Following intense speculation and a whirlwind of rumours, Download Festival have finally announced the first stage of their 2027 lineup this evening. Headlining the 24th annual event, DLXXIV, are pop punk heroes Blink-182, Sheffield’s metal champions Bring Me The Horizon, and goth rock icons Evanescence. Also in the first wave’s billings are The Prodigy, Faith No More, Motley Crue, Parkway Drive and Turnstile.
2026’s edition saw phenomenal demand due to its headline acts Limp Bizkit, Guns ‘n’ Roses and Linkin Park, generating great waves of nostalgia for ‘80s rock and ‘00s nu metal. Known as the most popular British festival for rock, heavy metal and alternative music, the site at Donington Park in Leicester welcomes over 100,000 attendees every June.
Since this years event ended, speculation online identified Blink-182 and Bring Me The Horizon as likely bookings. California pop-punk trio Blink-182 have never played at Donington before, but when they were announced to be headlining Germany’s Rock am Ring and Rock im Park festivals next June, the rumour mill marked them out as a potential candidate. Sheffield quartet Bring Me The Horizon are now one of the biggest names in alternative music, having had their first chance to headline Download at its 20th anniversary special in 2023 alongside Metallica and Slipknot. Since then, their profile has only continued to grow, with fans agreeing that 4 years away from Donington would be a long enough break for them to be a bookkeeper’s favourite for next year.
The 2027 lineup was announced at 9pm this evening during an exclusive launch event at London’s Alexandra Palace Theatre, the ‘Dark Banquet’. In a gaming-inspired trailer full of music from 2027 acts like Pierce The Veil and The Prodigy, Blink-182 were confirmed to top Friday night, with Bring Me The Horizon headlining the coveted Saturday slot before Evanescence close out the Sunday.
Arkansas goth rockers Evanescence last played a headline slot on the festival’s Opus stage, its second largest, in 2023. Download has faced many public calls for a female main stage headline act throughout its history, which have only amplified in recent years. 2026 headliners Linkin Park were the first with their current singer Emily Armstrong, who replaced the late Chester Bennington after his passing – however, many community voices were not satisfied. Evanescence and frontwoman Amy Lee earned a UK Number One Single with 2003 hit ‘Bring Me To Life’ and continue to pull festival crowds over 20 years on, making them one of the biggest female-led bands in rock.
Immediately below the top three in the list of over 100 hundred acts are The Prodigy, Motley Crue and Faith No More. British dance maestros The Prodigy continue to be a staple favourite with rock and metal fans, and have persevered following the passing of legendary vocalist Keith Flint in 2019. Los Angeles glam rock masters Motley Crue return to Download for the first time since 2015, their last UK festival set to date. US alternative rock mavericks Faith No More headlined the 2009 edition, and this will also be their first time at Donington since 2015.
Next up are California emo rock’s Pierce The Veil, who have enjoyed a new dose of social media virality after their 2023 single ‘So Far So Fake’ was used in trends on TikTok and Instagram last year. Baltimore hardcore breakouts Turnstile’s rise is still unstoppable following their two Grammy wins from 2025 album ‘Never Enough’, while Australian metalcore titans Parkway Drive are back for the first time since their crushing secret set in 2024.
Elsewhere in the main billing are British masked metal project President, who released their debut album ‘Blood of Your Enemy’ this September to strong reviews, and US country/pop/rock one-man-band Bilmuri, whose 2026 LP ‘Kinda Hard’ was one of the most unique releases of the year. Australian pop rock chart-toppers may be set to be this year’s wildcard selection, following Scooter and Five in 2026. Also here are US metalcore act I Prevail, Swedish noise-makers The Hives, plus rapper and actor Ice-T’s metal group Body Count.
With all these acts and so many more, Download Festival 2027 is set to be one hell of a show. Due to incredible demand, early bird tickets flew out within the first two weeks of sale. Tickets for DLXXIV are available now at their website – but be warned, they will sell out!
