Vagos Metal Fest 2025: Festival Returns with Over Forty Acts Across Subgenres

Organizers for Vagos Metal Fest have released the full performance schedule for the 2025 event, a four-day festival running from July 31 to August 3 in Vagos, Portugal. The annual gathering is a destination for listeners of heavy metal subgenres and will feature a program of more than 40 bands. The headlining acts announced are the American band P.O.D., the Portuguese group Moonspell, Norway’s Mayhem, and the North America band Hatebreed, who will each close out one night of the festival.

The lineup is varied, drawing from multiple decades and styles of heavy and extreme music. It includes long-established acts such as the doom metal group Candlemass, the hardcore punk band Black Flag, and the British punk band The Exploited. They will be joined by prominent artists from other subgenres, including the American death metal band Dying Fetus, the German thrash metal band Destruction, and the Norwegian black metal group Dødheimsgard, presenting a broad survey of the genre for attendees.

Vagos Metal Fest History

The current Vagos Metal Fest was established in 2016 by the event promoter Amazing Events. Its creation followed the relocation of a predecessor festival, Vagos Open Air, which had been held in the Vagos municipality from 2009 to 2015. When the organizers of Vagos Open Air moved their event to the city of Corroios and renamed it, a new festival was founded to continue holding a large-scale metal event in its original location at Quinta do Ega.

The first edition of Vagos Metal Fest in 2016 was a two-day event featuring the bands Dark Funeral and Helloween as headliners. Since then, the festival has been held annually in Vagos, continuing to bring a wide range of international and Portuguese metal acts to the region. The duration has varied over the years, sometimes running for two, three, or four days. Past lineups have included notable bands such as Sepultura, Triptykon, Blind Guardian, Epica, and Ugly Kid Joe, among many others.

Performer Lineup by Day

The festival will begin on Thursday, July 31, with a performance by the American rock band P.O.D. The day’s programming also includes the Swedish doom metal group Candlemass and the German thrash metal band Destruction. The schedule for the first day is further composed of Gama Bomb, Bleeding Display, Undersave, Vector of Underground, Eventflow, Momentos Extremos de Obsessao, and Blax.

On Friday, August 1, the Portuguese gothic metal band Moonspell is scheduled to perform. The American death metal band Dying Fetus and the Italian symphonic metal group Rhapsody of Fire are also on the bill. The day’s lineup continues with performances from Warbringer, Angelus Apatrida, Hills Have Eyes, Harbonsoul, Lunarsea, House of Dawn, Methedas, and Haunted Gods.

The program for Saturday, August 2, is headed by the Norwegian black metal band Mayhem. The day will also see performances from the American hardcore punk band Black Flag and the Scottish punk band The Exploited. Other scheduled acts for Saturday include the Portuguese industrial group Bizarra Locomotiva, along with Mata-Ratos, Serrabulho, Furog Gallico, VxPxOxAxAxWxAxMxC, Nihilo, and Iznutri.

The event will conclude on Sunday, August 3, with a headline performance from the North American hardcore band Hatebreed. Also appearing are notable Norwegian black metal band, Gorgoroth and Polish technical death metallers, Decapitated. The final day’s programming is completed by Thrown, Gutalax, Worst, Webb, Stereobode, Chuntaraz, Stercode, and Diesel Humn!.

Venue and Accommodation

On-site Camping

Access to the festival’s campsite is available to all ticket holders. Possession of a four-day pass permits camping for the duration of the event. Daily ticket holders can use the campsite on the specific day their ticket is valid for.

The campsite opens to attendees on July 30, though official supervision by the organization begins on July 31. Any individuals who arrive and set up on July 30 do so at their own risk. The campsite is equipped with showers, restrooms, and a meal area with sinks. Vehicles are not permitted inside the campsite. The use of stoves, grills, or open fires near tents is prohibited; designated areas for grilling are provided.

Glamping Options

An alternative accommodation known as Glamping is offered through a partnership with DOMO CAMP. These rental tents are located on the festival grounds. All glamping tents are equipped with beds, pillows, linens, a carpet, a small table, a mirror, an LED lamp, a fan, a cooler, and an electrical connection. Clothes racks are included in most configurations.

Several tent sizes are available for rental. The Asgard Bell Tent for one to two occupants is priced at €290 for four nights, while a larger version for three occupants is €410. The Lotus Belle Tent, suitable for four occupants, is listed at €520 for the four nights but is currently sold out, with a waitlist available for interested parties.

Ticket and glamping bundles are also sold. A pack for one person with a festival pass and an Asgard Bell Tent is €405. A similar package for two people is €520, and for three people is €755.

Transportation

For attendees traveling from other parts of Portugal, the festival has designated Rede Expressos as its official bus transportation partner. The company is offering a 10% discount on all domestic trips to and from the Vagos bus stop. This discount is valid for travel booked for dates between July 30 and August 4, 2025, allowing for arrival before and departure after the event. To apply the discount, individuals must use the promotional code VAGOS2025 when purchasing tickets through the Rede Expressos website or its official mobile application.

To facilitate local movement, the festival will operate free shuttle bus services during the four days of the event. One shuttle route will run between the city of Aveiro and the festival venue at Quinta do Ega, providing a connection for those arriving by train or staying in the city. A second shuttle route will connect the Orbitur Vagueira campsite with the festival grounds, offering transportation for attendees staying at that location.

Surrounding Area and Attractions

The festival is located in the Aveiro District of Portugal, a region with a range of historical and cultural sites. The town of Vagos itself contains the Sanctuary of Santa Maria de Vagos, a church known for its ornate interior, and the nearby Vagos woods offer a large green space. The region’s coastal location also means that beaches such as Praia da Vagueira and Praia do Areão are in close proximity to the festival grounds.

Approximately 10 kilometers north of Vagos is the city of Aveiro, the district capital. Aveiro is often compared to Venice due to its network of canals navigated by colorful boats known as “moliceiros.” The city is also a center for Portuguese Art Nouveau architecture, with numerous buildings featuring the style’s characteristic decorative facades and ironwork. Key examples can be found along the main canal and in the city center.

Further afield, about 60 kilometers south of Vagos, is the city of Coimbra. For centuries, Coimbra was the capital of Portugal and is home to one of the oldest universities in the world, the University of Coimbra, established in 1290. The university’s historic campus is a UNESCO World Heritage site and includes the Biblioteca Joanina, an eighteenth-century Baroque library that houses hundreds of thousands of ancient books and is noted for its elaborate gold-leaf decoration. The old town of Coimbra also contains the Old Cathedral (Sé Velha), a Romanesque church dating back to the twelfth century.

Ticket Information

The festival offers several ticket options. A full four-day pass provides access to the event for its entire duration. Single-day tickets are also available for individuals wishing to attend on a specific day. All ticket types include access to the on-site camping area. However, a daily ticket does not permit re-entry into the main festival grounds once an attendee has exited for the day. Tickets can be acquired through Ticketline, 3cket, or the MASqueTICKET website.

Conclusion

With a four-day program featuring dozens of international and domestic bands from across the metal spectrum, Vagos Metal Fest is structured to provide a comprehensive event for its attendees. The combination of an extensive musical lineup with on-site accommodation options and proximity to the historical cities of Aveiro and Coimbra positions the festival as both a musical and cultural destination for travelers.