MANSFIELD — The Inkcarceration Music & Tattoo Festival returns to the historic Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield July 18-20.
It’s one of the most unique events in the country, bringing together more than 66 major rock and metal bands across three stages, along with more than 100 tattoo artists and haunted attractions.
After a record year in 2024 with 75,000 fans in attendance and four consecutive sold-out years, 2025 marks the biggest year ever for Inkcarceration.
“The fan experience at Inkcarceration is the top priority every year,” added Dan Janssen, co-founder and CEO of Inkcarceration.
“We did a lot of work on infrastructure after last year’s event, such as adding space, more shade and a larger viewing area, an expansion which was imperative while this festival continues to grow,” Janssen said.
“We couldn’t be more excited to unveil it to fans in 2025.”
Friday night at Inkcarceration will feature headliner Falling In Reverse, as well as Knocked Loose and Beartooth; Saturday will be headlined by Slipknot, supported by Marilyn Manson and Slaughter To Prevail; and Five Finger Death Punch will headline Sunday, joined by Three Days Grace (featuring Adam Gontier) and Lamb of God.
“Slipknot are playing very few shows in the US this year, so it will be special,” said Clown of Slipknot. “It will be good to come back with our friends, family and culture to the Inkcarceration Music & Tattoo Festival.
“Be careful! Stay (sic)!
Ronnie Radke of Falling In Reverse said: “I’m honored to perform alongside legends like Slipknot, a band I grew up listening to. See you soon, Ohio!
Bands
While festival co-producers Danny Wimmer Presents have revealed some of the Inkcarceration 2025 bands in recent weeks, the full music lineup – including several reunions and rare performances – is as follows for the 7th year of the American rock festival, metal and tattoo:
Slipknot, Falling In Reverse, Five Finger Death Punch, Three Days Grace (with Adam Gontier), Marilyn Manson, Beartooth, Knocked Loose, Lamb of God, Parkway Drive, I Prevail, In This Moment, Slaughter To Prevail, Acid Bath, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Architects, Chiodos, Killswitch Engage, Dayseeker, Bilmuri, Kublai Khan TX, Crossfade, August Burns Red, We Came As Romans, The Amity Affliction, DRAIN, Kittie, The Devil Wears Prada, The Intrigue Inside You, Attila, Drowning, Snot, Sleep Theory, Emmure, Alpha Wolf, Currents, Spite, Bodysnatcher, Carnifex, Suffocation , Catch Your Breath, The Union Underground, Dry Kill Logic, Taproot, Crystal Lake, Signs of the Swarm, Distant, The Browning, 216, A Killer’s Confession, Of Virtue, Until I Wake, Mugshot, The Pretty Wild, Colorblind, Convictions, Swollen Teeth, Bodybox, Big Ass Truck, Silent Theory, Alyxx, Carbonstone, How We Feel, Bittersweet Revenge and Archon Theory.
Some of the special appearances and reunions at Inkcarceration will include:
● Acid Bath: Rare performance from the group reunited after 28 years.
● Crossfade: One of the group’s first performances in 13 years.
● Reunion shows for Three Days Grace (with original singer Adam Gontier), The Dillinger Escape Plan, Chiodos, Dry Kill Logic and Snot (with a new singer to be announced soon).
Inkcarceration will also have an expanded festival footprint for 2025, meaning more space, better viewing and more shade for fans.
With the festival’s enhanced layout, the historic Ohio State Reformatory will become the iconic backdrop for the festival’s main stages.
During the festival, Inkcarceration attendees will have the opportunity to get tattooed at Monster Energy Tattoo X, the on-site tattoo convention held inside the world-famous historic prison made famous by the film The Shawshank Redemption.
VIP
Additionally, fans can take self-guided tours of the building said to have been haunted during INK – this is the only time outside of the Halloween season that the award-winning Blood Prison experience is open to guests.
Weekend and Single-Day General Admission and VIP Passes to the American Rock, Metal and Tattoo Festival are now on sale starting at $1 down (or 10% of total purchase) in layaway, with more than six months to pay in full.
After record pre-registration, GA Weekend Passes (3 Days) are currently at Price Level 3 and VIP Weekend Passes are at Level 4. GA and Single Day VIP Passes are now available. Purchase festival passes at www.inkcarceration.com.
Inkcarceration 2025 will feature an expanded VIP area as part of the enhanced festival layout.
VIP benefits include:
– Access to the air-conditioned VIP lounge
– Premium food options available for purchase
– Dedicated storage locker and phone charging for purchase
– Exclusive bars, including a premium cocktail bar
– Shaded structure relaxation area
– Elevated scene visualization
– Exclusive customer services team
– Skip-the-line entry to the reformatory
– Express festival merchandise stand for purchase
– Free VIP hydration station
– Private flush toilets and portable toilets
– Accelerated entry to the festival with the VIP Fast Track Lane
For a fully immersive weekend experience, fans are encouraged to explore INK’s camping options, which include access to the Thursday night camping party at the campgrounds (available only to campers).
Weekend camping packages are available for car + tent and campervan. Entrance to the festival is not included in weekend camping packages and must be purchased separately. Hotel packages combining hotel nights and festival passes are also available.
Details on all festival passes, including hotel packages, camping and parking passes, are available at https://inkcarceration.com/passes/.
The service fee on all pass purchases includes a charitable fee for the DWP Foundation, which gives back to local and national charities throughout the year.
Tickets
INK passes sell out well in advance, attracting fans from every state and many countries around the world. Fans are therefore encouraged to purchase early to reserve their place.
The 2024 event has generated more than $10 million in economic impact in the region, and the overall economic impact of Inkcarceration stands at more than $50 million since the festival began in 2018.
Notice
Here is a sampling of media praise for Inkcarceration 2024:
“…The Inkcarceration Music & Tattoo Festival has made a dynamic return, bringing to Mansfield, Ohio, a spectacular blend of visual and aural art, against the evocative backdrop of the historic and now-closed Ohio State Reformatory.
Rock, metal and body art have been intertwined since the dawn of time, and Inkcarceration is the ultimate celebration of the collision of the two in an explosion of self-expression. – Metal injection
“The fans were more than satisfied throughout the weekend, enjoying much more than just the music. The campgrounds allowed participants to bond with new friends. Outdoor grilling and even watching movies on a projector were just some of the fun activities at camp. And of course, with other experiences including the Blood Prison tour and a multitude of tattoo artists constantly tattooing the bodies of rock and metal fans, it was truly an experience for all. – Speaker.
“Danny Wimmer Presents continues to have a profound impact on the national rock festival landscape.
“Inkcarceration Music and Tattoo Festival’s 2024 lineup reaffirmed the annual gathering at the Historic Ohio State Reformatory as one of the year’s premier rock and metal destinations.
Building on the momentum of three consecutive sold-out years, the festival made its triumphant return with a three-day stretch that featured a mammoth collection of performances spanning all styles of heavy music. – Knot party
Inkcarceration is co-produced by Danny Wimmer Presents, one of America’s largest independent destination music festival producers, and Reinkcarceration LLC, a partnership formed with the original founders of INK in 2021.
Paranormal
2024 marked the second season of DWP’s paranormal investigation video series Paranormal Prison.
Events were documented including some of the supernatural experiences at the Ohio State Reformatory during the festival with help from bands Inkcarceration 2024 Halestorm, Hollywood Undead, I Prevail, Chimaira, Killswitch Engage, Machine Head, Shadows Fall and more.
Episodes are available at www.youtube.com/@DannyWimmerPresents and https://loudwire.com/tags/paranormal-prison/.
Monster Energy
Inkcarceration is excited to collaborate with Monster Energy to power Inkmates with cold cans of its original and innovative products while providing a memorable experience.
Stay tuned for more exciting partnerships leading up to the event.
For more information about Inkcarceration, please visit:
https://www.inkcarceration.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Inkcarcerationfestival
https://www.instagram.com/inkcarcerationfestival/
https://x.com/InkcarFestival/