Hinterland is heading back to a three-day run in 2027, and the festival just dropped a lineup topped by two familiar names: Phoebe Bridgers and Billy Strings return to headline, joined by Slayyyter rounding out the trio at the top of the bill. The 12th annual festival is set for July 30 through August 1 at the festival grounds in St. Charles, Iowa, about 30 minutes south of Des Moines.
Bridgers and Strings previously topped the Hinterland bill in 2022, and their comeback as headliners was confirmed by JamBase, which reported that the pair return as headliners after topping the bill in 2022, with Slayyyter rounding out the headlining trio. The dates and headliners were also confirmed by Billboard, which named Slayyyter, Phoebe Bridgers and Billy Strings as the festival's headliners for 2027.
The shift back to three days marks a change from last year's expanded format. Hinterland's 2026 edition ran as a four-day event, according to Bring Me The News, before organizers scaled back to three days for 2027 — Friday, July 30, Saturday, July 31 and Sunday, August 1, per The Des Moines Register.
A Cornfield Surprise and Two Hidden Names
Beyond the headliners, organizers tucked in a curveball: a special performance by Haywire in a cornfield, the same JamBase report noted. It's the kind of only-in-Iowa touch that's become something of a signature for the festival's rural setting at St. Charles.
Not everything about the 2027 bill has been revealed just yet. Two additional Sunday performers remain hidden on the festival's published lineup, according to Ottumwa Radio, which reported the names will be announced at a later date. For now, fans attending Sunday's closing day will have to wait to find out who else is joining the slate.
There's also some confusion brewing over exactly where festivalgoers will be standing. The festival's own website lists the 2027 location as Roaming Hills in St. Charles, Iowa, but the Des Moines Register's report instead refers to the festival's new grounds, which debuted in 2026, as Rolling Hills. The discrepancy between the two spellings has not been resolved publicly.
How to Get Tickets
Fans eager to lock in a spot won't have to wait long. Presales begin Friday at 11 a.m. Central Time, per JamBase's reporting on the rollout. The official festival site also notes that tickets can be reserved with a layaway plan, allowing fans to pay as little as $25 down to hold their spot.
KCRG also confirmed the festival's basic framework, reporting that the 12th-annual festival will return to St. Charles between Friday, July 30 and Sunday, August 1 — aligning with the broader timeline organizers have laid out across outlets covering the announcement.
Looking Back at Last Year's Bill
The 2027 announcement comes after a packed 2026 lineup that leaned heavily into pop and indie crossover acts. Last year's lineup featured Lorde, KATSEYE, Mumford & Sons, Ninajirachi, Geese, Kali Uchis, Oklou, Jane Remover, Audrey Hobert, Audrey Nuna, beabadoobee, CMAT, Julia Wolf and Santigold, according to Billboard's prior coverage of the festival's expanded format. Whether 2027's trimmed three-day schedule will carry a similarly broad genre mix remains to be seen as more names, including the two still-hidden Sunday acts, get revealed.
