Sharon Osbourne Says OzzFest Could Return In 2027

Ozzy Osbourne

Sharon Osbourne has opened up about the possibility of the relaunch of OzzFest, revealing that it could return as soon as 2027.

Sharon, recognised as a television personality and music manager, and the widow of the heavy metal icon Ozzy Osbourne, expressed interest in reviving the rock and heavy metal festival she and Ozzy launched 30 years ago.

The first edition of OzzFest occurred in October 1996 and spanned two days. The following year, the festival had already grown into a full-blown concert tour rather than a one or two-day event and continued annually, almost every year, until 2018. In 2008, OzzFest became a single-day behemoth.

In addition to dates in the US, OzzFest also made stops in Europe and Japan. Unfortunately, no editions were ever held in Australia.

The last edition of OzzFest took place in Inglewood, California, on New Year’s Eve 2018, where Ozzy Osbourne performed alongside Rob Zombie, DevilDriver, and others.

In a recent interview with Billboard, Sharon revealed that she has been “talking to Live Nation” about reviving the beloved festival.

“It was something Ozzy was very passionate about: giving young talent a stage in front of a lot of people,” she said. “We really started metal festivals in this country. It was [replicated but] never done with the spirit of what ours was, because ours was a place for new talent. It was like summer camp for kids.”

While Sharon said nothing has been fully confirmed, OzzFest could return as early as 2027, with a focus on multiple music genres and on highlighting young talent.

Ozzy Osbourne passed away on 22 July – just seventeen days after taking to the stage for the final time at Black Sabbath’s Back to the Beginning farewell concert.

Numerous artists paid tribute to Ozzy, including Metallica, Oasis, Yungblud, Evanescence, Judas Priest, Fall Out Boy, Halestorm, Elton John, and many others.

While Osbourne’s family were set to hold a private funeral to farewell the singer, the City of Birmingham honoured him with a public procession on 30 July.

On the day, a hearse and accompanying vehicles made their way down Broad Street to Black Sabbath bridge and bench, where fans had been paying tribute since Osbourne’s passing last month.

The hearse and vehicles were accompanied by a live brass band – local musicians in Bostin’ Brass provided a musical moment to honour Osbourne.