site.btaMachine Head to Headline Hills of Rock Festival on July 26

The world-famous Californian heavy metal band Machine Head will be headliners on the second festival day of Hills of Rock 2025 in Plovdiv, said event organizer Fest Team Director Stefan Elenkov during a press conference on Thursday. The American alternative rock band Smashing Pumpkins and the French heavy metal band Gojira will be the headliners on the remaining days of the event, which will be held from on July 25 to 27.

The main stage of the festival will also feature Skunk Anansie, Sepultura, Extreme, Static-X and While She Sleeps, among others. The festival organizers have traditionally prepared accompanying music programmes on two more stages, which will present a selection of favourite Bulgarian artists and some international performers, adding even more variety to the festival atmosphere. Among them will be Dub Pistols, Reaven, Wickeda and Lost in Reverie.

"I have no doubt that this will be the most successful edition to date, which I did not believe we would manage after last year with Korn and Bring Me the Horizon. Most of the bands are coming to Bulgaria for the first time. This would not have happened if we had not worked so well with Plovdiv Municipality, with Mayor Kostadin Dimitrov and Deputy Mayor Plamen Panov," Elenkov underscored, adding that more visitors to the festival are certainly expected this year. He also noted that negotiations are already underway with potential headliners for Hills of Rock 2026.

Plovdiv Mayor Dimitrov said that Hills of Rock has established itself over the years as a strong event, attracting many tourists and delighting not only Plovdiv residents, but also guests of the city. "There is a strong programme in the entire cultural calendar, and I am very happy and proud that we are managing to realize more and more events," he noted.

"The effect of Hills of Rock is felt throughout the region. Looking at the statistics for July 2024 and July 2023, when there was no Hills of Rock, we can say that the difference is an increase of 13% in the number of overnight stays in Plovdiv. If in July 2024 we had 73,850 overnight stays, in July 2023 there were nearly 36,250," said Plovdiv Deputy Mayor for Culture Panov.