Download Festival is the United Kingdom's largest rock and metal festival, held annually at Donington Park in Leicestershire, England. The 2026 edition (June 12 to 14) headlined Limp Bizkit, Guns N' Roses, and Linkin Park across four main stages with a capacity of 80,000. Download is best suited for rock and metal bands seeking exposure at the UK's flagship heavy music event.
Notable Past Headliners
Download Festival has hosted some of the biggest names in rock and metal since its founding in 2003. Here is a look at headliners from recent editions:
| Year | Friday Headliner | Saturday Headliner | Sunday Headliner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Limp Bizkit | Guns N' Roses | Linkin Park |
| 2025 | Green Day | Sleep Token | Korn |
| 2024 | Queens of the Stone Age | Fall Out Boy | Avenged Sevenfold |
| 2023 | Metallica (Thursday) + Bring Me The Horizon (Friday) | Metallica (Saturday) | Slipknot (Sunday) |
| 2022 | Iron Maiden | - | - |
The 2023 edition was a landmark four-day event celebrating the festival's 20th anniversary. Metallica headlined two nights with completely different setlists and no repeated songs, a format from their M72 world tour. Bring Me The Horizon headlined Friday with guest appearances from Nova Twins and Evanescence's Amy Lee. Slipknot closed the festival on Sunday. The official aftermovie captures highlights from across the Donington site:
Metallica's pro-shot video of "Leper Messiah" from their first Download 2023 headline set on June 8 has drawn over 1.6 million views on YouTube. The performance was part of a 16-song set that opened with "Creeping Death" and closed with "Master of Puppets":
The official Download Festival channel shared a teaser for the 2026 edition, welcoming fans to the 23rd festival:
About Download Festival
Download was created by Andy Copping as a successor to Monsters of Rock, which ran at Donington Park from 1980 to 1996. The first Download Festival was conceived by Stuart Galbraith and co-booked by Andy Copping in 2003. It began as a two-day event and expanded to three days in 2005. The festival is owned by Live Nation and was run by Festival Republic until 2023, when Far And Beyond took over. The site covers approximately 900 acres and includes a large village area with stalls, bars, and entertainment. It surrounds the Donington racetrack and sits beside East Midlands Airport. Between 2016 and 2022, Download also held international editions in Paris, Madrid, Hockenheimring, Sydney, and Melbourne. The festival has hosted Metallica, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, and Slipknot.
2026 Edition in Detail
The 2026 edition (the 23rd Download Festival) ran June 12 to 14, with campsites opening June 10. Limp Bizkit headlined Friday on the Apex Stage for the first time, with Guns N' Roses headlining Saturday for a third time, and Linkin Park closing Sunday for a fifth time (and the first with new vocalist Emily Armstrong). All three headliners were exclusive UK appearances for 2026. The four main stages were Apex, Opus, Avalanche (hosted by Kerrang! Radio), and Dogtooth. The lineup included Cypress Hill, Pendulum, Electric Callboy, Babymetal, Bad Omens, Ice Nine Kills, The Pretty Reckless, Architects, Behemoth, Mastodon, Tom Morello, A Day To Remember, Social Distortion, Halestorm, Daughtry, Periphery, Creeper, Bush, We Came As Romans, Drowning Pool, Feeder, The All-American Rejects, SCOOTER, and many others. The Apex Stage also featured Hollywood Undead, P.O.D., Scene Queen, Trivium, Black Veil Brides, LANDMVRKS, South Arcade, Thornhill, Bloodywood, and Kublai Khan TX.
Why It Matters for Independent Artists
Download Festival is the UK's flagship rock and metal event, making it a career milestone for bands in those genres. The four main stages create opportunities for emerging acts to play alongside headliners. The 80,000-capacity audience provides exposure to one of the largest rock crowds in Europe. The festival's Live Nation ownership connects artists to the world's largest live entertainment company. Playing Download provides credibility that helps bands secure booking agent and label interest. The Donington site's history (Monsters of Rock since 1980) gives performances there historical weight. The festival's village area includes stages and spaces where smaller acts can gain additional exposure. For strategies on getting booked at festivals like Download, read our music festival strategy guide.
Drawbacks / Things to Consider
Download is exclusively a rock and metal festival, excluding artists from other genres. The 80,000 capacity means emerging acts play to partial crowds on smaller stages. The festival is owned by Live Nation, meaning booking goes through major industry channels rather than open submission. Camping festivals require audience commitment of multiple days. The Donington Park location is rural, with limited transport options (the nearest train station is East Midlands Parkway, 5 miles away). Weather in June in England is unpredictable, with rain and mud being frequent issues (the 2026 edition saw wet conditions Wednesday and Thursday before improving Saturday). The festival's focus on established headliners means smaller acts may get limited set times and minimal promotion. The 900-acre site means long walks between stages and campsites. Sound bleed between stages can affect performance quality. For advice on getting gigs as an emerging artist, see our guide on how to get paid gigs as an unknown artist.
