In a social media post that just went live moments ago, the organizers behind Sick New World announced that next year’s fest has been canceled. Though details explaining why they decided to pull the plug on the whole event are scarce at the moment, the folks behind this shocking reveal offered the following statement:
“IT IS WITH GREAT DISAPPOINTMENT THAT WE ANNOUNCE THAT SICK NEW WORLD WILL NO LONGER TAKE PLACE IN LAS VEGAS ON APRIL 12, 2025.
“DESPITE OUR BEST EFFORTS, WE’VE ENCOUNTERED UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCES THAT WE ARE UNABLE TO OVERCOME FOR NEXT YEAR’S SHOW. WE EXTEND OUR HEARTFELT THANKS TO THE ALL THE DEDICATED SNW FANS WHO HAD MADE PLANS TO JOIN US FOR ANOTHER CULTURAL CELEBRATION OF HARD ROCK, GOTH, ALTERNATIVE AND HEAVY MUSIC. PLEASE STAY TUNED FOR FURTHER AND FUTURE INFORMATION REGARDING SICK NEW WORLD.
“TICKETS PURCHASED DIRECTLY FROM FRONT GATE TICKETS WILL BE AUTOMATICALLY REFUNDED TO THE ORIGINAL METHOD OF PAYMENT IN AS LITTLE AS 30 DAYS.”
This news is particularly unexpected, given the fact that Sick New World for the last couple years had seemingly garnered tons of excitement, despite its initially shaky execution back in 2023. Next year’s event had only just unveiled its lineup of more than 50 bands roughly a month ago, with both Metallica and Linkin Park serving as its headlining acts. Other bands named in the lineup included Queens of the Stone Age, Gojira, Mastodon, Exodus… just to name a few. The event even harbored some shockers like the reunions of both Acid Bath and Tomahawk.
It will be interesting to learn in the weeks ahead what exactly went so wrong with Sick New World 2025 that the best course of action for organizers would be to cut their losses roughly five months out.
Conventional wisdom would suggest that the “unforeseen circumstances” were ticket sales that may not have been as strong as anticipated. General admission tickets for Sick New World 2025 started at $400, though as of last night, they were going for $450. Those same tickets in 2023 were initially priced at $250, marking a significant increase. For further comparison, it costs $350 plus fees to attend all four days of Welcome to Rockville.
It’s also possible that the addition of Metallica and other legacy acts could have blunted enthusiasm with Sick New World, which had previously branded itself as a nostalgia festival that focused more on nu metal acts like System of a Down and Korn.
Whatever the cause, organizers said anyone that already purchased their tickets through Front Gate Tickets will get automatically refunded within 30 days.
The lineup for Sick New World 2025 was as follows:
- Metallica
- Linkin Park
- Queens Of The Stone Age
- Afi
- Evanescence
- Ministry
- 311
- The Sisters Of Mercy
- Gojira
- Acid Bath
- Three Days Grace
- Glassjaw
- The Flaming Lips
- Daron Malakian And Scars On Broadway
- Down
- Cannibal Corpse
- Meshuggah
- Tomahawk
- Melvins
- Testament
- Mastodon
- Refused
- Filter
- Cradle Of Filth
- Terror
- Mayhem
- X
- Underoath
- The Hives
- Carcass
- Kittie
- Poison The Well
- Mudvayne
- Exodus
- Machine Head
- Arch Enemy
- Twin Tribes
- Quicksand
- Sponge
- Die En Grey
- Static-X
- Erra
- Stabbing Westward
- Rendez-vous
- Deathklok
- Orgy
- Lacuna Coil
- The Birthday Massacre
- Nuovo Testamento
- Scowl
- Dope
- Show Me The Body
- Amira Elfeky
- Lebanon Hangover
- Napalm Death
- Seven Hours After Violet
- Vision Video