I will review some recent progress about superconformal field theories in six dimensions. A simple class has an effective description in terms of a chain of gauge fields, coupled by tensors and hypermultiplets. Their holographic duals are now known analytically, and some precision checks can be performed, involving Weyl anomalies. An extension of this class can be studied using F-theory. All these theories have some features in common with the elusive theory describing M5-branes, and indeed suggest new phenomena, such as M5 fractionation.