Our 10 Most Anticipated Artists at 2026's BottleRock Napa Valley

Next week, BottleRock Napa Valley will return for its 13th iteration to Napa Valley Expo, where thousands of attendees will converge on the Northern California county to experience some of the biggest and best musical acts and culinary delicacies the world has to offer.

There are dozens of acts set to take the stage over Memorial Day Weekend, but there are ten in particular that we are looking forward to watching the most. Below, you can find our list of ten most anticipated acts at this year’s BottleRock Napa Valley.

Main Photo: Teddy Swims / Jaime Schultz

Lorde
When: Friday, May 22nd, 2026
Why: Ella Yelich-O’Connor, better known by her stage name Lorde, has become a dominant force in pop music. Coming onto the scene at a time when the pop world was sugary sweet, color saturated and loud, Lorde made waves with the soft-spoken, teenage-enniu inspired Pure Heroine. The year that “Royals” hit the airwaves, it was certain that she would be a star. She’s since released four stellar albums, including last year’s introspective and emotional Virgin.

Foo Fighters
When: Saturday, May 23rd, 2026
Why: The Foos have played the BottleRock Napa Valley stage before, and each set from the Dave Grohl fronted project seems to be more phenomenal than the last. They are one of the last few giants in rock and roll, and this time around, they’re armed with a new album, Your Favorite Toy. Whether they dip into the new tracks or play any number of rock anthems in their extensive catalog like “All My Life”, “Learn To Fly”, or “Everlong”, our vocal cords are sure to be hoarse by the end of Saturday night.

Backstreet Boys
When: Sunday, May 24th, 2026
Why: Sunday’s headliner is perhaps the outlier on BottleRock’s eclectic lineup: they’re not indie pop, they’re not electronic, and they’re definitely not a rock act. Backstreet Boys are a true new millennium (pun intended) pop act, one whose name conjures images of thousands of screaming girls and issues of Tiger Beat at local supermarket newsstands. They’ve just wrapped a run of shows performing at Las Vegas’s trippy new Sphere venue, where they celebrated the 25th (!) anniversary of their hit-laden Millennium album. The pop quinet is guaranteed to bring the hits.

Zedd
When: Saturday, May 23rd, 2026
Why: Anton Zaslavski, better known as Zedd, has made a name for himself in both the spheres of electronic dance music and traditional pop music. He’s produced and written tracks with some of the biggest names in music, all while creating his own chart-topping, memorable hits like “Stay The Night” featuring Hayley Williams, and “The Middle” with Maren Morris and Grey. Match these songs with an absolutely mind bending stage show, and you’re sure to be in for a treat as Saturday night comes to a close.

Papa Roach
When: Friday, May 22nd, 2026
Why: The Vacaville-based rock act has always been known to put on outstanding rock show, yet they always seem to kick it up a notch when they play in Northern California to a hometown crowd. Papa Roach has an unbelievable stage presence, whether they’re opening or headlining, so it’s all but guaranteed that mosh pits will be opening up and crowd surfers will be flowing over the barricades as Shaddix and Co, run through era-defininig hits like “Scars” and “Last Resort”.

The Paradox
When: Friday, May 22nd, 2026
Why: The era of early-2000s pop-punk is alive and well because of acts like The Paradox. They sound like they could have been plucked right out of the early aughts with lyrics, very clearly influenced by the likes of Blink-182, Simple Plan, and Sum 41. Travis Barker even features on their 2025 EP, NSFW. It’s always nice to see some fresh blood in the genre, and The Paradox are clearly just getting started.

The Warning
When: Saturday, May 23rd, 2026
Why: Hailing from Monterrey, Mexico, the three sisters that make up The Warning have been captivating audiences around the world since coming on the scene with 2017’s XXI Century Blood. Their newest track, “Kerosene”, is a heavy-hitting rock song that features fuzzy guitars, immaculate vocals, and a beat that’s sure to open up more than a few mosh pits during their set on Saturday.

Bush
When: Saturday, May 23rd, 2026
Why: Last year, Bush vocalist Gavin Rossdale made an appearance on the coveted BottleRock Culinary Stage. This time around, Rossdale and Co. will be trading in the kitchen utensils for guitars as they take the stage for a career-defining performance that is sure to bring out all the hits. They’re still thrilling audiences around the globe with their performances, and even released a new album last year titled I Beat Loneliness. The post-grunge act is sure to leave a lasting impression.

Slightly Stoopid
When: Sunday, May 24th, 2026
Why: Ocean Beach is bringing good vibes to BottleRock with an appearance from the six-piece reggae/punk fusion act. While they live in the neighborhood of reggae, Slightly Stoopid are hard to nail down; their influences are all over the place, even incorporating hip-hop, funk and blues over their thirteen record catalog. BottleRock usually includes one large-scale reggae act on their lineup each year, and the San Diego six-piece is sure to let the good times roll as the festival comes to a close on Sunday.

Teddy Swims / Jaime Schultz

Teddy Swims
When: Friday, May 22nd, 2026
Why: Teddy Swims (real name Jaten Dimsdale) has certainly been on an upward trajectory. With two albums under his belt (I’ve Tried Everythig But Therapy Parts 1 and 2), along with soulful genre-bending single “Lose Control” entering the Billboard Hot 100, and numerous Grammy Award nominations, Swims has become one of the most exciting new vocalists in the modern pop landscape these last couple of years. He’s got one of the closing sets on Friday, and we’re looking forward to hearing those vocal runs in a live setting.

BottleRock Napa Valley kicks off next Friday, May 22nd at the Napa Valley Expo Center. For more information, you can click here. Who are you most excited to see? Are you attending? Let us know in the comments below.