout the day, while food and drink queues were surprisingly manageable considering the size of the event and compared to previous years.
Musically, Slam Dunk absolutely delivered!
Heriot were one of the heaviest highlights of the day for us, sounding unbelievably tight live while frontwoman Debbie Gough completely stole the show with an incredible vocal performance. Unpeople also brought huge energy early in the day, instantly getting the crowd moving with a set packed full of bangers.
Bayside ended up being one of the biggest surprises of the weekend. With a massive turnout packed into the stage area, their set unlocked huge waves of nostalgia and reminded everyone just how many great songs the band have built up over the years.
Goldfinger proved they still know exactly how to work a festival crowd, with Superman and their legendary cover of 99 Red Balloons causing massive singalongs in the blazing Yorkshire heat.
If heavier music is more your thing, Currents absolutely did not disappoint either. The Connecticut metalcore band delivered one of the most relentless sets of the entire day, packing the stage area with fans from start to finish.
Taking Back Sunday brought pure emo nostalgia by performing Louder Now in full for its 20th anniversary. Hearing the entire crowd scream along to Cute Without The ‘E’ (Cut From The Team) was also one of those classic Slam Dunk moments that reminded everyone exactly why this festival remains so special.
But for us, Sublime completely stole the show.
Making their long-awaited UK festival debut, the band drew one of the biggest crowds of the entire day, while Jakob Nowell did an incredible job stepping into his father Bradley’s shoes. Songs like Santeria, Wrong Way and The Ballad of Johnny Butt turned Temple Newsam into one huge singalong, with fans shouting every word back at the stage. Nostalgic, emotional and genuinely special to witness, it felt like one of those festival sets people will still be talking about for years.
Good Charlotte then closed the night perfectly with a set packed full of classic hits, opening with The River and finishing with The Anthem to one final huge singalong under the Leeds sunset.
Twenty years in, Slam Dunk still feels like one of the UK’s most passionate and welcoming alternative music festivals, and if 2026 proved anything, it’s that the emo and pop-punk revival is showing absolutely no signs of slowing down.
Keep an eye on the Slam Dunk Festival website for 2027 dates, line-up announcements and ticket information.
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