Is your band Louder than Life? Compete for a spot on the festival stage

Your band might be "louder than life," but are they loud enough for the big stage?

Ahead of the 2026 Louder Than Life festival, Danny Wimmer Presents is organizing a competition called the Louder than Life Battle for the Big Stage as part of the rock and metal music festival.

DWP is an independent concert promoter, according to its website , associated with the Bourbon & Beyond and Louder than Life festivals in Louisville.

Bands can fill out an online survey to enter for a chance to play at Louder than Life, which takes place Sept. 17-20 at the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center . Submissions are being accepted through March 31.

Leading up to the festival, viewers will be able to vote for who they want to see. Voting will take place during episodes of the Space Zebra Show on the DWP Twitch channel at 6:30 p.m. on Sundays.

Who's headlining Louder than Life 2026?

Louder than Life recently released the headliners for each day of the festival. Here's the schedule so far.

Who's performing at Louder Than Life 2026? See the artists, bands

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My Chemical Romance performs "The End" & "Dead!" followed by "This Is How I Disappear" at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford during their “Long Live the Black Parade” tour on Aug. 9, 2025. (Alexander Lewis / MyCentralJersey)

Louder than Life headliners on Thursday, Sept. 17:

• Iron Maiden

• Pantera

• Megadeth

Louder than Life 2026: See who is performing

Louder than Life headliners on Friday, Sept. 18

• My Chemical Romance

• Pierce the Veil

• A Day to Remember

Louder than Life headliners on Saturday, Sept. 19

• Limp Bizkit

• Papa Roach

• Sublime

Louder than Life headliners on Sunday, Sept. 20

• TOOL

• Gojira

• Danny Elfman

CONTRIBUTING: Kirby Adams.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louder than Life's Battle for the Big Stage to let fans vote on bands