5. Damnation Festival - Early November 2014
Headliners: TBA If unadulterated metal is your thing, Damnation is the place for you. Emerging in 2005 in the darkest recesses of Manchester (talk about poetic license) with only two stages, Damnation has evolved into the country's premier one-day metal festival with the 10th birthday celebration occurring in 2014. The festival itself is quaint with no more than four stages as of 2013, meaning at the very least you don't have to travel miles to watch the bands you want (more on that later). Additionally the festival is great at procuring unique performances and exclusives 2013 hosted Carcass' only UK headline show as well as promoting obscure but cult bands. Take Electric Wizard for example. They've never been the most popular band in the world. Yet when on the Damnation stage they are electrifying pun intended.
Likelihood Of A Sell-Out: 6/10 Being such a niche festival (a lot more than other entries on the list) it has a small yet dedicated fan base; as such you should be safe waiting, but the tickets sales increase year on year.