MANSFIELD — Inkcarceration Music & Tattoo Festival — a recent Pollstar Global Festival Of the Year nominee — wrapped up another unforgettable year the weekend of July 17 to 19 in Mansfield.
Over three days, a sold-out crowd of 90,000 music fans assembled at the Ohio State Reformatory for the one-of-a-kind destination event that offered 65 bands on three stages plus tattoo and haunted attractions.
Richland Source’s 2026 Inkcarceration Coverage
The weekend’s memorable music was led by showstopping, headlining performances from Disturbed, Bad Omens and Limp Bizkit, as well as Papa Roach, Cypress Hill, Hollywood Undead, Gojira, The Used, Sleeping with Sirens, A Day To Remember, Motionless In White, Ice Nine Kills and many more.
This year’s massive event also offered an incredible number of special performances and collaborations, including:
● Gojira performing With Paleface Swiss drummer Luigi Paraventi behind the kit.
● Ice Nine Kills welcoming Alissa Gluz-White on “Twisting The Knife.”
● Fit For A King’s Ryan Kirby joining Motionless In White.
● Sleeping with Sirens celebrating 15 Years of Let’s Cheers To This.
● Rev Theory’s rare reunion.
● Alien Ant Farm celebrating 25th anniversary of ANThology.
Beyond the music, other unique elements of Inkcarceration Music & Tattoo Festival included 100 tattoo artists and tattoo competitions fans were able to take part in, as well as the Blood Prison haunted attraction and tours of the prison made famous in the movie The Shawshank Redemption.
DWP’s paranormal investigative video series Paranormal Prison, which documents some of the supernatural experiences at Ohio State Reformatory with the help of Inkcarceration bands and hosts Josh Bernstein and Katrina Weidman (Ghost Hunters, Paranormal Lockdown), was filming all weekend.
Participating bands included Motionless In White, Hollywood Undead, Starset, The Used, Lorna Shore, Get Scared, Alien Ant Farm and more. Future episodes will be available on the DWP YouTube channel and on Loudwire.
Now in its 8th year, America’s Rock & Metal Tattoo Festival once again drew fans from every state and many countries around the world, driving an overall economic impact that has totaled more than $60 million since the festival began in 2018.
Here’s what the media had to say about Inkcarceration Music & Tattoo Festival 2026:
“Organizers have transformed the prison grounds into a venue for one of the most extreme music and art gatherings in all of North America.” — VICE
“One of the more unique rock and metal festivals taking place across the U.S., Inkcarceration fully embodies counterculture, bringing noteworthy names in tattooing to the same place you can get a tour of a haunted prison.” — Loudwire
“Organizers have once again curated a lineup celebrating all things heavy.” — Revolver
“Need to let loose in a mosh pit? Looking for new body art? Get the best of both worlds [at] Inkcarceration, the premiere heavy metal and tattoo festival.” — Columbus Dispatch
Inkcarceration is co-produced by Danny Wimmer Presents, one of the largest independent producers of destination music festivals in America, and Reinkcarceration LLC, a partnership that formed with the original founders of INK in 2021.
Inkcarceration was proud to partner with American Socks, Beatbox Beverages, Blackcraft Cult, Eargasm, KONA, Middle West Spirits, Molten Cola, Monster Energy, Parlor Root Beer, Pretty Evil Co., Strüng, and Thriller Records in 2026.
For more information on Inkcarceration, please visit:
Website: https://inkcarceration.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Inkcarcerationfestival
Twitter: https://twitter.com/inkcarfestival
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inkcarcerationfestival/