Best Hellfest Rider Requests Of All Time

Mary Varvaris
In Partnership With BIGSOUND

With artist riders in the news thanks to William Shatner's numerous requests, Hellfest's Christie Medina-Gonzalez has shared some of the best rider requests of all time with The Music ahead of her appearance at BIGSOUND 2026.

Christie Medina-Gonzalez at Hellfest
Christie Medina-Gonzalez at Hellfest(Credit: Supplied/Christie Medina-Gonzalez)

Rider requests have been in the news of late, following headlines that William Shatner would be performing at this year’s Riot Fest in Chicago—and he had a number of requests.

Some of the headline-grabbing requests included “many” fire breathers, an introduction video created by GWAR, the usual golf cart that transports artists across the festival grounds being replaced by a DeLorean, four feet of Polish sausage, a Montreal Canadiens jumper signed by John Stamos, plus “an assortment of adoptable puppies.”

It’s true – tour promoters have seen it all when it comes to artists’ riders. Ahead of this year’s BIGSOUND, Christie Medina-Gonzalez, who runs the artist department at the French hard rock and heavy metal festival Hellfest, has filled The Music in with some of the best rider requests of all time.

The bands aren’t named, but you can get your investigative hat on and try to guess which rider requests belong to whom, or just enjoy the ride.

Here are the Best Rider Requests of All Time, revealed by Hellfest’s Christie Medina-Gonzalez.

  • A black metal band that asked for 5L of fresh blood for their show. I can just say that the village butcher was very happy to help on this.

  • A headliner playing on one of our main stages asked for a French flag the morning they arrived on-site. It was Sunday, so all the stores were closed. We had to go to the closest high school and “borrow” the flag they had on the façade (it was, of course, given back to them on Monday after the show).

  • An alternative metal band playing on the main stage asked for 150 roses with the colours of the French flag. We brought them into the dressing room as we thought it was for decoration purposes, but in fact, they offered them to the audience during the show. What a poetic outcome!

  • In 2023, a band from Mainstage asked for an amazing amount of energy drinks. We knew the touring party was huge, but it looked like a very unreasonable amount of drink. We then calculated the quantity per person, and what they wanted was about 20l for each! Of course we cut it down, for waste and health reasons.

  • Last but not least will be a more generic thought rather than a precise example. We have seen the rider requests changing over the years and in the right way. It seems bands are leaving the “sex, drugs and rock’n’roll” way of life for a more conscious and healthy lifestyle.

  • We notice less waste thanks to more proportionate requests, and alcohol is often replaced by 0° beer or wine, kombucha, ginger shots or electrolytes. I must say it’s really refreshing, and we get have better shows and less people wasted in the dressing room area.

Christie Medina-Gonzalez is an industry guest at this year’s BIGSOUND. You can find out more about her here, and find tickets to attend the conference and music festival via the BIGSOUND website.