The world may have lost Ozzy Osbourne, but we *might* get Ozzfest back. At least, this is according to Ozzy’s widow, Sharon Osbourne, who founded the festival in the 90s. She is currently exploring options to bring the traveling fest back, and maybe as soon as 2027.
“I’ve been talking to Live Nation about bringing [Ozzfest] back recently,” Sharon said in a January 2026 interview with Billboard. “It was something Ozzy was very passionate about: giving young talent a stage in front of a lot of people.”
“We really started metal festivals in this country,” Sharon continued. “It was [replicated but] never done with the spirit of what ours was, because ours was a place for new talent. It was like summer camp for kids.”
The first Ozzfest kicked off in 1996
While Ozzfest was historically very metal, Sharon says she wouldn’t want it to be exactly the same as it was 20 years ago. “I’d like to mix up the genres,” she said. However, she was firm that the fest would still prioritize a space for smaller bands, as it always has. “It’s always great to have the baby stage,” she explained. “I mean, that’s what it’s all about — breaking new bands. That’s why we did it.”
Ozzfest has some pretty interesting roots. I won’t go into it all in this article, but you can click here to read what inspired Sharon to start the festival. Suffice it to say, Sharon is absolutely correct when she says that they essentially started North American metal festivals with Ozzfest, and it’s been sorely missed.
The only time I ever saw Ozzy and Black Sabbath was at those festivals, and those are experiences that hold a special place for me and countless other metal fans.
Ozzy Osbourne died in July 2025
Sadly, Ozzy Osbourne is not around to see the return of his epic fest. Ozzy passed away on Tuesday, July 22, 2024, at 76. The heavy metal godfather had been living with multiple health issues for many years. This includes Parkinson’s.
Ultimately, the coroner determined that Ozzy’s death was caused by acute myocardial infarction—a heart attack—and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. His Parkinson’s diagnosis was listed as an associated factor, with autonomic dysfunction. Coronary artery disease was also noted by the medical investigators.
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