A newly published interview with Sharon Osbourne reveals that the music industry mogul is currently contemplating relaunching the iconic Ozzfest, and could be bringing back the traveling metal extravaganza as soon as 2027, in part as a tribute to her late husband, Ozzy Osbourne.
“I’ve been talking to Live Nation about bringing [Ozzfest] back recently,” Osbourne told Billboard during an interview in December, which was published today (January 29th). “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. 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.”
Sharon Osbourne reflected on the fest they’d launched in 1996, as two one-day events (it’d hit the national tour circuit the following year). Ozzfest originally ran from 1996 to 2008, and continued off-and-on until 2018. It brought big names to the main stage — from Ozzy and Black Sabbath to Slayer, Pantera and Marilyn Manson — but was also known for bringing young talent to the masses on the second stage, with breakouts over the years including System of a Down, Coal Chamber and Kittie.
Osbourne also reflected on her impact on Ozzfest, noting: “All of the creative direction for visuals at Ozzfest was mine. I can’t sing a note — I’m tone-deaf — but I can be creative, and I like to create things.”
Details are still very much up in the air, but Osbourne noted that “the festival would tour everywhere, just like it used to.” She also added: “I’d like to mix up the genres.”
Per the Billboard piece, other projects Osbourne is working on behind the scenes include a classical tour that would find local orchestras performing Black Sabbath material to “state-of-the-art visuals,” as well as a bio-pic on Ozzy.