Azkena Rock Festival adds a bonus track of bands and activities for its 20th anniversary

Surfbort, Teenage Werewolves, Micky y Los Colosos del Ritmo and Lord Diabolik join the lineup alongside a strong selection of DJs. 

We reveal the timetable and the distribution of artists by stage.

Kim Lenz and Alexis Evans will bring the festival to the city with free concerts in Plaza de la Virgen Blanca. 

Laguardia and Rivabellosa to host four free concerts as a warm-up event on June 4 and 11. 

The festival will be held on June 16, 17 and 18 in Mendizabala, Vitoria-Gasteiz. 

Azkena Rock Festival celebrates 20 years of rock history on June 16, 17, and 18 at the legendary Mendizabala in Vitoria-Gasteiz. In this special edition of the event, the godmother of rock, Patti Smith, will be accompanied by big names like The Offspring, The Afghan Whigs, Social Distortion, Emmylou Harris, Suzi Quatro, Fu Manchu, Drive-By Truckers, Jerry Cantrell, The Toy Dolls, Michael Monroe, Soziedad Alkoholika, Morgan, and more.

The line-up for Azkena Rock Festival 2022 has been closed

To celebrate its anniversary, the festival will continue Thursday, adding an extra day. And today, as a bonus track to the programming of the Trashville tent—the most thrilling and rowdy stage—it incorporates as tribute to the Cramps, number one band in the world, Teenage Werewolves, the incombustible Micky y Los Colosos del Ritmo and the retro-garage-punk duo Lord Diabolik. But the extra ball doesn’t stop rolling there, Surfbort, the band that gave one of the wildest and most memorable concerts of the 2019 edition, will be joining the ranks for Friday’s lineup.

A rich selection of DJs including Zombierella, Eneida Fever!, Tito Ramone, Runaway Lovers DJs, Alex Dbdb, Wendy Pelayo, Cheries Djs, Adrián vs. Santo, and Estrella Electrónica will put their decks to service at night so that the best rock and roll will bring each day of the festival to a close.

Meanwhile, the fun continues off stage in the Mendizabala venue with a special program, of which we can reveal just a few details, that will include the Wall of Death—one of the attractions that is already considered a classic and has fascinated the ARF public the most. Acrobat bikers climb its vertical walls at high speed while a live band plays in the center of the cylinder. The action continues as this year, for the first time, there will be bumper cars on the festival grounds moving to the rhythms of rock and roll—a small taste of other surprises to come.

ARF in Virgen Blanca 

This reunion with the public could not skip its traditional gathering in Plaza de la Virgen Blanca, an emblematic enclave where the festival reaches all the way to the heart of the city with its free concerts for all audiences starting at 1:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. On Friday morning, the elegant Alexis Evans, considered the child prodigy of French soul, will make the audience dance on a trip to a 50’s club. On Saturday Kim Lenz, a strong representative of today’s rockabilly, takes her turn. The American edition of Rolling Stone magazine even said, “If Elvis had been a woman, he probably would have sounded like Kim Lenz.” The truth is, Kim Lenz needs no comparisons.

Araba ARF Tour

Although there are less than 20 days left until the festival, we understand that after two years without setting foot in Mendizabala that the wait is long. So, as a warm-up, we’re bringing you the new Araba ARF Tour. Four free concerts in two towns in Alava, organized by the Provincial Council of Alava, carve out the path to the Azkena Rock Festival. On Saturday, June 4 in Laguardia’s Plaza Nueva, you can expect Sotomonte, the brilliant solo project from Jokin Salaverria from Getxo, which fuses folk, rock, and psychedelia; and Entropía, a space rock and psychedelic sounds band born in the capital of Alava. The next stop will take place in Plaza de Rivabellosa the following Saturday, June 11, with sets from the Vitoria-Gasteiz natives Outgravity, who performed at ARF in 2019; and John Dealer & The Coconuts, the Basque punk rock band from Legazpi whose fan base is growing meteorically.

We will soon experience the reunion with live rock and roll again in Mendizabala. But before that, we will reveal some more surprises to celebrate these 20 years of history in the way in which the Azkena Rock Festival deserves. Stay tuned.

Araba ARF Tour Saturday, June 4, Laguardia 19:00h ENTROPIA 20:30h SOTOMONTE Saturday, June 11, Rivabellosa 20:00h OUTGRAVITY 21:15h JOHN DEALER & THE COCONUTS AZKENA ROCK FESTIVAL Mendizabala, Vitoria-Gasteiz June 16, 17, and 18, 2022 Thursday, June 16 18:00 Apertura de puertas GOD 18:15 DIRTY HONEY 20:05 HISS GOLDEN MESSENGER 22:25 MORGAN 00:55 THE OFFSPRING RESPECT 19:10 MORGAN WADE 21:10 THE TOY DOLLS 23:40 FU MANCHU TRASHVILLE 21:00 LORD DIABOLIK 23:00 MICKY Y LOS COLOSOS DEL RITMO 01:00 TEENAGE WEREWOLVES 02:45 ENEIDA FEVER! Friday, June 17 Plaza Virgen Blanca 13:30 ALEXIS EVANS 17:00 Apertura de puertas GOD 17:30 THE FAITHLESS 19:15 JERRY CANTRELL 21:50 AFGHAN WHIGS 00:40 SOCIAL DISTORTION RESPECT 18:20 SURFBORT 20:30 DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS 23:15 SOZIEDAD ALKOHOLIKA 02:05 LIFE OF AGONY LOVE 18:00 NUKORE 19:15 ADIA VICTORIA 20:45 MAD SIN 22:15 DELIRIUM TREMENS 01:50 ILEGALES TRASHVILLE Trashville A Go-Go! 19:00 LOVESICK DUO 21:15 NEGRA CUCARACHA TERRORFOLK 23:00 LA PERRA BLANCO 01:15 KILINGONZ 03:15 RUNAWAY LOVERS DJS 04:55 TITO RAMONE Rat Hole 02:15 WENDY PELAYO 04:15 ALEX DBDB Saturday, June 18 Plaza Virgen Blanca 13:30 KIM LENZ 17:00 Apertura de puertas GOD 17:30 WICKED WIZZARD 19:15 ISRAEL NASH 21:35 PATTI SMITH 0:25 SUZI QUATRO RESPECT 18:20 DEWOLFF 20:20 EMMYLOU HARRIS 23:10 BLACK MOUNTAIN 01:45 MICHAEL MONROE LOVE 18:00 JOSEBA IRAZOKI ETA LAGUNAK 19:20 ROBYN HITHCOCK Y LOS DEL HUEVOS BAND 20:50 RYLEY WALKER 23:45 VULK 01:50 DANIEL ROMANO’S OUTFIT TRASHVILLE Trashville A Go-Go! 19:00 TIBURONA 21:00 MESSER CHUPS 23:00 OH! GUNQUIT 01:00 SUICIDE GENERATION 03:15 ESTRELLA ELECTRÓNICA 04:55 ZOMBIERELLA Rat Hole 02:15 ADRIÁN VS. SANTO 4:15 CHERIES DJs Passes: 145€ Pass + camping: 160€ Camping 4 nights: 15€ Day passes: Friday: €45. Friday and Saturday: €65 On sale at: www.azkenarockfestival.com y www.seetickets.com/es #azkenarockfestival Burning since 2002