It’s happened, Downloaders.
After days of mud, sunshine, questionable campsite decisions, overpriced coffee, unbelievable live music and enough walking to qualify for an Olympic event, we’ve reached the final day of Download Festival 2026.
But don’t start packing up those tents just yet.
Sunday is absolutely loaded with massive bands, surprise moments, singalongs, circle pits and enough riffs to shake Donington Park all the way back to Wales.
Let’s dive into what promises to be one hell of a festival finale.
🔥 APEX STAGE – LINKIN PARK TAKE THE CROWN
The biggest talking point of the day has to be the return of Linkin Park to Download’s main stage.
For thousands of fans this will be an emotional moment, a celebration and a massive singalong all rolled into one gigantic headline set.
Also hitting the Apex Stage throughout the day:
- Linkin Park
- Bad Omens
- Ice Nine Kills
- The Pretty Reckless
- Bloodywood
- RØRY
- Kublai Khan TX
- Unpeople
Bad Omens have become one of the hottest bands on the planet and are guaranteed to pull one of the biggest crowds of the weekend.
Meanwhile Bloodywood continue their rise from internet sensation to festival destroyers, bringing their unique blend of metal, folk and pure energy.
And if you’re after absolute brutality, Kublai Khan TX will happily provide the soundtrack to your final pit of the weekend.
🎸 OPUS STAGE – A DAY TO REMEMBER BRING THE PARTY
The Opus Stage is ridiculously strong on Sunday.
Leading the charge are A Day To Remember, a band who somehow manage to mix pop-punk hooks, breakdowns and chaos into one giant party.
Also appearing:
- A Day To Remember
- Mastodon
- Tom Morello
- Social Distortion
- The Plot In You
- Thrown
- Dogstar
- Mammoth
- Catch Your Breath
- Ego Kill Talent
Tom Morello alone is worth turning up early for.
The legendary guitarist continues to prove why he’s one of the most inventive players in rock history.
Mastodon will undoubtedly deliver one of the heaviest and most technically impressive sets of the day, while Dogstar gives everyone a chance to say, “Isn’t that Keanu Reeves?” at least once.
The answer remains yes.
🚀 AVALANCHE STAGE – WHERE THINGS GET WEIRD (AND WE LOVE IT)
Only Download could put Scooter on a line-up and somehow make it make perfect sense.
The Avalanche Stage offers something completely different on Sunday:
- Scooter
- Letlive
- Ash
- Dinosaur Pile-Up
- Magnolia Park
- TX2
- Sweet Pill
- The Pretty Wild
- Ivri
- Zero 9:36
- Mould
Scooter might genuinely produce one of the most entertaining crowds of the entire festival.
Expect thousands of metalheads shouting dance anthems at the top of their lungs while wondering how they got here.
Meanwhile Ash continue proving they’re one of the most underrated rock bands around, and Dinosaur Pile-Up always deliver a ridiculously fun live show.
💀 DOGTOOTH STAGE – RIFFS, RIFFS AND MORE RIFFS
The Dogtooth Stage remains the home of chaos.
Sunday’s line-up includes:
- Static-X
- Spineshank
- Gatecreeper
- Boundaries
- Ankor
- Annisokay
- Last Train
- Decessus
- Wayside
- Private School
- Spitting Glass
Static-X will be one of the most anticipated performances of the day, bringing industrial metal mayhem to Donington.
Gatecreeper are set to flatten anyone standing too close to the front barrier, while Boundaries continue building a reputation as one of the most intense live bands around.
Dogtooth never disappoints and Sunday looks no different.
🍺 THE RIFF REPORT’S MUST-SEE SUNDAY PICKS
If we somehow managed to clone ourselves and be everywhere at once, these would be our essential Sunday sets:
🥇 Linkin Park
🥈 Bad Omens
🥉 A Day To Remember
🏅 Mastodon
🏅 Tom Morello
🏅 Ice Nine Kills
🏅 Scooter (because Download has completely embraced chaos and we’re here for it)
🤘 ONE LAST PUSH, DOWNLOADERS!
The final day of Download Festival 2026 is shaping up to be an absolute monster.
Whether you’re heading for Linkin Park, planning to throw yourself into a Kublai Khan pit, relive your youth with Ash, witness the madness of Scooter or simply enjoy one last day with your festival family, Sunday has something for everyone.
One more day.
One more pit.
One more beer.
One more chance to lose your mates and somehow find them again three bands later.
Let’s finish Download 2026 the only way we know how.
Loud.
Sweaty.
And with absolutely zero apologies.
See you in the pit, butt. 🤘🔥🍻
The Riff Report – Proudly Welsh. Proudly Loud.
