Lunar Fest 2026 removes all Japanese bands from its line-up due to financial difficulties

Originally envisioned as “Sweden’s first Nordic & Asian metal gathering”, the first edition of Lunar Fest was supposed to take place on 4 December 2026 in Sweden’s capital Stockholm, with five Swedish and four Japanese bands. However, all Japanese bands have now been removed from the festival’s line-up:

“Unfortunately, we have not received the funding we applied for, while ticket sales so far have also been lower than what is needed to carry out Lunar Fest in its originally planned format. Given the financial situation, we simply cannot make the investments required to deliver Lunar Fest 2026 as originally intended. This means we need to adjust the format of the festival and reduce costs. Unfortunately, this also means that the Japanese bands will not be able to join us at Lunar Fest 2026. We are incredibly sorry to have to make this change. We know that many of you were looking forward to seeing the Swedish and Japanese metal scenes come together and so were we. The four Japanese bands were just as excited about meeting a Swedish audience and have expressed their wish to continue working with us in the future. BUT LUNAR FEST 2026 IS NOT CANCELLED. Lunar Fest will still take place on December 4 at Slaktkyrkan in Stockholm, but in a smaller format featuring our Swedish line-up. As the format of the festival has changed, we are also lowering the ticket price. New ticket price: 695 SEK. Door price: 795 SEK. Everyone who has already purchased a ticket to the original Lunar Fest will receive a refund. Information about the refund and how to purchase a ticket for the new format will be sent directly to affected ticket holders. […] This is not the Lunar Fest 2026 we originally planned. But we still believe in Lunar… We want to continue developing the festival and create a place where the Nordic and Asian metal scenes can meet. Throughout the process of building this year’s festival, we have learned an incredible amount about what it takes to build an international festival, from funding and budgeting to logistics and long-term planning. With significantly more knowledge and experience to build on. Rather than trying to force through a format that is no longer financially sustainable, we have chosen to rethink, adapt and deliver a smaller Lunar Fest 2026 that we can truly stand behind. From there, we will continue building towards Lunar Fest 2027, with significantly more knowledge and experience behind us. We are sorry for this change, and we understand if you are disappointed. Thank you to everyone who has supported Lunar so far and thank you for staying with us as we continue building the festival. See you at Slaktkyrkan on December 4. / Kizune Entertainment & SJPA”

– Kizune Entertainment

Uz:ME, one of the Japanese bands removed from the festival’s line-up, have issued the following statement:

“LUNAR FEST 2026 – Cancellation of Our Appearance. Regarding ‘LUNAR FEST 2026,’ scheduled to take place in Stockholm, Sweden on December 4, 2026, we regret to inform you that, due to circumstances on the part of the organizers, the event format has been changed and the appearances of the artists from Japan, including Uz:ME, have been cancelled. This was planned to be Uz:ME’s first performance in Sweden, and we had all been truly looking forward to bringing our music to everyone there and meeting you in person. Therefore, we are very saddened to have to make this announcement at this time. To everyone who was looking forward to seeing our performance and who has supported us leading up to this show, we sincerely apologize. Although our performance in Sweden will not take place this time, we will continue our activities so that we can someday bring Uz:ME’s music to all of you there.”

– Uz:ME

Broken By The Scream, originally billed as the Japanese headliner of the festival, issued a similar statement:

“LUNAR FEST 2026 – PERFORMANCE CANCELLATION. Unfortunately, due to circumstances on the event organizer’s side and a resulting change to the format of LUNAR FEST 2026, Broken By The Scream will no longer be able to perform at the festival in Stockholm, Sweden on December 4, 2026. We were very much looking forward to performing at LUNAR FEST and meeting everyone in Sweden, so we are truly disappointed that we have to share this news. We are very sorry to everyone who was looking forward to seeing us, and we sincerely appreciate your understanding. We hope to have another opportunity to see you all in Sweden in the near future.”

– Broken By The Scream

While BRIDEAR have not yet commented, MAD JAMIE, who is currently touring Europe, briefly states:

“Due to circumstances on the event organizers’ end, the performances by Japanese artists at LUNAR FEST 2026, scheduled for December 4, 2026, have been canceled. We sincerely apologize to everyone who was looking forward to seeing them.”

– MAD JAMIE