Aftershock 2023 kicks off in Sacramento 

The Aftershock 2023 music festival — the largest rock festival of its kind in California — is back at Discovery Park in Sacramento, bringing more than 100 bands for four days of mental euphoria, through Sunday, Oct. 8. 

Headliners included Tool, Korn, Guns N’ Roses and Avenged Sevenfold, which took the 11th annual festival up a notch on Thursday’s opening night. One fan, Sarah Fitzgerald, posted to her friends, “They absolutely killed it tonight.” 

Last year, the festival set a record with more than 160,000 fans, and organizers say they might just top that this time around. They say some 65 percent of attendees are coming from outside the Sacramento region, including all 50 states and some 35 countries. That also means about $30 million dollars of revenue generated in the Sacramento region from people staying in hotels, eating at restaurants, and going to local businesses, among other activities.

Of course, heavy metal fans are coming for the talent on stage during the festival, including Godsmack, Skillet, 311, Cory Taylor (Slipknot’s lead singer), and Queens of the Stone Age.

Discovery Park is adjacent to Interstate 5 in downtown Sacramento and its entrance is on the north side of the park at the Garden Highway entrance or Jibboom Street from the south.

Fans are unable to park at Discovery Park — there is no official Aftershock parking — so they’re encouraged to take a shuttle, use a ride share or taxi, or bike to the event.