Shaky Knees celebrates its 13th year with a sold-out return to Piedmont Park
Shaky Knees Festival returned to Atlanta’s Piedmont Park for its thirteenth year, marking its second year at the park. As always, the promoters continued to deliver an impressive lineup, selling out this year’s festival nearly two weeks before the gates even opened.
Over three days, the festival showcased an impressive variety of artists, spanning indie rock, punk, metal, hip-hop, and everything in between. The Ponce De Leon Stage once again proved to be a great place to discover up-and-coming artists, with standouts including Sophie’s Body and Showing Teeth.
The three main headliners, The Strokes, Twenty-One Pilots, and Gorillaz , each brought something completely different to the festival. While Saturday was interrupted by a severe weather evacuation due to thunderstorms in the area, the weekend as a whole was filled with lively performances, passionate fans, and plenty of memorable festival experiences.
Beyond the music, Shaky Knees offers a variety of pop-up activations and food options from Yerba Mate, Tombstone Pizza, Patrón, BeatBox, and the DoorDash Food Village, adding another layer to the overall festival experience.
Day One
Friday was one of the shorter festival days, with gates opening at 4 p.m., giving fans plenty of time to make their way into Piedmont Park and catch some of the day's biggest acts. Cartel opened the Ponce De Leon Stage to a respectable crowd, while Hot Mulligan took over the Peachtree Stage.
As fans continued navigating the festival grounds, Geese prepared to take the stage just as the sun began to set. They quickly became one of the highlights of the day. Playing songs from their most recent album, Getting Killed, along with selections from 3D Country, the band delivered a performance that perfectly matched the atmosphere of golden hour in the park.
Turnstile unsurprisingly brought in the biggest crowd of the day. Opening their set with “Birds” from their latest album, Never Enough, the band demonstrated just how far they have come. Turnstile's rise from playing small clubs to headlining festivals and becoming one of the biggest names in modern hardcore has been remarkable.
Their success is rooted in the band's DIY attitude and ability to remain connected to where they came from. The crowd was energetic from beginning to end, with fans constantly moving and engaging with the band. At one point, frontman Brendan Yates even made his way off the stage and onto the barricade, bringing him directly into the middle of the crowd. The sheer amount of talent within Turnstile has proven that they have what it takes to occupy the top spot on festival lineups. Their performance at Shaky Knees was another reminder that they have established themselves as one of the most exciting live acts in the world.
Meanwhile, over at the Ponce De Leon Stage, Danny Elfman prepared a completely different kind of performance...
Backed by an orchestra and full band, Elfman delivered a powerful performance spanning decades of his career. His work has helped define the soundtracks of many people's childhoods, including "The Nightmare Before Christmas," "Pee-wee's Playhouse," "Batman," "Spider-Man," and "Beetlejuice." Before becoming one of Hollywood's most recognizable composers, he was also the lead vocalist and primary songwriter for the new wave band Oingo Boingo in the early 1980s. It was no surprise that he drew one of the largest crowds for an artist performing away from the main stage. Watching a full orchestra to perform his extensive catalog was a real treat and gave many fans the opportunity to experience music they grew up with in an entirely new way.
Closing out Friday night were indie rock hitmakers The Strokes. The band opened with “Dine N' Dash,” using the song as an unexpected introduction before blazing through a 19-song set filled with fan favorites. They closed the night with “Reptilia,” bringing a hard-hitting first day of the festival to an end.
Day Two
Saturday started much earlier, with gates opening before noon. The day also brought one of the biggest discoveries of the entire festival. Straight out of Boston, Sophie’s Body brought a sound that could best be described as bubblegum grunge mixed with shoegaze, emotional tonality, and clever wordplay. The band immediately stood out.
One of the most endearing aspects of Shaky Knees is how the festival encourages fans to step outside their usual listening habits. You can walk into a set without knowing what to expect and walk away having discovered your next favorite band. Sophie’s Body felt like one of those discoveries. They have a lot of potential to connect with a new generation of fans, and their inclusion in this year's lineup was a welcome addition.
Saturday's lineup continued to explore unfamiliar territory, featuring several younger artists still developing their identities and figuring out where they fit within the larger music landscape.
Villanelle, the band featuring Liam Gallagher's son Gene Gallagher, was another interesting example. Rather than simply relying on a famous family name, the band is working to create its own identity. Gene has a distinct sound that carries some of the spirit of his father's early Oasis work while incorporating a darker edge reminiscent of Nirvana. It will be interesting to see how the band develops and where they go from here.
Sir Chloe brought one of the day's most energetic performances to the Piedmont Stage. Their combination of indie rock, garage-rock distortion, and post-punk rhythms created a sound that fits perfectly within the Shaky Knees atmosphere.
The Rapture followed a performance for a dedicated crowd, many of whom were holding their spots for Twenty-One Pilots later that night. Some fans had reportedly camped outside the venue the night before and arrived as early as 2 a.m. The New York band's pioneering blend of dance-punk and post-punk revival helped lay the groundwork for the city's indie scene and bands such as LCD Soundsystem.
Psychedelic Porn Crumpets were another welcome addition to this year's lineup. Their electrified performance may have been one of the most engaging sets of the entire day, with the band keeping the audience involved from start to finish.
Taking Back Sunday brought out a large crowd of longtime emo fans. Frontman Adam Lazzara was in good spirits and ready to give the audience everything he had.
We made it through the first three songs, “What's It Feels Like to Be a Ghost?”, “Liar (It Takes One to Know One),” and “Set Phasers to Stun," before an emergency warning appeared on the festival screens announcing that thunderstorms were reapproaching the area. About 20 minutes later, the festival grounds were evacuated, and fans were instructed to seek shelter.
About an hour after finding shelter nearby, the rain finally began to subside, and we made our way back toward the festival gates, assuming the event would eventually reopen. Eventually, an announcement was made that the festival would continue, but Twenty-One Pilots would be the only remaining act to perform.
That meant that unfortunately, Pavement, Pierce the Veil, and The Prodigy were all unable to play their scheduled sets.
The saddest part may have been the fans who had spent the entire day in the heat waiting to see Twenty-One Pilots, only to have the evacuation disrupt everything. Once the gates reopened, everyone had to race back inside and try to salvage what remained of the evening.
But, as they say, the show must go on.
Twenty-One Pilots condensed their performance into roughly an hour but packed it with hit after hit, including “Overcompensate,” “Heathens,” “Jumpsuit,” “Heavydirtysoul,” “RAWFEAR,” “Stressed Out,” and “Trees.” Tyler Joseph immediately engaged the crowd, jumping off his piano halfway through “Overcompensate.” Later, during “The Contract,” he made his way into the crowd on a surfboard while swinging the microphone around.
It's crazy to think that a band consisting primarily of a singer and drummer can create such a massive sound and production. Despite nearly missing the performance altogether, the circumstances ultimately made Twenty-One Pilots one of the most memorable moments of the entire festival. After spending so much time sitting in the rain waiting to see whether the festival would continue, it was worth every second.
Day Three
By Sunday, the storm had passed overnight, leaving behind cooler temperatures and a welcome breeze for the first half of the day, which began with Showing Teeth on the Ponce De Leon Stage.
The project is the creation of Nashville singer-songwriter Addison, who has transformed the project into a heavy metal and metalcore outlet. Showing Teeth was another one of those unexpected discoveries that exceeded expectations. I wouldn't be surprised to see the project appearing on larger festival lineups such as Aftershock or Louder Than Life in the future.
Over on the Peachtree Stage, Cardinals woke up the crowd with their unique blend of indie art-rock, post-punk, and traditional Irish folk. The six-piece Irish group brought a gritty and dynamic sound that made them a welcome addition to an already packed Sunday lineup.
Unsure what to expect from Violet Grohl, Dave Grohl's daughter, many were pleasantly surprised by her performance. She showed real potential to establish herself outside of her father's enormous legacy. While she works within a similar grunge-inspired world, Violet brings her own identity to the genre through heavy guitars and atmospheric vocals. Rather than simply following in her father's footsteps, she appears to be carving out a sound of her own.
Coheed and Cambria were another fan favorite and, as always, delivered. Playing during one of the hottest parts of the afternoon, they opened with “A Favor House Atlantic” and “Blood Red Summer,” immediately getting the crowd moving.
With that, Sunday's lineup was arguably the strongest of the entire three-day festival.
Australian rockers Jet took over the Piedmont Stage with a set packed with hits, including “She's a Genius,” “Are You Gonna Be My Girl,” and “Cold Hard Bitch.” They even worked in a cover of AC/DC's “It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll).”
Hip-hop legends Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Wu-Tang Clan helped close out the festival's daytime programming, giving the lineup another layer of diversity. Both acts came into the festival following major world tours, and their inclusion helped balance the rock-heavy portions of the weekend. Bone Thugs-N-Harmony even brought Brian Garris of Knocked Loose onto the stage, creating an unexpected combination of hip-hop and metal.
And speaking of, later on, Knocked Loose completely took over the festival grounds.
The band produced one of the biggest mosh pits of the weekend, eventually breaking into a wall of death that turned the crowd into controlled chaos. Fans were also treated to a live performance of “Hive Mind,” their recent single featuring Denzel Curry.
Finally, Gorillaz took the stage to close the festival. The set provided the perfect ending to three days of music and discovery. Their setlist included “The Mountain,” “19-2000,” “Feel Good Inc.,” “Dirty Harry,” and “Clint Eastwood,” among other favorites.
Final Thoughts
Shaky Knees continues to stand out because of its ability to balance established artists with musicians who are still on their way up. For every major headliner, there is a Sophie’s Body, Showing Teeth, or Cardinals waiting on a smaller stage to surprise an audience. That spirit of discovery is what makes the festival special.
From Turnstile's explosive Friday performance to Danny Elfman's orchestral spectacle, the unexpected weather interruption on Saturday, Twenty-One Pilots salvaging the evening, and Gorillaz bringing Sunday to a close, this year's festival provided plenty of unforgettable moments.
Even with the challenges that came along the way, Shaky Knees 2026 proved once again that a great festival isn't just about the biggest names on the poster. It's about discovering something new, reconnecting with music you already love, and experiencing those unexpected moments that stay with you long after the final band leaves the stage.
That's what makes Shaky Knees worth coming back year after year.
