Atlanta’s premier rock gathering is making its grand return – from September 18–20, 2026, Shaky Knees Music Festival 2026 will occupy Piedmont Park. Known for keeping guitar music, alt-rock icons, and cutting-edge indie acts front-and-center, this year’s roster delivers one of the most explosive lineups in the festival’s history.
NYC’s ultimate garage rock revival legends, The Strokes, top the bill on Friday night. They were initially scheduled to appear at the Atlanta festival in 2020. That year’s festival was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, they are back and showing fans that they are forever timeless, after teasing a new album and new tour dates. On top of (hopefully) hearing new tracks and classic anthems, The Strokes tick a major box on anyone’s must-see indie bucket list.
The lineup consists of many heavy hitters, including Turnstile, Knocked Loose and Coheed & Cambria, who lead the way for those wanting to mosh hard to huge riffs. Maryland punk-rock outfit Turnstile is ready to bring their hardcore bounce and biggest mosh pits to Atlanta, while Kentucky’s Knocked Loose are ready to provide the visceral breakdowns. To keep the whole thing going, the thrash of Coheed & Cambria promises epic guitar solos and a full-blown set, along with others like Hot Mulligan and Rehash.
Defining alternative sonic worlds still appears at the forefront of Shaky Knees’ sound, with headliners like The Strokes, Gorillaz, Twenty One Pilots, The Rapture and OK Go taking the classic indie slots. Damon Albarn’s virtual supergroup Gorillaz have no shortage of massive hits that span a gamut of genres, while Twenty One Pilots’ are set to bring their chart-crossing, genre-blurring arena anthems to Piedmont Park. A few surprises and major throwbacks include The Rapture, who add the 2000s dance-punk-rock renaissance to the lineup, as well as OK GO’s genre-bending, sing-along showstoppers. This collection guarantees immense nostalgia and anthemic sing-alongs.
On top of the genres usually known to hit the Shaky Knees lineup, this year’s lineup was injected with synth sounds and high-BPM artists to the otherwise rock-infused weekend. The electronics side of the bill includes rising electronica acts Fcukers and Snow Strippers, both known for post-punk basslines and sweaty house music energy. These acts are sure to be a late night techno-pop dance party that will be turned all the way up Piedmont Park.
Shaky Knees Music Festival will be happening from Fri, Sep 18, 2026 through Sun, Sep 20, 2026. Check out the full lineup and get your Shaky Knees tickets here: https://www.shakykneesfestival.com/tickets
I'm a full-time music journalist/photographer from Houston, number one Paramore fan and Husky dog owner. I have a B.S in Radio-Television-Film from UT Austin and a M.A in Mass Communications from the University of Houston, which makes me smart! On top of being an avid concert-goer and movie fanatic, I love bonding with others over the power of local music and media.
