Ozzfest was founded in 1996 by Sharon Osbourne, the wife and manager of Ozzy Osbourne. Sharon tried to get her husband perform at Lollapalooza but was rebuffed, so she decided to organize their own festival. The inaugural Ozzfest was a two-day event that took place in Phoenix, Arizona and Devore, California on October 25 and 26 respectively.
In 1997, there were large protests outside of Ozzfest to cancel Marilyn Manson’s performance. However, all performances were held as planned. In 1998, the festival took place outside the U.S. for the first time. The UK edition of Ozzfest featured a different line-up of performers.
Ozzfest was most successful in the early 2000. It featured artists and bands such as Disturbed, P.O.D., Chevelle, System of a Down, Linkin Park, Incubus, Rob Zombie, Godsmack, Mudvayne, Marilyn Manson, Pantera, Iron Maiden, and Slipknot. To promote the festival, Ozzy launched Battle for Ozzfest, a reality TV show where eight bands competed for a spot on the stage of Ozzfest as well as a record deal with Sanctuary Records. It was won by the metalcore band A Dozen Furies from Dallas, Texas.
Over the years, Ozzfest has also been held in various countries outside the United States, including the UK, Germany, Belgium, Ireland, Poland, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Portugal, Israel, and Japan. Its popularity began to dwindle in the 2010s: there was no Ozzfest in 2011, 2012 and 2014, and in 2013 and 2015 Ozzfest was held only in Japan.
Ozzfest was revived in 2016 as Ozzfest Meets Knotfest. It is held in conjunction with the music festival created by Slipknot, an American metal band.
Photo: Nimrod Pesah
