The band that rebooted New York rock, with a deep catalog of deadpan cool, still untouchable live when the engine catches.
Indie rock
Shaky Knees 2026 Lineup
Atlanta's rock festival in Piedmont Park: three days of guitars, from garage legends to hardcore's new kings.
Shaky Knees is expected back September 2027 (dates aren't announced yet). Until then, here's the full 2026 lineup and the acts you would have loved.
Find the acts you'll love at Shaky Knees
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About Shaky Knees 2026
Shaky Knees is Atlanta's rock festival, full stop: three September days in Piedmont Park where the bill runs from garage-rock legends to hardcore's new kings and the skyline does the backdrop work. The 2026 lineup is a guitar lover's fever dream: The Strokes, Gorillaz, and Twenty One Pilots up top; Pavement, LCD Soundsystem, and Wu-Tang Clan in the canon slots; reunions from Minus the Bear, The Rapture, and Jet; and enough emo and punk (Knocked Loose, Taking Back Sunday, Pierce The Veil) to keep every generation's neck sore. At 53 acts it's the most walkable of the big Southern festivals, so you can actually see most of what you want.
One late change: Jimmy Eat World pulled out three days before the gates opened, after singer Jim Adkins needed emergency eye surgery. Peach Pit moved up into their Saturday slot on the Peachtree stage, and Psychedelic Porn Crumpets now play twice that day, an afternoon set on Ponce de Leon ahead of their evening one at Criminal Records.
Expect rock, indie rock, alt-rock and indie across 53 acts.
At a glance
- Dates
- –Friday to Sunday, three days
- Where
- Piedmont Park, Atlanta, GA
- Lineup
- 53 acts
- Website
- Official site
Shaky Knees 2026 lineup & schedule: all 53 acts
Search it, filter by day, stage or genre.Browse all 53 acts
Search it, filter by day, stage or genre.
Genre-agnostic arena duo (rap, ukulele, and existential dread) with a devoted Clique and lore deep enough for a wiki.
Alt-popRock
Damon Albarn's animated universe is a genre-omnivorous hits machine and guest-star carousel, two decades of cartoon cover for some of pop's best songwriting.
Alt-popHip-hop hybrid
Moody English guitar-folk that runs from the campfire anthems of 'Every Kingdom' to gorgeous, murky experimentalism, following his own quiet obsessions rather than the charts.
FolkIndie
Midwest emo's chaotic favorites bring screamed choruses, absurd song titles, real feelings, and a crowd that knows every word including the yelps.
EmoPop-punk
Unhinged Brooklyn art-rock that is yelping, swaggering, and critically adored, like the Stones reassembled by art students mid-fever.
Indie rockArt-rock
Lo-fi electroclash duo with distorted synths and detached vocals for the afterparty, Detroit cool for the post-everything generation.
ElectroclashHyperpop
Hardcore's joyful crossover kings, with dreamy interludes, stage dives, total communion, and a crowd that moves as one.
HardcoreAlt
Oingo Boingo's madman turned Tim Burton's composer, in a berserk orchestral-rock spectacle that mashes film scores into art-punk chaos.
Orchestral rockFilm score
Dublin's poet-punks grown into arena-scale alt-rock: 'Romance' made them era-defining, swagger and melancholy in equal Irish measure.
Post-punkAlt-rock
Chewed-bubblegum indie pop that is jangly, wry, effortlessly likable, with more guitar firepower live than the records suggest.
Indie pop
Dev Hynes's velvety art-R&B, with '80s soul textures, jazz chords, and quiet heartbreak from one of pop's most sought-after collaborators.
art-R&BIndie soul
Long Island emo royalty: mic-swinging catharsis, twenty-plus years deep, 'MakeDamnSure' still a communal throat-shred, and yes, the mic still swings.
EmoAlt-rock
San Diego post-hardcore romantics enjoying a massive TikTok-era second act, the scene's most swooned-over comeback.
Post-hardcoreAlt-rock
The slacker-rock canon itself, crooked rain and all, with reunion sets played with the same shrug that made them legends.
Indie rockSlacker
Firestarters, still. The UK's rave-punk institution hits harder than bands half their age, three decades of menace intact.
Big beatElectronic-punk
Genre-collapsing alt-pop pioneer, from 'L.E.S. Artistes' to now, always ahead, with new wave and dancehall in one voice.
Alt-popNew wave
Melodic-rap architects, the first to make harmony singing and double-time flow one seamless thing, with 'Tha Crossroads' still landing like a hymn.
Hip-hop
Isaac Brock's jittery, seasick guitar songs about the highway and the void, three decades of them, still unmistakable from the first yelp.
Indie rockAlternative rock
Nine MCs over dusty kung-fu-flick soul loops, still the most-imitated blueprint in rap, with '36 Chambers' eternal.
Hip-hopEast coast rap
Kentucky hardcore built on the meanest two-step riffs going, with Bryan Garris's shriek cutting clean over the top: heaviness that crossed over without softening.
HardcoreMetalcore
The dance-punk philosopher kings: 'All My Friends' remains the great festival closer, and James Murphy its most self-aware master of ceremonies.
Dance-punkElectronic
Atlanta pop-punk lifers whose 'Chroma' still hits like 2005, a front-to-back scene classic that never needed a follow-up to justify the devotion.
Pop-punkPower-pop
Gravel-and-honey soul-folk with 'Walk With Me' warmth and stomp-and-clap swells built for arms-around-strangers moments, gospel-warm and stadium-ready.
SoulFolk
Berlin-via-Cape Town dream-folk: honeyed, unhurried songs that grew from street-performance beginnings into a quietly devoted worldwide fanbase.
Dream-folkIndie
The Songs for Kids Foundation showcase: kids the Atlanta nonprofit works with, on a real festival stage with the musicians who mentor them year-round.
Charity showcase
Perth duo: punchy, sunburnt indie rock in the great Australian garage tradition, mates-first energy and hooks to match.
Indie rock
Art-leaning indie rock on the Saturday bill.
Indie rock
Athens dream-pop-rock duo with soaring piano bones, offering big-sky melodies from the college-rock capital and swelling choruses with dream-pop shimmer.
Indie pop-rock
French farmer-rockers (literally, they raise geese) with a riff-heavy two-man wallop: sustainable agriculture and stadium riffs, one operation.
Rock duoFarm-rock
Exactly what the name promises: feral undercard punk.
Punk
London grunge trio playing loud, full-throttle guitar songs in the Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins mould, sung with a dry, sardonic British edge.
Rock
Rising indie voice on the Saturday undercard.
Indie
Rum Jungle
Newcastle, Australia group dealing in loose, sun-warmed guitar pop, with jangling hooks and easy harmonies and a coastal looseness to them.
Alternative
Fuzzy garage-punk on the Saturday undercard.
PunkGarage
Sultry, minimalist indie rock with 'Michelle' and a knack for menace, restraint used like a weapon.
Indie rock
black midi's frontman gone salsa-prog lounge-lizard: 'The New Sound' is deranged brilliance, virtuoso sleaze played with total commitment.
Avant-rockLatin-prog
DFA dance-punk originators whose 'House of Jealous Lovers' still detonates a field, cowbell and all: dance-punk history played live.
Dance-punk
Seattle's finger-tapping math-rock heroes, reunited, with precision and a cocktail in hand, glassy tapping and grooves that sneak up dancing.
Math rockIndie
Perth psych mayhem with riffs like a waterslide through a lava lamp, prolific and twice as loud live.
Psych rock
Southern rock grit on the Saturday bill.
Rock
The Songs for Kids Foundation showcase: kids the Atlanta nonprofit works with, on a real festival stage with the musicians who mentor them year-round.
Charity showcase
The Nashville project of Kentucky-born singer Addison, whose voice jumps from low growls to piercing screams to clean melody over deathcore weight, first heard in clips filmed in her car.
Deathcore
Sunday Mourners
Rock
Cork's melodica-toting indie romantics, Fontaines-adjacent and rising fast, with a windswept, literary streak all their own.
Rock
Warm-hearted indie folk on the Sunday bill.
Indie folk
Atlanta indie-pop on the rise, with bright hooks and local-scene momentum.
Indie pop
Yes, Dave's daughter, and a genuinely arresting voice striking her own path, closer to torch song than stadium rock.
Alt-rockSinger-songwriter
West Midlands duo pairing Black Country spoken word with drums and a preacher's howl, with post-industrial frustration delivered as sermon.
Alternative
Sci-fi concept-rock saga with arena hooks: 'Welcome Home' indeed, the Amory Wars mythology powering some of modern prog's biggest singalongs.
Prog-rockPost-hardcore
'Are You Gonna Be My Girl' and Aussie garage swagger, reunited, with enough riff-rock singles to keep the tank full.
Rock
The treadmill-video geniuses bring power pop with engineering-degree stagecraft, confetti physics included, and songs that hold up without the treadmills.
Power popRock
'Flavor of the Weak' and a catalog of crunchy Y2K pop-rock: still flying the flannel, with the TRL-era hooks fully intact.
Pop-punkRock
NYC's buzziest indie-dance trio, with baggy house grooves and downtown cool, like Madchester relocated to a Chinatown basement.
Dance
The headliners
The Strokes · The band that rebooted New York rock, with a deep catalog of deadpan cool, still untouchable live when the engine catches.
Twenty One Pilots · Genre-agnostic arena duo (rap, ukulele, and existential dread) with a devoted Clique and lore deep enough for a wiki.
Gorillaz · Damon Albarn's animated universe is a genre-omnivorous hits machine and guest-star carousel, two decades of cartoon cover for some of pop's best songwriting.
Up-and-comers to catch early
Sir Chloe · Sultry, minimalist indie rock: 'Michelle' and a knack for menace.
Hotel Fiction · Athens dream-pop-rock duo with soaring piano bones.
Old Mervs · Perth duo: punchy, sunburnt indie rock.
The Two Lips · Atlanta indie-pop on the rise.
Psychedelic Porn Crumpets · Perth psych mayhem: riffs like a waterslide through a lava lamp.
Other acts worth planning around
Danny Elfman · Oingo Boingo's madman turned Burton's composer: a berserk orchestral-rock spectacle.
Wu-Tang Clan · The greatest rap crew ever assembled. Bring the ruckus to Piedmont Park.
LCD Soundsystem · The dance-punk philosopher kings. 'All My Friends' remains the great festival closer.
The Prodigy · Firestarters, still: the UK's rave-punk institution hits harder than bands half their age.
Pavement · The slacker-rock canon itself, crooked rain and all.
Minus the Bear · Seattle's finger-tapping math-rock heroes, reunited: precision with a cocktail in hand.
Geordie Greep · black midi's frontman gone salsa-prog lounge-lizard. The New Sound is deranged brilliance.
The lineup by day
Friday lineup (September 18)
The Strokes, Turnstile, Fontaines D.C., Geese, Danny Elfman, Hot Mulligan + 5 more
Friday set times (11 sets)
- Ben Howard · Piedmont
- Cartel · Ponce de Leon
- Hot Mulligan · Peachtree
- GoldFord · Criminal Records
- Geese · Piedmont
- Snow Strippers · Ponce de Leon
- Turnstile · Peachtree
- Alice Phoebe Lou · Criminal Records
- Fontaines D.C. · Piedmont
- Danny Elfman · Ponce de Leon
- The Strokes · Peachtree
Saturday lineup (September 19)
Twenty One Pilots, Pierce The Veil, The Prodigy, Pavement, Blood Orange, Peach Pit + 17 more
Saturday set times (24 sets)
- Songs For Kids · Peachtree
- Old Mervs · Piedmont
- Sophie's Body · Ponce de Leon
- The Inspector Cluzo · Peachtree
- Hotel Fiction · Criminal Records
- Villanelle · Piedmont
- Fat, Evil Children · Ponce de Leon
- Elio Mei · Peachtree
- Rum Jungle · Criminal Records
- Sir Chloe · Piedmont
- Rehash · Ponce de Leon
- The Rapture · Peachtree
- Geordie Greep · Criminal Records
- Minus the Bear · Piedmont
- Psychedelic Porn Crumpets · Ponce de Leon & Criminal Records
- Peach Pit · Peachtree
- Congress the Band · Criminal Records
- Blood Orange · Piedmont
- Taking Back Sunday · Ponce de Leon
- Pierce The Veil · Peachtree
- The Prodigy · Piedmont
- Pavement · Ponce de Leon
- Twenty One Pilots · Peachtree
Sunday lineup (September 20)
Gorillaz, LCD Soundsystem, Wu-Tang Clan, Knocked Loose, Modest Mouse, Santigold + 14 more
Sunday set times (20 sets)
- Songs For Kids · Peachtree
- Showing Teeth · Ponce de Leon
- Sunday Mourners · Piedmont
- Cardinals · Peachtree
- Porch Light · Criminal Records
- The Two Lips · Ponce de Leon
- Violet Grohl · Piedmont
- Coheed and Cambria · Peachtree
- BIG SPECIAL · Criminal Records
- Jet · Piedmont
- OK Go · Ponce de Leon
- Santigold · Peachtree
- American Hi-Fi · Criminal Records
- Modest Mouse · Piedmont
- Bone Thugs-N-Harmony · Ponce de Leon
- Wu-Tang Clan · Peachtree
- Fcukers · Criminal Records
- LCD Soundsystem · Piedmont
- Knocked Loose · Ponce de Leon
- Gorillaz · Peachtree
Shaky Knees 2026 lineup FAQ
When is Shaky Knees 2026?
September 18–20, 2026, Friday through Sunday.
Where does Shaky Knees take place?
Piedmont Park, in the heart of Atlanta.
Who is headlining Shaky Knees 2026?
The Strokes, Gorillaz, and Twenty One Pilots.
How many acts are playing Shaky Knees 2026?
53 acts across three days: the most watchable-in-one-weekend bill of the big Southern festivals.
What days do specific acts play?
Every act's day is already on this page. Expand the full lineup below or check the day-by-day breakdown.
How do I figure out which of the 53 acts I'd actually like?
Tell the finder at the top of this page a few bands you love. It'll match you with your must-see sets, with reasons why.
When is Shaky Knees 2027?
Shaky Knees is expected back in September 2027; the festival has not announced the 2027 dates yet. The 2026 lineup stays on this page until it does.
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