Bulgaria 
Greece 
Turkey 
Romania 
Serbia 
N. Macedonia 
The third and final day of Midalidare Rock 2026 brought an epic finale – from the power metal witches Burning Witches through the Swedish rockers Hardcore Superstar, the American Ashes of Ares and the fantasy spectacle of Gloryhammer to the grand show of the legendary Helloween, celebrating 40 years on stage.
We are on the threshold of the third and final day of the sixth edition of the "Midalidare - Rock in the Wine Valley" festival. On the afternoon of July 12, 2026, a clear blue sky stretched over Mogilovo, and the first hundred visitors were already waiting impatiently in front of the stage.
🔥 Burning Witches – Swiss power metal witches
At exactly 5:30 PM, the last festival day kicked off with the Swiss power metal force Burning Witches. With strong stage presence and uncompromising sound, they set a powerful start to the day. The stage was engulfed in images of flames, and the all-female heavy metal formation made sure that "everyone burns," as sung in the second song of their set, "Shame".
🎸 Hardcore Superstar – Swedish rock'n'roll
At 6:15 PM, the Swedish rockers Hardcore Superstar took the stage, making the crowd dance despite the rising heat. The concert featured the band's characteristic combination of energetic riffs and rock'n'roll attitude.
Despite their name, the band is far from hardcore – they are energetic hard rock. Vocalist Joakim Berg constantly engaged with the audience and even stepped in front of the barriers to sing with the fans. The Swedes have been together for nearly 30 years, but today they set foot in Bulgaria for the first time. Yet they seemed among old friends, and everyone was visibly having fun.
⚡ Ashes of Ares – tribute to Iced Earth
At 7:15 PM, the Americans Ashes of Ares shook the wine valley with their power metal. The band was formed in 2012 and includes former Iced Earth members – Matt Barlow (vocals) and Freddie Vidales (guitar and bass).
"On this European tour, we are celebrating something I was part of 30 years ago with ICED EARTH. We pay tribute to the album 'The Dark Saga'. Are you with us?" – asked Matt Barlow. The audience roared in approval, and the Americans continued their journey into the past with "I Died For You".
Due to unpredictable weather conditions, the fan meeting with Hardcore Superstar unfortunately had to be cancelled. Meanwhile, Ashes of Ares continued with Iced Earth classics and played "Burning Times" from "Something Wicked This Way Comes" (1998).
🏰 Gloryhammer – fantasy spectacle
The rain stopped just in time, as if even the weather wanted to pay proper respect to the brave warriors and wizards of Gloryhammer. The festival stage turned into a true fantasy spectacle, presenting the adventures of Prince Angus McFife and his battle against the evil wizard Zargothrax.
With their characteristic costumes, humorous concept, and impressive stage design, the musicians quickly won over the audience. Each member was dressed in a thematic costume of a character from the story, and the vocals of Sozos Michael reached the angels with their flawless high notes.
In music, laughter and banter, chaos and magic, 55 minutes passed, and with war cries of "Hoots! Hoots!" the fans sent off the colorful Gloryhammer. Interestingly, their previous visit to Bulgaria 7 years ago was for a concert with POWERWOLF in Sofia, and now both bands are at this year's festival in Mogilovo in front of much larger crowds.
🎸 GLORYHAMMER Setlist:
- 01. The Land of Unicorns
- 02. He Has Returned
- 03. Fly Away
- 04. Wasteland Warrior Hoots Patrol
- 05. Gloryhammer
- 06. On a Quest for Aberdeen
- 07. Keeper of the Celestial Flame of Abernethy
- 08. Universe on Fire
- 09. Hootsforce
- 10. The Unicorn Invasion of Dundee
🎃 Helloween – 40 years of power metal history
The festival finale came at 10:15 PM when the headliners – German legends Helloween – took the stage. Founded in 1984, the band is considered the founder of power metal. They celebrated 40 years on stage, featuring all three vocalists who have been part of the band's history.
A huge black curtain with the HELLOWEEN logo rose in front of the stage, and the concert began with a visual journey through time and their albums on the multimedia screen. Thematically, the opening track was "March of Time".
Over 11,000 people watched in awe the perfect vocal partnership between Michael Kiske and Andi Deris during "The King for a 1000 Years". The sound was uncompromising.
Serpents of fire erupted into the sky with the beginning of "Future World". Kai Hansen commanded with the riffs of his crimson flying V guitar, and the audience sang along to the chorus of "Ride the Sky".
Like two bards with acoustic guitars, Michael Kiske and Andi Deris took turns accompanying each other while singing the ballads "In the Middle of a Heartbeat" and "A Tale That Wasn't Right". Then Michael Weikath's guitar joined in, and the level of epicness rose.
Two minutes before midnight, the end came, but everyone knew an encore was coming... The "Pumpkins" showed how 40 years of history and 18 albums fit into just over two hours – a professional and emotional show, flawless musically and visually, with pyrotechnics and many other effects.
🎸 HELLOWEEN Setlist:
- 01. March of Time
- 02. The King for a 1000 Years
- 03. Future World
- 04. This Is Tokyo
- 05. We Burn
- 06. Twilight of the Gods
- 07. Ride the Sky
- 08. Into the Sun
- 09. Hey Lord!
- 10. Universe (Gravity for Hearts)
- 11. Drum Solo
- 12. I Want Out
- 13. In the Middle of a Heartbeat (Acoustic)
- 14. A Tale That Wasn't Right (Acoustic, then with full band)
- 15. Heavy Metal (Is the Law)
- 16. Halloween
- Encore:
- 17. Eagle Fly Free
- 18. Power
- 19. Dr. Stein
- 20. Keeper of the Seven Keys (Finale)
🎉 Announcement for 2027: Dropkick Murphys and 10th Anniversary
This is the end of this year's "Midalidare Rock" festival, but the organizers had a surprise. DROPKICK MURPHYS will perform on July 10, 2027, in the Wine Valley!
The next edition of "Midalidare - Rock in the Wine Valley" will take place on July 9-11, 2027 and will mark 10 years since the festival began. Tickets will go on sale next week.
Three days, dozens of hours of music and countless unforgettable moments reached their culmination. Fans gathered from near and far to witness the spectacular finale of the festival, regardless of the heat or rain.