MANSFIELD — The smoke was gone, but the rains came late Saturday afternoon at the 2026 Inkcarceration Music & Tattoo Festival.
Thousands of metal music fans from around the country (and the world) — who braved the poor air quality on Friday due to smoke from Canadian wildfires — rolled back into the venue at the former Ohio State Reformatory on Saturday for Day 2 of the festival.
Music roared from three stages during the day, halted only temporarily when organizers had to evacuate the venue due to approaching line of powerful thunderstorms, packing high winds.
But that lasted only for awhile and the fans stormed back in for a Saturday night for a show that included Bad Omens, Gojira, Poppy and more. Mosh pits resumed and crowd surfing continued.
By the end of the night, metalheads had survived — and were ready for Day 3 on Sunday.
(Below are a variety of photos taken Saturday at the 2026 Inkcarceration Music & Tattoo Festival at the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield. These images were created by photographers Steve Thrasher, Justn James, Jordan Panto and Dan Virchow for Danny Wimmer Presents.)




























































MORE 2026 INK COVERAGE
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Over three days, a sold-out crowd of 90,000 music fans assembled at the Ohio State Reformatory
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Psychedelic questions and perfect ISO: Unfiltered reality of covering Inkcarceration Day 2
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Passport to metal: International fans prove Inkcarceration worth the journey to Mansfield
A thick haze wasn’t Canada’s only contribution to Ink. America’s neighbors to the north also sent plenty of metalheads.
Rock ‘n’ Roll Baptisms: Living and dying at my first Inkcarceration & Sonic Temple
Read more about what one reporter took away from his first trips to Ohio’s two premier metal festivals.
Walls of Death and Spanish Beats: The unforgettable sets of Inkcarceration Day 1
The bands and ballads that stole the show.
Smoke overhead, heavy music below: Inkcarceration opens under hazy skies
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‘It doesn’t make sense, but it’s what we do’: Tales from Inkcarceration’s pre-party
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Ohio EPA warns Mansfield metalheads: The hazy atmosphere is not a giant vape pen
State environmental officials on Thursday issued a statewide air quality advisory effective through midnight Friday.
