BALAROCK PUNKFEST 2026! (Report - 19. & 20. 06. 2026., Bad Laasphe, Germany)

 Last weekend a few of us went to Germany, to a cutest little place Bad Laasphe. Why? Punk fest, of course! 

Bad Laasphe is a small town at the north of Germany. It took us almost 12 hours by car to get there. And the reason was BALAROCK PUNK FEST.

Balarock festival started five years ago when a few of enthusiasts decided it was time to do things differently. It started as a one day festival, only to grow to a two day fest with a cool lineup this year.

In the middle of the forest, up on the hill rising above Bad Laasphe, is where it all happened.

But first thing's first: the lineup for this year was great. The whole weekend was hot and sunny, but somehow it didn't bother anybody. And just when you thought that your brain is gonna overheat, a cool guy with a bottle of water showed up and sprayed you with a cold mist. I don't know if it was a part of a service, but give him a raise! Friday line up was SUPERCOBRA and 47 MILLION DOLLAR, of which I've never heard, and then RATSALAD from Australia. Such energy! Crazy bunch. MAID OF ACE from UK turned the heat a bit more. And then the rain started! Just as SKAMELEON was about to start their gig. They are local ska cover bend and very loved as it turns out. As the rain decided to go on, so did the band. And they were so good that "dancing in the rain" got the new meaning. We were soaking wet. And that was ok. As it turned out, gig was to short for the remaining crowd, so the party caried on under the roof at the bar.

Saturday morning, around 3pm (morning to some), and we were getting ready for the gig. KRUSTE and NEAT MENTALS also I've never heard of, but they seem to be loved by Germans. After them it got familiar to me as MUST BE WRONG from Switzerland and HEATHCLIFF from Germany did their sets. Then it was time for one of my favourites at this festival, MAKEWAR from New York. They ran through the set, but made a great connection with the crowd. BELVEDERE from Canada took the stage as the sun was going down.  And just a little after 23:00h, as the night fell down and it started to cool a bit, JAYA THE CAT fired up that stage and everyone in front of it. As the headliner he was in communication with the crowd, the band, having a smoke and a drink with the fans, laughing... it felt cozy. It felt safe. It felt good.

This was such a great weekend and we have the organizers to thank for. They made us feel at home. But then again, not just us. It is the feel of this festival! Only 500 people, seems like everyone knows everyone, bands hanging with the fans...

And the organization was unreal! As this is a small festival, they depend on help from the community. So all the staff were volunteers.  And did it with a smile! Also, this is a kids friendly fest, and as such there was quite a lot of kids, playing with water guns and water balloons and bubbles. The food on the festival was also great. And the prices were decent.

So thank you BALAROCK, this was a weekend I won't forget. For sure! I hope to see you next year. 

Still hyped but realistic, I stand by my words: THIS IS THE BEST SMALL FESTIVAL!!! And if you don't believe me than find me there next year and see it for yourself!

Written by I.