Keep Children Rockin's Dead of Winter Fest 2026 Announces 11th Annual Heavy Metal Benefit for Youth Music Programs

Four Headliners, Two Stages, 19 Bands On Saturday, February 21st, 2026

Published on Feb. 19, 2026

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Keep Children Rockin proudly announces the 11th Annual Dead of Winter Fest 2026, a one-day, all-ages heavy metal benefit festival taking place Saturday, February 21, 2026, at Mill of Madness in Phoenix, Arizona. The event runs 2:00 PM to Midnight, featuring 19 bands rotating between an indoor and outdoor stage, with tickets priced at $25. All proceeds directly support music equipment and repair donations for youth music programs across Arizona.

Why it matters

The Dead of Winter Fest remains the primary annual fundraising engine for Keep Children Rockin, an Arizona-based nonprofit dedicated to restoring access to functional music education in elementary schools & other youth music programs through direct equipment and repair support. This event channels the passion, energy, and camaraderie of the metal community into measurable impact for local schools and youth organizations.

The details

Dead of Winter Fest 2026 is anchored by four official headliners representing multiple regions and heavy music styles: Rattlesnake Suitcase (Outdoor Prime Headliner), Reog (Outdoor Closing Headliner), Suicide Forest (Indoor Prime Headliner), and Withermoon (Indoor Closing Headliner). For the first time in Dead of Winter Fest history, both stages will open with youth-driven bands: Faultline (Outdoor Stage) and Vipera (Indoor Stage), marking a milestone moment where the next generation of artists opens the very stages that fund future youth music programs.

  • Dead of Winter Fest 2026 takes place on Saturday, February 21, 2026.

The players

Keep Children Rockin

An Arizona-based 501c3 non-profit dedicated to providing music equipment and repair donations to youth music programs, with a strong focus on Title I elementary school education.

Paul Sokol

Founder and Spokesperson of Keep Children Rockin.

Mill of Madness

The venue sponsor for Dead of Winter Fest 2026.

Rattlesnake Suitcase

The Outdoor Prime Headliner for Dead of Winter Fest 2026.

Reog

The Outdoor Closing Headliner for Dead of Winter Fest 2026, based in California.

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What they’re saying

“The Dead Of Winter Fest has always been about turning heavy metal music into real-world impact. Eleven years in, we are still using this event to put instruments back into classrooms and give students access to music education that would otherwise disappear.”

— Paul Sokol, Founder & Spokesperson, Keep Children Rockin (businessinsider.com)

What’s next

Tickets for Dead of Winter Fest 2026 are available for presale on the official website.

The takeaway

The Dead of Winter Fest continues to be a powerful platform for the heavy metal community to support youth music education, providing essential resources and opportunities for the next generation of musicians.