Graspop Metal Meeting is a metal festival in Dessel, Belgium. It began as a metal festival in 1996 and has grown into one of the largest and best-known metal festivals in Europe. The festival takes place at Stenehei in Dessel and is organised as a large outdoor event with several stages and camping.
The Graspop name is older than the metal festival itself. It was first used in 1986 for a local pop festival, but from 1996 onward the event was reshaped into Graspop Metal Meeting, with a clear focus on hard rock and metal. Over time, it developed into a major international festival with a broad programme covering classic heavy metal, hard rock, thrash metal, death metal, black metal, metalcore and related styles.
Graspop has hosted many of the biggest names in heavy music. Its history includes bands and artists such as Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Megadeth, Slayer, Slipknot, Nightwish, Korn, Behemoth and Mercyful Fate. Its scale, long continuity and strong international line-ups have made it one of the major fixtures of the European metal festival season.
ADDRESS:
Stenehei, 2480 Dessel, Belgium
Back to Dessel.