The CBGB Festival is back, and year two arrives with a lineup that spans punk’s entire history in a single day. On September 26 at Under the K Bridge Park in Brooklyn, Morrissey, Patti Smith, and Interpol headline a stacked bill that reaches from the genre’s founding generation straight through to its current torchbearers. Presale tickets go live Thursday, April 23 at 10 AM ET, with public on-sale Friday, April 24 at 10 AM ET at AXS.com.
The supporting lineup is genuinely remarkable. Sex Pistols, with Steve Jones, Paul Cook, and Glen Matlock, return alongside Frank Carter. Bikini Kill, Circle Jerks, Buzzcocks, and Agnostic Front represent the hardcore and new wave eras. Mannequin Pussy, Militarie Gun, High Vis, Bad Nerves, Panic Shack, Upchuck, and Violet Grohl carry the current generation. Fred Armisen’s Ramones tribute The Return of Jackie and Judy rounds things out in the most appropriate way possible.
CBGB Festival organizer Phil Sandhaus put it plainly: “No other festival on the East Coast offers that.” He’s right. The combination of founding-era legends, hardcore staples, and today’s most vital punk acts in a single-day format is genuinely rare, and Under the K Bridge Park’s industrial Brooklyn setting makes it the right room for exactly this kind of event.
The venue choice matters. Under the K Bridge Park was selected for its grit and its cultural weight in Brooklyn, and the festival leans into that fully. Beyond the music, the site will feature immersive CBGB installations including Hilly Kristal’s original office, the famous bar, and the actual stage from the original club. Vintage and new merch, expanded local food and drink, and 2 stages running all day complete the picture.
CBGB itself opened at 315 Bowery in 1973 and became the launch point for the Ramones, Blondie, Talking Heads, Television, Patti Smith, and dozens more. It closed in 2006 with Patti Smith performing the final concert on October 16 of that year. The fact that Smith headlines the festival’s second edition carries real historical weight, and this lineup honours that legacy without leaning on nostalgia alone.
CBGB Festival 2026 Lineup:
Morrissey
Patti Smith
Interpol
Sex Pistols (Steve Jones, Paul Cook, Glen Matlock) featuring Frank Carter
Bikini Kill
Sleater-Kinney
Circle Jerks
Buzzcocks
Agnostic Front
Mannequin Pussy
Militarie Gun
High Vis
Bad Nerves
Haywire
Panic Shack
Upchuck
Violet Grohl
The Return of Jackie and Judy (Fred Armisen’s Ramones tribute)