Part of Download Festival’s identity is its commitment to alternative culture in its many shapes and forms. While the focus is on heavier music, the promoters do not shy away from booking acts that stand out – a precedent they now wish to push even further. Last year the site in Castle Donington welcomed ‘90s pop party-starters Vengaboys to District X, a decision widely celebrated by fans, and so far 2026’s poster shows a main stage set for US rap act Cypress Hill, as well as a weekend-closing third stage set from German dance act Scooter.

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District X is the festival’s entertainment complex – situated on the long walk to the arena where the majority of the live music is played, it’s home to shops, stalls, and two stages. The Side Splitter tent is used primarily for stand-up comedy and variety performances, while the Doghouse tent is occupied by the niche musical shows – acoustic sets by big artists, the cheesy pop excursions, and the late night silent disco after-parties.

The announcement today brought with it a full lineup of the weird and wonderful for June. First and foremost is the big pop act for the year in Five. Emerging at the peak of the ‘90s craze for British boy and girl groups, the band are still looked upon fondly in the present day for their timeless hits like ‘Keep On Movin’’ and ‘Everybody Get Up’. US rock group Electric Six broke into the mainstream in the early 2000’s with controversially raunchy tracks ‘Gay Bar’ and ‘Danger! High Voltage’, and they’ve earned a top spot on the bill.

The full announcement for District X’s entertainment at this year’s Download Festival

The high-end of the lineup also includes an acoustic show by pop-punk group The All-American Rejects, who headline the Avalanche Stage on the Saturday, and Bat Sabbath, the Black Sabbath tribute show performed by Canadian hardcore heroes Cancer Bats. Just below them we find the most-unusual inclusion, Dick & Dom. Once known for their absurd BBC children’s TV show ‘Dick & Dom in da Bungalow’, the double act of Richard McCourt and Dominic Wood are listed as performing a DJ set in District X.

Elsewhere there are further DJ sets from Holding Absence and Funeral For A Friend’s Lucas Woodland, goth rock’s Creeper, and dubstep act Modestep. More alternative entertainment comes in the form of adult Bingo parties, stand-up shows presented by The Comedy Store, and live podcast recording sessions. Keep your eyes peeled for secret sets, which will be revealed far closer to the time!

Download Festival comes to Donington Park from the 10th to the 14th of June, with a star-studded lineup headed by Limp Bizkit on the Friday, Guns ‘N’ Roses on the Saturday, and Linkin Park for Sunday. Camping options are fully sold out, but day ticket options are available here.

Download is the biggest rock and heavy metal festival in the UK by attendance, averaging between 75,000 and 80,000 visitors across the site hosted on the Donington Park racecourse. Originally named Donington Monsters Of Rock, it ran under that pseudonym from 1980 to 1996. It was revived and modernised in 2003 as Download, aiming to capture the attention of fans of heavier music both young and old. This year marks the 23rd edition of the event, following up from last year’s success boosting British masked sensations Sleep Token to a headliner slot alongside Green Day and Korn.

So far 2026’s billing has already generated a lot of excitement with its top 3 bands alone. Limp Bizkit headline the festival for the first time on the Friday, Guns ‘N’ Roses make their third appearance on the Saturday, and Linkin Park’s Sunday set will be their fifth headline appearance, and first at Donington since lead singer Chester Bennington passed away in 2017. Further down are current popular names like Bad Omens and Electric Callboy, as well as less-conventional Download bookings like Cypress Hill and Scooter.

With just shy of 100 acts already confirmed in the first reveal in November last year, Download organisers teased a new drop of names with a Valentine’s day “save the day” card on social media, hinting that something was coming on the 23rd of February. Today they revealed the new additions, mostly aimed at beefing up the lower rungs of the bill and laying out the stage splits for the week.

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No doubt the most popular announcement will be Ocala, Florida’s A Day To Remember, known for their exceptionally infectious brand of pop punk laced with metal and hardcore punk. Following on from 2025’s ‘Big Ole Album Vol. 1’ they set out on a tour of the UK and Europe last summer, including headlining the year’s Slam Dunk Festival in both Hatfield and Leeds. They will top the Opus Stage on the Sunday night.

Next up is Daughtry, the hard-rock vehicle of former-American Idol phenom Chris Daughtry. They’re currently on tour in Europe with Alter Bridge, playing 5 dates in the UK between the 25th of February and the 5th of March. Daughtry slot in just below Halestorm on Friday’s Opus Stage schedule.

Other noteworthy names include the return of UK goth-rock band Creeper, also on Friday’s Opus list, and the pairing of punky English groups Marmozets and Hot Milk on the Avalanche Stage for Saturday. A wild card selection is the first European appearance of Final Fantasy XIV composer Masayoshi Soken’s band The Primals, who will be playing live versions of the game’s acclaimed score on the Friday. The full list of acts announced today looks like this:

• Daughtry – Friday- Opus Stage
• Creeper – Friday- Opus Stage
• Silly Goose – Friday- Avalanche Stage
• Band-Maid – Friday- Dogtooth Stage
• Stampin’ Ground – Friday- Dogtooth Stage
• The Primals – Friday- Dogtooth Stage
• Hot Milk – Saturday- Avalanche Stage
• Marmozets – Saturday- Avalanche Stage
• Frozemode – Saturday- Avalanche Stage
• Conjurer – Saturday- Dogtooth Stage
• A Day To Remember – Sunday- Opus Stage
• Annisokay – Sunday- Dogtooth Stage
• Private School – Sunday- Dogtooth Stage
• Decessus – Sunday- Dogtooth Stage

A new batch of Download Festival 2026 tickets are available here, with 5 day camping options sadly sold out. You can keep up to date with the festival on their website and social media channels, before their gates open from the 10th to the 14th of June.

FINALLY BACK TO THE MAINLAND w/ @strayfromdapath @makethemsuffer & @knosis_official

Tickets on sale tomorrow 11AM CET pic.twitter.com/oc2JoBhQOa

— VOID OF VISION (@voidofvision) June 22, 2023

Stray From the Path released their latest album Euthanasia, last September and, after touring most of the world in the last year, are now looking to bring their high energy shows to the UK and Europe. The band will be playing six shows in six different UK cities beginning in November.

Noted for their potent anger that is communicated through the belligerent presence of frontman Drew Dijorio, Stray From the Path have never shied away from delivering socio-politically charged anthems that are reminiscent of prime Rage Against the Machine. Created during the pandemic, Euthanasia is a klaxon call for the disenfranchised, discriminated and overlooked portions of society to stand up for themselves and be counted.

Formed in 2001, the group have been around for awhile but, with only guitarist Tom Williams remaining as an original member, it has taken some time for Stray From the Path to gain the popularity they feel their music (and message) deserves. Relentless touring and popularity through word of mouth has seen the band poised to finally explode onto the scene-headlining dates in their own right.

Stray From the Path may also be notable to UK fans in particular for featuring British based drummer Craig Reynolds. Reynolds has become an ever growing media personality, mainly through his music centred podcast The Downbeat. In between writing, recording and touring with Stray From the Path, Reynolds finds the time to sit down with some of the most interesting and exciting musicians in the world of (mostly) metal, for in depth conversations about their craft, experiences and, in what is a fan favourite, their dream festivals.

Reynolds is often at the centre of intriguing conversations around music and production as well, frequently taking to social media platforms to air his views. In recent months, the drummer made headlines for calling out bands (unnamed) that use backing tracks during live performances. Currently, Reynolds resides in Scotland but divides his time between the UK and the US to devote time to Stray From the Path.

The band recently featured on the Opus Stage at this summer’s Download Festival-a perfect opportunity to gain more UK based followers and give them a taste for what their headlining show promises in the autumn. Recently, the band announced that they had to swap the dates in Manchester and London although any presale tickets already purchased remain valid. General sale tickets go on sale Friday, 23 June. You can find tickets here.

Stray From the Path UK and Europe Tour:

26/10/2023 – Hole 44 – Berlin, Germany
27/10 – Futurum – Prage, Czech Republic
28/10 – Gruenspan – Hamburg, Germany
29/10 – Backstage Halle – Munich, Germany
30/10 – Szene – Vienna, Austria
01/11 – Felsenkeller – Leipzig, Germany
02/11 – Zoom – Frankfurt, Germany
03/11 – Melkweg – Amsterdam, Netherlands
04/11 – Kantine – Cologne, Germany
05/11 – Electric Brixton – London
06/11 – SWX – Bristol
07/11 – The Mill – Birmingham
09/11 – Stylus – Leeds
10/11 – Garage – Glasgow
11/11 – The Ritz – Manchester
12/11 – Machine Du Moulin Rouge – Paris, France
14/11 – Connexion Live – Toulouse, France
15/11 – Mon Club – Madrid, Spain
16/11 – Wolf – Barcelona, Spain
17/11 – La Cordonnerie – Romans/Isere, France
18/11 – Kiff – Aarau, Switzerland

The tune represented a significant breakthrough for Placebo- with lyrical content that addressed gender identity and bisexuality. “Nancy Boy” was such a smash hit for the band that it forced their album- 1997’s self-titled record- back into the UK top ten,charting at number five after debuting at number forty.

Identifying as bisexual himself, Molko used the song to criticise individuals who embraced bisexuality as a trend rather than  through sincerity, although the song is also upbeat and takes the listener through an adventure of sex and drugs. And the song went down thrillingly for the fans at Download-with the audience reacting rapturously to the song’s surprise inclusion in the set.

Placebo played Nancy Boy live tonight and honestly I could cry with happiness. Cheers! pic.twitter.com/uO08l8ND2o

— Graham Falk (@GrahamFalk) June 10, 2023

That’s really wild, considering what I know of Molko and what Nancy Boy means to him. — Madly Jane (@GirlsandGoblins) June 11, 2023

Previously, Placebo had expressed reluctance at playing hit songs, expressing a sense of stasis and boredom with tracks that they felt compelled to play every night. Speaking about the band’s ‘best of tour’, Olsdal said, “that tour lasted for quite a long time, and we started to get this slightly unhealthy relationship with our old material. I started to feel quite disillusioned by the band and what we were doing.”

But that bad feeling was cast aside during an exciting and spirited Download set, with Placebo sending the crowd into ecstasy when the opening notes of “Nancy Boy” rang out from the Opus Stage speakers. Fans could barely contain their excitement and quickly took to social media to voice their pleasure.

Placebo will continue to delight their UK based fans- continuing their tour through the country with dates in Birmingham, Cambridge and Glasgow. There are, of course, no guarantees that Placebo will throw out more classics but very few will deny the band still know how to entertain their scores of adoring supporters.

Find tickets to Placebo’s European tour dates here.

Placebo European Tour:

20/06/2023 – Tollwood Sommerfestival – Munich, Germany
24/06 – O2 Academy – Galsgow
26/06 – 3Arena – Dublin
04/07 – Cognac Blues Passions Festival – Cognac, France
05/07 – Jardin Public – Cognac, France
05/07 – Festival Cruilla – Barcelona, Spain
06/07 – Arènes de Nîmes – Nîmes, France
11/07 – Stupinigi Sonic Park – Nichelino, Italy
13/07 – Piazza Napoleone – Lucca, Italy
14/07 – Autodromo Internazionale Enzo and Dino Ferrari – Imola, Italy
16/07 – Sonic Park Matera – Matera, Italy
18/07 – Piazzola Live Festival – Piazzola Sul Brenta, Italy
27/07 – Noches del Botánico – Madrid, Spain
28/07 – Low Festival – Benidorm, Spain
04/08 – Lokerse Feesten – Lokeren, Belgium
08/08 – 013 – Tilburg, Netherlands
10/08 – Kunstrasen Bonn – Bonn, Germany
11/08 – Fete Du Bruit Dans Landerneau – Landerneau, France
23/08 – Rock En Seine – Paris, France
25/08 – Domaine National de Saint Cloud – Paris, France
26/08 – Domaine National de Saint Cloud – Paris, France

London – only 100 tickets remain for our @O2ForumKTown #NWFTWM show on 13 June. Go on, get it. https://t.co/MNpyCfSBwi pic.twitter.com/hiKpSEnmNC

— Coheed and Cambria (@Coheed) May 24, 2023

The band will play Glasgow and London respectively and will perform their album Good Apollo, I’m Burning Star IV, Volume Two: No World for Tomorrow in its entirety. They will also be including a mix of songs from their most recent effort, Vaxis-Act II: A Window of the Waking Mind which the band released last year.

This news will come as quite a relief to UK fans of the band, owing to the fact that Coheed and Cambria were forced to cancel two festival dates as well as four shows in Europe-the band citing personal reasons for the cancellations. The band however, will still be performing at Download Festival in Derby and the two UK dates.

The band are currently touring the United States, before heading to the UK for Download this weekend

Released in 2007, Good Apollo, I’m Burning Star IV, Volume Two: No World for Tomorrow was Coheed and Cambria’s fourth studio album and a direct sequel to Good Apollo, I’m Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness. Both of these records represented a narrative that was a part of a larger story called The Amory Wars.

The fourth and final concept album, was a massive success for the band, debuting at number 6 on the Billboard charts and leading to a world wide tour as well as numerous headlining shows in both the US and Europe. The album is perhaps also notable for being the only Coheed and Cambria record to feature Taylor Hawkins of Foo Fighters fame, on drums.

Formed in 1995 in New York, Coheed and Cambria made a name for themselves within the burgeoning post hardcore and emo scenes. The band is has been able to carve a unique niche for themselves, with all of their albums (except one) thus far representing a concept body of work. The albums are based off of a science fiction narrative, written by big-haired guitarist and vocalist Claudio Sanchez. Seeking to further delve into the world that he created, Sanchez has also released The Amory Wars as a comic series and novel.

In addition to the band’s busy schedule, guitarist Travis Stever is one of five members that make up the supergroup LS Dunes. Forming during the pandemic, the band have released one album, touring the UK back in January.

Tickets for Coheed and Cambria’s UK dates can be found here.

11/06/2023 – Galvanizers SWG3 – Glasgow
13/06/2023 – O2 Forum Kentish Town – London

Matt Stocks, UK based radio and TV presenter and author has been a prolific presence in the alternative music scene for over ten years. Formerly Kerrang Magazine’s Radio Show host, he has been nominated for awards for his contribution to music. Following his departure from Kerrang, Stocks has since taken up podcasting- hosting two successful and popular shows featuring interviews with various members of the rock scene, as well as other personalities.

In addition to his podcasting, Stocks has also written two books titled Life in the Stocks Volumes One and Two. The books chronicle interviews conducted by him with various members of the rock n roll community and serves as a companion piece to his podcast show of the same name. Stocks also hosts an additional podcast called Stoke the Fire together with Killswitch Engage frontman Jesse Leach.

Busy within the music scene on both sides of the Atlantic, Stocks also works as a DJ- frequently featured at numerous locations around the UK. Now, he will be taking his act to Download Festival this June. Stocks will be DJing a set on the festival’s Sunday evening from midnight until 1:30am. He will feature on the Sidesplitter Stage in District X which can be found in the campsite village.

Before his DJing set, he will also be hosting a live rendition of his podcast at 11am with Welsh stunt performer and skateboarder, Matt Pritchard. Stocks has hinted at a possible collaboration with Pritchard and promises to reveal details of this at the festival. No stranger to Download, Stocks has last hosted an event at the festival ten years ago and for fans of the entertainer, this appearance will not want to be missed.

Stocks has built up a following through candid, often emotional conversations with personalities from around the world of rock music. An eclectic range of tastes within music himself, Stocks’ shows offer something for everyone with an emphasis on the punk, hardcore and metal scene. The Life in the Stocks podcast show contains over 250 episodes to date with musicians and personalities such as Paul Stanley of Kiss, Fat Mike of NOFX and actor Paddy Considine. The show can be found on Spotify as well as all other media platforms.

Stocks has most recently followed NOFX to Barcelona, Spain where the band have embarked on their farewell tour, sharing live images from the venue as well as performing a live DJ set with guitarist Eric Melvin. Details of this can be found on Stocks’ social media platforms.

Tickets to Download can be found here.

Matt Stocks live interview and DJ set:

11/06/2023 – Download Festival, Sidesplitter Stage – Donington Park, Derby

Enigmatic frontman Maynard James Keenan will be joined by his band Puscifier for their electrifying Download debut on the Opus stage on Thursday night. The band has found the time to squeeze in the festival amid their worldwide tour in support of their remix album Existential Reckoning: Re-Wired, which came out in March.

On again off again English alt-rock band Hundred Reasons will also be performing showcasing their new fifth studio album and first album in over 15 years Glorious Sunset. Watch the band’s latest music video for “Replicate” below:

Toronto hardcore band Cancer Bats, Leeds newcomers Static Dress, New York pop punk band State Champs, Newcastle metal band Rituals, and the darlings of rock & roll The Cherry Bombs are some of the much-welcomed additions to the line-up. Casey, Punk Rock Factory, Haken, Snayx, and Redhook have also been crammed into the packed bill.

The festival has also now revealed its stage splits with set times to follow. To see what bands will be playing where visit here.

Download announced the headliners for this year’s festival back in November. America’s biggest heavy metal band Metallica will be playing “TWO completely unique sets on Thursday and Saturday” according to the organisers. Legendary British rockers Bring Me the Horizon will be headlining the festival for the first time on Friday. American metal royalty Slipknot will be headlining the festival for the fourth time and closing out the festival on Sunday.

The festival previously confirmed that bands such as Five Finger Death Punch, Nova Twins, Ghost, Neck Deep, Evanescence, The Distillers, Deaf Havana, Jinjer, Placebo, Mom Jeans, Crawlers, and Architects would be amongst the hundreds of acts performing at the four-day event.

Musing with NME on the secret to the festival’s success, Download boss and booker Andy Copping said, “I think the secret is that you’ve just gotta keep driving to get better. From the very first year, we’ve tried to get better bands, better the layout, better the campsite and better the experience. You can’t rest on your laurels.”

Unfortunately for those who missed out Download has completely sold out this year. For the first time in the festival’s history, all select day tickets as well as weekend tickets have been snapped up by festival lovers.

Every year the festival runs over the course of a well invested three days. However, this year is a special edition of four days packed up to the brim with industry leading bands within the rock and heavy metal scene. Their roster is looking juicy with a now confirmed 60 acts on the list. The meal prep for the final main dish is in full swing and it’s already starting to smell good.

The appetising line-up announced for this year 2023, will be lead by three unmissable headline acts such as the eminent Metallica, playing for the first time since 2012 at said festival with a fortunate two headlining shows on the Thursday, 8th of June  and Saturday, 10th of June, showcasing two completely different sets with unrepeated setlists. Alongside them, the Sheffield band Bring Me The Horizon will be taking the headline position on the Thursday, 8th June and Slipknot will be taking the main stage on the Sunday, 11th June.

Like every year, the event is held in the hallowed grounds of rock, Donington Park, next to East Midland Airport located in a spot where Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire come to meet, with this years landing on the 8th of June running through to the 11th of June.

The headliners will be accompanied by a number of respected bands such as Evanescence, Parkway Drive, Disturbed, Alexisonfire, Ghost, The Distillers, Architects, I Prevail, The Blackout, Motionless In White, Placebo, Fever 333, Municipal Waste and a great selection more.

It is clear the bands contain a special spot for the festival. This is notable as Slipknot turntablist mentioned: “Download Festival! So many great memories, one of the most amazing crowds to play in front of, always an honour to share the bill with so many amazing bands, and of course, I’ll never miss the opportunity to play my homeland.” 

As well as a heartfelt Metallica stating : “We are next-level honoured to once again come back and partake in the Download shenanigans on the hallowed grounds of Castle Donington, which has an unparalleled place in rock history. On top of that, to be able to share our double show format with two completely unique sets with no repeat songs for the first time ever in the UK is way fuckin’ cool. Bring it on!!”

Tickets are on sale here.

It’s been way too long… we are so excited to announce our tour of UK/Ireland this November and over the moon to have @Architects join us on what is going to be a very special tour. You will not want to miss it

…1/2 pic.twitter.com/7Lw1dIFkBw

— Biffy Clyro (@BiffyClyro) June 20, 2022

While the band did recently commit to their “Finger Crossed Tour” in 2021, these dates were more of a celebration that we were actually allowed to go outside again (remember that??), so the group took to a handful of venues generally about ¼ the size they’re used to, to play mostly songs from A Celebration Of Endings, and its companion album The Myth of the Happily Ever After. Any fans that were lucky enough to get tickets to the exclusive dates heard most of the, at the time, untouched albums. But now, with a little time to breathe, and a few larger festivals under their belt for the year, the band are swapping the O2 Forum Kentish Town for the O2 Arena. What a jump.

It has also been announced that Brighton’s own answer to metalcore Architects will be joining Biffy on tour. Fans and critics alike have almost exclusively praised the band for their recent output. Their 2018 LP Holy Hell in particular made some big waves throughout the community. But now, off the back of their tour in support of For Those That Wish To Exist, the group have grown more accustomed to their fame and seems far more comfortable on stages of this size. Their time with Biffy should bring along a hefty chunk of new fans.

Biffy headlined the infamous Download Festival for the 2^nd time last week. Their first soiréeat the festival in 2017 was met with a lot of confusion. Off the back of their, at the time, poppiest album yet, the band seemed like an odd choice for a festival known for its metal and hardcore sounds. But with a few choice dips into their back catalogue and a carefully curated list of new material, the band managed to maintain the agro-aesthetic whilst also covering their bases and banging out the hits. This year’s appearance then came as a breeze, with no confusion about whether or not they’ve got the chops. Just rock up and smash out the tunes. It definitely helps that the album tracks from the last few LPs are embracing the band’s older style. You can watch a clip the band put onto their socials below.  

This time last week… @DownloadFest : @joe_guppy #DL22 pic.twitter.com/AyTWKDE9sC — Biffy Clyro (@BiffyClyro) June 19, 2022

See the band’s full tour schedule below:

5/11/22 – Leeds  – First Direct Arena
6/22 – Glasgow – OVO Hydro
8/11 – Dublin – 3Arena
9/11 – Belfast – SSE Arena
11/11 – Birmingham – Resorts World Arena
12/11 – London – O2 Arena
14/11 – Cardiff – Motorpoint Arena
15/11 – Bournemouth – International Centre

When the festival was first launched in 2003, ironically one of the headliners was the same as this year, Iron Maiden with the other being Audioslave and the festival was held for just two days. This continued for two years before it was then decided to turn it into a three-day festival in 2005, with headliners Feeder, Black Sabbath and System of a Down.

This year’s 2022 edition wrapped up last weekend (June 12). It featured headline sets from Kiss, Biffy Clyro and the aforementioned Iron Maiden with the likes of Skindred, Shinedown, Steel Panther, The Darkness, Myles Kennedy, Volbeat, Monster Truck, Airbourne and Wayward Sons also on the weekend bill. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, it was the first full-scale Download in three years, with last year seeing a smaller-scale ‘pilot’ event. Festival organisers shared the news via social media after celebrating the end of this year’s festival.

WHAT A WEEKEND! Our first full scale Download in 3 years was one for the history books

Are you ready to do it all again?

Download 20th Anniversary | 4 days | 8th – 11th June 2023

Limited Early Bird tickets on sale now at this years price https://t.co/hTnmT5RpM8 pic.twitter.com/K8wh6p1cu7

— Download Festival (@DownloadFest) June 13, 2022

In an interview with NME in April, the festival’s booker Andy Copping said that next year’s headliners have already been booked. “It’s the first time I’ve booked all the headliners in advance ahead of the prior year’s event. That news will come out not too long after this year’s festival, hopefully, we’re way, way down the line – because next year is essentially our 20th year so we wanted to do something a little bit special. All I can say is that it will be very, very exciting.”

Fans will surely be eagerly awaiting announcements for headliners and any forthcoming news about Download and what is to come for the 20th anniversary. For those who cannot wait to find out what the line-up could be you can already purchase tickets for next year from the Download website.