DES MOINES, Iowa — One of Iowa's most renowned musical acts is set to return to its home state Saturday as the legendary Slipknot gears up to headline the single-day festival of similarly-minded acts at the affectionately named Knotfest.
The homegrown metal band is set to take the stage 9 p.m. at Water Works Park in Des Moines to cap off a day that begins with doors opening at 11 a.m. and the first band, Holy Wars, taking the Main Stage at 11:30 a.m.
Admittedly, the festival has a lot to prove after issues surrounding the event in 2021 which saw approximately 30,000 attendees take to the Balloon Classic Field in Indianola where long lines and inaccessible water plagued experiences.
This time around, the festival will be more compact with closer to 20,000 in attendance while still offering two stages and 13 bands, along with a greater effort to provide higher availability of water.
Besides Slipknot, most notable acts include Till Lindemann of Rammestein, Knocked Loose, Hatebreed, Poison the Well, GWAR and the returning Des Moines native Vended which is made up of multiple Slipknot members' sons.
Many will remember that Vended played in Indianola in 2021 and have returned to play at Wooly's in East Village multiple times since then as well.
Slipknot lineup changes since their last time in Iowa
The band of jumpsuit-wearing, masked musicians has seen multiple lineup changes over the course of a career that has spanned nearly 30 years, but a noticeable one happened in November last year when longtime drummer Jay Weinberg, who took over for the band's original drummer Joey Jordison in 2013, was jettisoned from the band.
Shortly afterward, Slipknot filled drum set duties by bringing on Eloy Casagrande after he left fellow metal band Sepultura earlier this year.
Since its last time playing in Iowa, Slipknot has also seen the departure of longtime keyboardist and sampler Craig Jones who had been with the band since 1996, and he was replaced by an individual fans still don't know the identity of.
2024 Knotfest Iowa band lineup
Main Stage
- Holy Wars - 11:30 a.m.
- Zulu - 12:15 p.m.
- Vended - 1:15 p.m.
- Poison the Well - 2:15 p.m.
- Hatebreed - 3:30 p.m.
- Knocked Loose - 5 p.m.
- Till Lindemann of Rammstein - 6:35 p.m.
- Slipknot - 9 p.m.
Pulse Stage
- Dose - 12:45 p.m.
- Spine - 1:45 p.m.
- Swollen Teeth - 3 p.m.
- Twin Temple - 4:30 p.m.
- Dying Wish - 6 p.m.
- GWAR - 7:30 p.m.
Ticket information
- General admission tickets - $125 + taxes & fees
- No age limit for Knotfest attendees (Slipknot Museum requires attendees under 18 be accompanied by an adult)
- Accessibility - All seating is general admission so patrons requesting accessible seating are advised to purchase a GA ticket and accommodations will be made at the venue according to Ticketmaster.
- Only eight tickets can be purchased at a time.
- Military discount on tickets is available here through GOVX ID.
- Unfortunately, most ticket upgrades are sold out at this time.
- Re-entry is not allowed once an attendee leaves the venue.
Allowed items
Bag policy
- CLEAR bags made up of clear plastic, vinyl, or PVC, and no larger than 12" x 6" x 12" are allowed.
- Small clutch purses or fanny packs that are 6” x 9” or smaller do not need to be clear, but can have no more than one pocket.
- All bags will be searched before entry.
- Crossbody bag included in the Knotfest Essentials kit and VIP Packages is approved
Other items
- Non-professional cameras, i.e., “point and shoot” or disposable cameras
- Cash
- Blankets are allowed, but not encouraged by website
Allowed water-related items
On the event's website, it is made very clear what water availability will look like with this statement in the "Festival Info" section:
Water Works Park is proud to have abundant access to free water at the Festival.
Fans can receive access to free water at multiple refill stations throughout the venue.
Besides this, the website lays out the following water guidelines:
- One sealed water bottle allowed per person up to 1 liter in volume in a bottle that is factory-sealed and disposable/crushable.
- No metal, glass or hard plastic water bottles.
- One empty hydration pack allowed per person with no more than two total pockets. One for the reservoir and one additional pocket.
Things that are not allowed
- Moshing or body surfing
- Tailgating
- Professional/SLR/Detachable lens cameras
- Video Cameras (including GoPros)
- Weapons/knives of any kind
- Glass
- Illegal substances (incl. narcotics), drugs or drug paraphernalia
- Laser pointers
- Glass Bottles
- Outside food/drink/alcohol
- Fireworks/explosives
- Large chains or spiked bracelets/wallet chains
- Lawn chairs of any kind
- Coolers of any kind
- Framed or large backpacks/bags/purses
- Umbrellas
- Strollers or wagons
- Pets (except for service dogs trained to perform a task for patrons with disabilities; emotional support animals are not allowed.)
- Aerosol cans (including aerosol sunscreen)
- Any object that could be used as a projectile
- Any object deemed unsafe by the venue/artist
Slipknot Museum
The exhibit which was at the last Iowa Knotfest as well provides an opportunity for fans to see parts of the band's history, including old masks, instruments and other memorabilia. It serves as an educational portion to what will inevitably be a loud day.
- Tickets will be available online for $25 until 11:59 p.m. Sept. 20 and will increase to $40 on the day of Knotfest.
- Attendees will be able to view the exhibit from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. depending on which ticket window the purchased ticket specifies.
- The exhibit is opened to all ages, but children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
- Personal photography is allowed unless otherwise indicated.
- Special accommodations for accessibility are asked to be called ahead.
- More information is available here, while any other issues or questions can be emailed to vip@superfan.live
