Every June, tens of thousands of rock and metal fans descend upon Donington Park for one of the loudest, muddiest and most gloriously chaotic weekends in the British festival calendar.

For the Download faithful, it is far more than three days of bands.

It is the walk from the car park carrying approximately twice your own body weight.

It is the first glimpse of the campsite.

It is the sound of guitars drifting across the fields.

It is overpriced chips, questionable campsite decisions, unpredictable weather and thousands of people dressed in black attempting to survive beneath the June sunshine.

Or rain.

Usually both.

Since launching in 2003, Download Festival has welcomed almost every major name in rock and metal.

Metallica, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Slipknot, Linkin Park, Guns N’ Roses, AC/DC, Aerosmith, Rammstein, Tool, KISS, System of a Down, Def Leppard and countless others have stood on its stages.

The festival has witnessed secret performances, last-minute cancellations, historic reunions, career-defining headline sets and enough mud to swallow an entire camping chair without leaving evidence.

Download also carries the weight of Donington’s enormous musical history.

Long before Download existed, the same ground hosted the legendary Monsters of Rock festival.

Download inherited that legacy.

Then it created one of its own.

This is the complete year-by-year history of Download Festival.

🏰 Before Download: Donington and Monsters of Rock

To understand Download, you first need to understand Donington Park.

The Leicestershire motorsport circuit became sacred ground for rock fans when the original Monsters of Rock festival launched there in 1980.

Rainbow headlined the first event, beginning a Donington tradition that would welcome bands including:

  • AC/DC
  • Iron Maiden
  • Metallica
  • Guns N’ Roses
  • Bon Jovi
  • Whitesnake
  • Van Halen
  • Aerosmith
  • KISS
  • Def Leppard

Monsters of Rock became one of the most important heavy-music festivals in the world.

However, the event’s original run ended after 1996.

For several years, the famous Donington fields fell silent.

Rock and metal had lost their spiritual festival home.

By the early 2000s, the music landscape had changed dramatically. Nu metal, pop-punk, alternative rock, metalcore and a new generation of British bands were dominating magazines, television channels and club nights.

A festival was needed that could respect Donington’s history without becoming trapped inside it.

In 2003, that festival arrived.

Its name was Download.

🤘 2003 – Download Festival Is Born

The first Download Festival took place on Saturday 31 May and Sunday 1 June 2003.

It was originally staged as a two-day event with two main music stages.

Iron Maiden headlined Saturday, while Limp Bizkit were initially booked to close Sunday.

However, Limp Bizkit withdrew before the festival.

Audioslave stepped into the headline position, but Sunday would ultimately be remembered for something completely unexpected.

Metallica played a surprise afternoon performance on the second stage.

There had been rumours throughout the site, but many fans still could not believe what was happening when one of the biggest metal bands in history appeared in a tented stage during the afternoon.

The first Download line-up also included:

  • Marilyn Manson
  • Deftones
  • Ministry
  • Disturbed
  • Stone Sour
  • Evanescence
  • Mudvayne
  • NOFX
  • Less Than Jake
  • HIM
  • Sepultura
  • Funeral for a Friend
  • The Darkness

The Darkness appeared relatively low on the bill shortly before exploding into the mainstream with Permission to Land.

That became an early example of Download booking future major names before they reached the top.

The first festival immediately established several traditions:

  • Huge international headliners
  • Surprise performances
  • Heavy music mixed with punk and alternative rock
  • Rising bands appearing beside legends
  • Complete campsite chaos

Download had successfully brought rock back to Donington.

A new era had begun. (Download Festival)

🔥 2004 – Metallica and Linkin Park Lead Download’s Expansion

Download returned on 5 and 6 June 2004.

The festival was still a two-day event, but its status had already grown dramatically.

Linkin Park headlined Saturday, while Metallica finally received a full advertised headline slot on Sunday.

The line-up also featured:

  • Korn
  • Slipknot
  • Machine Head
  • Slayer
  • Sum 41
  • Iggy and the Stooges
  • The Hives
  • Brides of Destruction
  • Cradle of Filth
  • Damageplan
  • HIM
  • Bowling for Soup

The weekend became famous for Metallica’s unexpected crisis.

Shortly before their headline performance, drummer Lars Ulrich was taken to hospital and could not play.

Rather than cancelling, Metallica recruited emergency replacements.

Dave Lombardo of Slayer, Joey Jordison of Slipknot and drum technician Flemming Larsen helped the band complete the set.

It became one of Download’s most legendary examples of the show somehow carrying on despite complete backstage panic.

Joey Jordison’s involvement was particularly memorable.

Slipknot had performed earlier, but the drummer returned to help one of metal’s biggest bands rescue their headline appearance.

Download was only in its second year, yet it was already producing moments fans would discuss for decades.

🎸 2005 – Download Becomes a Three-Day Festival

Download expanded to three days in 2005, establishing the Friday-to-Sunday format that would define most future editions.

The headline slots were given to:

  • Feeder
  • Black Sabbath
  • System of a Down

Friday represented an experiment.

Feeder brought an alternative-rock sound that was softer than many traditional Download headliners, while Garbage, Dinosaur Jr, Megadeth and Biffy Clyro also appeared.

Saturday was presented in connection with Ozzfest, with Black Sabbath leading a bill featuring Velvet Revolver, HIM, Anthrax and Alter Bridge.

Sunday delivered System of a Down, Slipknot, Slayer, Nightwish, Killswitch Engage, Papa Roach and Motörhead.

The weekend also included a young Trivium, whose explosive performance became one of the festival’s most talked-about early breakthrough sets.

They arrived as a rising metal band.

They left looking like future main-stage giants.

Download had now developed a clear identity.

It could host classic-metal royalty, alternative rock, nu metal, punk, metalcore and the emerging bands shaping the next decade.

🤘 2006 – Metallica Play Master of Puppets in Full

Download 2006 took place from 9 to 11 June.

The three headliners were:

  • Tool
  • Metallica
  • Guns N’ Roses

Friday was led by Tool, with Deftones, Korn, Soulfly and Coheed and Cambria among the major supporting names.

Metallica headlined Saturday and celebrated the 20th anniversary of Master of Puppets by performing the album in full.

For many fans, it remains one of Download’s greatest headline sets.

Sunday belonged to Guns N’ Roses, although their performance became infamous for delays, technical problems and a restless crowd.

The weekend also featured:

  • The Prodigy
  • Avenged Sevenfold
  • Trivium
  • Alice in Chains
  • Stone Sour
  • Bullet for My Valentine
  • Cradle of Filth
  • Lacuna Coil
  • DragonForce
  • Billy Talent

Download was becoming larger, louder and increasingly international.

It had also developed the ability to create genuinely historic performances rather than merely booking another tour stop.

🔥 2007 – My Chemical Romance Face the Donington Crowd

Download returned from 8 to 10 June 2007 with:

  • My Chemical Romance
  • Linkin Park
  • Iron Maiden

My Chemical Romance’s Friday headline booking became one of the most controversial in Download history.

The band were enormously successful, but some traditional metal fans objected to them headlining Donington.

Their set was met with sections of the crowd throwing bottles and other objects.

Despite the hostility, the band completed their performance.

Looking back, the reaction demonstrated the divisions within rock culture at the time.

Emo and alternative bands were dominating a new generation, while some older festival-goers resisted Download’s widening identity.

Saturday brought Linkin Park back to the headline position, while Iron Maiden closed Sunday with a more traditionally Donington-friendly performance.

The weekend also included:

  • Marilyn Manson
  • Slayer
  • Machine Head
  • Korn
  • Megadeth
  • Evanescence
  • Velvet Revolver
  • Dream Theater
  • Lamb of God
  • Mastodon
  • Paramore

The 2007 festival showed that Download would not remain stylistically frozen.

It was prepared to book the bands shaping contemporary rock, even when sections of its audience disagreed.

🤘 2008 – KISS Bring the Full Spectacle to Donington

Download 2008 took place from 13 to 15 June.

The headliners were:

  • KISS
  • The Offspring
  • Lostprophets

KISS opened the headline programme with pyrotechnics, platforms, make-up, enormous stage production and everything fans expected from one of rock’s greatest theatrical bands.

The Offspring brought punk-rock anthems to Saturday, while Lostprophets closed Sunday.

The wider line-up included:

  • Judas Priest
  • Motörhead
  • Kid Rock
  • Disturbed
  • Incubus
  • Jimmy Eat World
  • Alter Bridge
  • Pendulum
  • Apocalyptica
  • Airbourne
  • Biffy Clyro
  • Within Temptation
  • Cavalera Conspiracy

Airbourne’s appearance helped introduce Download audiences to a band that would become a festival favourite.

Pendulum demonstrated that electronic music could work within Download’s wider heavy and alternative identity.

By 2008, Download was no longer simply filling the gap left by Monsters of Rock.

It had developed into a major festival with its own personality.

🔥 2009 – Slipknot Become Download Headliners

Download 2009 was held from 12 to 14 June.

The weekend was headlined by:

  • Faith No More
  • Slipknot
  • Def Leppard

Faith No More’s Friday appearance was part of their major reunion, giving Download one of the most anticipated comeback performances of the period.

Saturday belonged to Slipknot.

The Iowa metal band had climbed from earlier festival appearances to the top of the bill, delivering a performance that confirmed them as genuine Download headliners.

Their connection with the festival would only become stronger.

Def Leppard closed Sunday with a catalogue built for Donington, returning to ground they had previously headlined during the Monsters of Rock era.

Other major performers included:

  • Korn
  • Marilyn Manson
  • Limp Bizkit
  • Whitesnake
  • ZZ Top
  • Trivium
  • Machine Head
  • Motley Crüe
  • Pendulum
  • The Prodigy
  • Meshuggah
  • Five Finger Death Punch

Slipknot’s headline triumph remains one of the defining moments in Download history.

A band that once represented metal’s dangerous new generation had become one of the festival’s central institutions.

⚡ 2010 – AC/DC Bring Their Own Stage

Download 2010 took place from 11 to 13 June and produced one of the festival’s most unusual headline arrangements.

The headliners were:

  • AC/DC
  • Rage Against the Machine
  • Aerosmith

AC/DC brought their own touring stage and production into Donington.

Rather than using the standard Download main stage, the festival effectively constructed a separate AC/DC environment alongside it.

The band’s enormous Black Ice tour production included the giant train, bell and other theatrical elements.

Friday was essentially transformed into an AC/DC stadium show inside Download Festival.

Rage Against the Machine headlined Saturday, delivering political fury, enormous riffs and one of the most intense crowds of the weekend.

Aerosmith closed Sunday, bringing swagger and classic-rock history back to Donington.

The line-up also included:

  • Them Crooked Vultures
  • Deftones
  • Stone Temple Pilots
  • Megadeth
  • Motörhead
  • Stone Sour
  • Slash
  • Lamb of God
  • Bullet for My Valentine
  • Thirty Seconds to Mars
  • Steel Panther

The AC/DC production made 2010 one of Download’s most visually memorable editions.

Few bands in the festival’s history have effectively brought their own venue with them.

🤘 2011 – System of a Down Return

Download 2011 took place from 10 to 12 June.

The headline trio was:

  • Def Leppard
  • System of a Down
  • Linkin Park

Def Leppard returned to the Donington headline position, reinforcing their long relationship with the site.

System of a Down’s Saturday performance was part of their live return after several years away.

Linkin Park closed Sunday, continuing their position as one of Download’s most important modern headliners.

The weekend featured:

  • Rob Zombie
  • Alter Bridge
  • Avenged Sevenfold
  • Alice Cooper
  • Bullet for My Valentine
  • Korn
  • Disturbed
  • The Darkness
  • Thin Lizzy
  • Bring Me the Horizon
  • Pendulum
  • Ghost

Ghost appeared before their eventual transformation into one of the biggest theatrical rock bands in the world.

Download’s talent-spotting tradition remained alive and well.

🔥 2012 – The Prodigy, Metallica and Black Sabbath

Download 2012 took place from 8 to 10 June.

Its headliners were:

  • The Prodigy
  • Metallica
  • Black Sabbath

The weekend suffered severe rain and difficult ground conditions, creating one of Download’s famously muddy editions.

The Prodigy proved once again that Download could embrace electronic music when it carried sufficient aggression and live power.

Metallica performed their self-titled Black Album in full, delivering another special album-focused headline performance.

Black Sabbath closed Sunday during their reunion era, although drummer Bill Ward was absent.

The line-up also included:

  • Soundgarden
  • Machine Head
  • Chase & Status
  • Tenacious D
  • Megadeth
  • Anthrax
  • Lamb of God
  • Steel Panther
  • Biffy Clyro
  • Slash
  • Rise Against
  • Shinedown

The weather tested everyone.

Tents flooded, pathways turned into bogs and boots disappeared into mud that probably still contains archaeological evidence of abandoned camping equipment.

Downloaders survived.

Obviously.

🎸 2013 – Celebrating Ten Years of Download

Download celebrated its tenth anniversary from 14 to 16 June 2013.

The headliners were:

  • Slipknot
  • Iron Maiden
  • Rammstein

It was difficult to imagine a more Download-friendly trio.

Slipknot returned after their 2009 triumph and proved that their first headline success had not been a one-off.

Iron Maiden brought decades of Donington history to Saturday night.

Rammstein closed Sunday with fire, industrial precision and a production that looked capable of being seen from another county.

Other performers included:

  • Bullet for My Valentine
  • Queens of the Stone Age
  • Thirty Seconds to Mars
  • Motörhead
  • Korn
  • Stone Sour
  • Limp Bizkit
  • Parkway Drive
  • Five Finger Death Punch
  • Ghost
  • A Day to Remember
  • Enter Shikari

The tenth anniversary showed how successfully Download had rebuilt Donington’s festival identity.

In one decade, it had moved from a two-day experiment into the UK’s largest dedicated rock and metal festival.

🔥 2014 – Linkin Park Perform Hybrid Theory

Download 2014 took place from 13 to 15 June.

The headliners were:

  • Avenged Sevenfold
  • Linkin Park
  • Aerosmith

Avenged Sevenfold received their first Download headline slot, representing another band’s journey from the lower stages to the top of the festival.

Linkin Park performed their debut album, Hybrid Theory, in full.

The set became emotionally significant following Chester Bennington’s death in 2017 and remains one of the most cherished performances in Download history.

Aerosmith closed the weekend with classic-rock spectacle.

The line-up also included:

  • Rob Zombie
  • Fall Out Boy
  • Bring Me the Horizon
  • Alter Bridge
  • The Offspring
  • Status Quo
  • Twisted Sister
  • Steel Panther
  • Trivium
  • Within Temptation
  • Royal Blood
  • Twenty One Pilots

Royal Blood and Twenty One Pilots appeared before reaching the huge venues they would later command.

Download continued acting as both a celebration of established names and an early showcase for future stars. (Download Festival)

🤘 2015 – Muse Cross the Download Divide

Download 2015 ran from 12 to 14 June.

The three headliners were:

  • Slipknot
  • Muse
  • KISS

Slipknot opened the headline programme with another dominant performance.

Saturday’s booking of Muse generated debate before the festival.

Although Muse were one of Britain’s biggest rock bands, they were not traditionally associated with Download’s heavier identity.

Their performance won over much of the crowd and demonstrated that the festival could widen its headline pool without abandoning rock music.

KISS closed Sunday with the expected explosions, costumes and oversized showmanship.

The wider bill included:

  • Judas Priest
  • Faith No More
  • A Day to Remember
  • Five Finger Death Punch
  • Mötley Crüe
  • Slash featuring Myles Kennedy
  • Marilyn Manson
  • Black Stone Cherry
  • Enter Shikari
  • Lamb of God
  • Billy Idol
  • Parkway Drive
  • Lorna Shore

The 2015 festival proved that taking a headline risk could pay off.

Muse did not arrive pretending to be a metal band.

They simply delivered a massive rock show.

🖤 2016 – Black Sabbath Say Goodbye to Download

Download 2016 took place from 10 to 12 June.

Its headliners were:

  • Rammstein
  • Black Sabbath
  • Iron Maiden

That is a ridiculous sentence.

Rammstein opened the weekend with their familiar combination of industrial metal, theatre and enough fire to cook every campsite breakfast simultaneously.

Black Sabbath’s appearance formed part of their farewell period, giving Download an emotional final visit from the architects of heavy metal.

Iron Maiden closed Sunday on The Book of Souls tour.

Following Lemmy’s death in December 2015, Download renamed its main stage the Lemmy Stage in honour of the Motörhead frontman.

Motörhead had been scheduled to appear at the festival.

Instead, the weekend became an opportunity for the Download community to celebrate Lemmy’s life and enormous influence.

Other artists included:

  • Korn
  • Deftones
  • Megadeth
  • Nightwish
  • Disturbed
  • Jane’s Addiction
  • Skindred
  • Architects
  • Ghost
  • Gojira
  • Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes
  • Babymetal

The weather produced another famously muddy weekend, but the musical significance of the line-up made 2016 unforgettable. (Download Festival)

🎸 2017 – Aerosmith Play Their Supposed Farewell

Download 2017 was held from 9 to 11 June.

The headliners were:

  • System of a Down
  • Biffy Clyro
  • Aerosmith

System of a Down returned to open the festival.

Biffy Clyro’s Saturday headline slot represented another step in Download’s gradual expansion beyond traditional metal.

The Scottish trio had grown from smaller festival appearances into one of Britain’s biggest modern rock bands.

Aerosmith closed Sunday during what was then promoted as part of their farewell touring activity.

Rock farewell tours being what they are, the story did not exactly end there.

The weekend also included:

  • Prophets of Rage
  • Five Finger Death Punch
  • A Day to Remember
  • AFI
  • Alter Bridge
  • Slayer
  • Rob Zombie
  • Sum 41
  • Good Charlotte
  • Steel Panther
  • Airbourne
  • Creeper
  • Idles

The Download bill now comfortably moved between classic rock, metal, punk, alternative and the emerging modern scene. (Download Festival)

🔥 2018 – Guns N’ Roses Bring a Marathon Set

Download 2018 took place from 8 to 10 June.

The headline acts were:

  • Avenged Sevenfold
  • Guns N’ Roses
  • Ozzy Osbourne

Guns N’ Roses delivered an enormous Saturday performance lasting more than three hours.

With Slash and Duff McKagan back alongside Axl Rose, the band’s appearance was one of the biggest bookings in Download history.

Ozzy Osbourne closed Sunday during what was expected to be part of his farewell touring campaign.

Again, rock stars and retirement do not always enjoy a straightforward relationship.

The weekend featured:

  • Bullet for My Valentine
  • Black Stone Cherry
  • Thunder
  • Marilyn Manson
  • Shinedown
  • Parkway Drive
  • Babymetal
  • Rise Against
  • Alexisonfire
  • Body Count
  • Greta Van Fleet
  • Sleep Token
  • The Hives

Sleep Token appeared much lower on the bill, years before becoming Download headliners themselves.

That journey would eventually become one of the festival’s most remarkable modern success stories. (Download Festival)

🌧️ 2019 – Drownload

Download 2019 took place from 14 to 16 June.

The headliners were:

  • Def Leppard
  • Slipknot
  • Tool

The festival became known as Drownload thanks to relentless rain and astonishing levels of mud.

Campsites, pathways and arena areas turned into a swamp.

Downloaders responded as they always do.

They complained, laughed, helped each other and carried on watching bands.

Def Leppard performed Hysteria in full as part of their Friday headline set.

Slipknot delivered another ferocious Saturday performance.

Tool closed Sunday with a rare and hugely anticipated UK festival appearance.

The line-up also included:

  • Slash featuring Myles Kennedy
  • Whitesnake
  • Smashing Pumpkins
  • Lamb of God
  • Slayer
  • Rob Zombie
  • Halestorm
  • Trivium
  • Skindred
  • Jinjer
  • The Hu
  • Alien Weaponry
  • Those Damn Crows

Those Damn Crows appeared on the smaller Dogtooth Stage, representing another early Download chapter for the rising Welsh band.

The mud may have dominated the photographs, but the line-up remained one of Download’s strongest. (Download Festival)

🦠 2020 – Download Is Cancelled

Download 2020 was scheduled to take place from 12 to 14 June.

The announced headliners were:

  • KISS
  • Iron Maiden
  • System of a Down

The wider line-up included Deftones, Korn, Disturbed, Gojira, The Offspring, Alter Bridge, Volbeat, Babymetal, Mastodon and many more.

Then the COVID-19 pandemic shut down concerts and festivals across the world.

Download was cancelled.

For the first time since launching in 2003, the main festival did not take place at Donington Park.

Organisers later created Download TV, an online event featuring archive performances, interviews and specially produced material.

It could not replace standing in a field with thousands of people.

However, it gave the Download community a way to remain connected during an extraordinary period.

The cancellation affected far more than ticket holders.

Artists, crew members, traders, charities, security workers, drivers, technicians and local businesses all lost work.

The Donington fields were silent.

🧪 2021 – The Download Pilot Brings Live Music Back

The full-scale Download Festival was again unable to proceed in 2021.

However, Donington became the location for something hugely important.

The Download Pilot took place from 18 to 20 June 2021 as part of the UK Government’s Events Research Programme.

Attendance was limited to around 10,000 people.

Festival-goers completed COVID testing requirements before and after the event, but once inside, they were able to enjoy live music without ordinary social distancing restrictions.

The Pilot was headlined by:

  • Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes
  • Enter Shikari
  • Bullet for My Valentine

The entirely British line-up also featured:

  • Skindred
  • Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls
  • While She Sleeps
  • Creeper
  • Sleep Token
  • Neck Deep
  • Those Damn Crows
  • Massive Wagons
  • The Wildhearts
  • Holding Absence
  • Malevolence
  • Loathe
  • Wargasm
  • Cassyette
  • Bleed from Within

After more than a year without ordinary festivals, the emotional atmosphere was extraordinary.

People hugged friends.

Bands returned to stages.

Mosh pits returned.

Live music felt alive again.

The Pilot was smaller than Download, but its importance was enormous.

It helped provide evidence that large outdoor events could return safely.

For the people inside Donington, it also provided something less scientific but equally important.

Hope. (Download Festival)

🤘 2022 – The Full Download Festival Returns

Download returned at full scale from 10 to 12 June 2022.

The headliners were:

  • KISS
  • Iron Maiden
  • Biffy Clyro

KISS finally delivered the performance postponed from 2020.

Iron Maiden returned for another Donington headline set.

Biffy Clyro closed Sunday, reinforcing their position as one of Download’s leading modern British headliners.

The bill included:

  • A Day to Remember
  • Deftones
  • Korn
  • Megadeth
  • Steel Panther
  • The Darkness
  • Airbourne
  • Skindred
  • Mastodon
  • The Pretty Reckless
  • Shinedown
  • Funeral for a Friend
  • Sleep Token
  • Spiritbox
  • Those Damn Crows
  • Wargasm

The weekend was about more than the bands.

It marked the proper return of the Download community.

The campsites reopened.

The massive crowds returned.

Donington looked and sounded like Donington again. (Download Festival)

🎉 2023 – Download Celebrates 20 Years

Download celebrated its 20th anniversary with an expanded four-day festival from 8 to 11 June 2023.

The headliners were:

  • Metallica
  • Bring Me the Horizon
  • Metallica
  • Slipknot

Metallica performed two headline sets without repeating songs, creating a huge centrepiece for the anniversary.

Bring Me the Horizon received their first Download headline slot.

Their rise reflected a modern Download success story.

The Sheffield band had progressed from controversial earlier appearances to becoming one of Britain’s biggest heavy acts.

Slipknot closed the anniversary weekend, maintaining their almost unbreakable connection with the festival.

The line-up also featured:

  • Alter Bridge
  • Architects
  • Evanescence
  • Disturbed
  • Placebo
  • Parkway Drive
  • Ghost
  • Halestorm
  • Skindred
  • Within Temptation
  • Pendulum
  • Electric Callboy
  • Lorna Shore
  • Bloodywood
  • The Hu
  • Jinjer
  • Nova Twins

Tickets sold extremely quickly, and the expanded attendance placed significant pressure on travel routes and site infrastructure.

The 20th anniversary was enormous, crowded, exhausting and completely unforgettable.

Download had officially entered its third decade. (Download Festival)

🌧️ 2024 – New Headliners and Another Battle With the Mud

Download XXI took place from 14 to 16 June 2024.

The headliners were:

  • Queens of the Stone Age
  • Fall Out Boy
  • Avenged Sevenfold

Queens of the Stone Age and Fall Out Boy both received their first Download headline opportunities.

The bookings represented Download’s effort to expand its pool of potential headliners rather than depending entirely on the same established names.

Avenged Sevenfold returned to close Sunday.

The wider line-up included:

  • Royal Blood
  • The Offspring
  • Limp Bizkit
  • Pantera
  • Machine Head
  • Corey Taylor
  • Tom Morello
  • Sum 41
  • Enter Shikari
  • Babymetal
  • Busted
  • Wheatus
  • Mr. Bungle
  • Heilung
  • Those Damn Crows
  • Florence Black
  • Electric Callboy

The festival faced controversy when several artists withdrew over sponsorship concerns connected with Barclays.

Barclays subsequently suspended its involvement with a number of Live Nation festivals.

Weather and ground conditions also created another extremely muddy Download.

Once again, the festival acquired the unofficial Drownload label.

The 2024 edition was important because it showed Download actively searching for its next generation of headliners while dealing with wider cultural and commercial pressure. (Download Festival)

🔥 2025 – Green Day, Sleep Token and Korn Make History

Download 2025 took place from 13 to 15 June.

Its headliners were:

  • Green Day
  • Sleep Token
  • Korn

Green Day made their long-awaited Download debut as Friday headliners.

Despite their enormous status, the punk-rock giants had never previously played the festival.

Saturday represented one of the most remarkable headline rises in Download history.

Sleep Token had appeared on a tiny stage in 2018.

Seven years later, they headlined the main stage.

Their rapid ascent demonstrated how dramatically modern rock and metal audiences had embraced the mysterious British band.

Korn closed Sunday with their first Download headline set after numerous previous festival appearances.

The wider line-up included:

  • Weezer
  • Jimmy Eat World
  • Rise Against
  • Shinedown
  • Don Broco
  • Bullet for My Valentine
  • Spiritbox
  • Meshuggah
  • Within Temptation
  • Opeth
  • Sex Pistols featuring Frank Carter
  • The Darkness
  • Steel Panther
  • Lorna Shore
  • Airbourne
  • Jerry Cantrell
  • McFly
  • Cradle of Filth
  • President

The announcement of the mysterious band President created one of the weekend’s biggest waves of curiosity, with an enormous crowd gathering for their early appearance.

Download 2025 represented a major generational shift.

Green Day and Korn finally received their Donington moments, while Sleep Token showed that a genuinely new headliner could rise through Download’s stages. (Download Festival)

🔥 2026 – Limp Bizkit, Guns N’ Roses and Linkin Park

Download 2026 took place from 12 to 14 June.

The headline line-up was:

  • Limp Bizkit
  • Guns N’ Roses
  • Linkin Park

Limp Bizkit finally received their first Download headline slot.

Their relationship with the festival stretched back to 2003, when they had been booked but withdrew before the inaugural event.

More than two decades later, they finally reached the top of the Donington bill.

Guns N’ Roses returned on Saturday following their marathon 2018 headline performance.

Linkin Park closed Sunday with Emily Armstrong sharing vocals following the band’s new-era return.

Her appearance made the performance the first Download headline set fronted by a woman.

The wider bill included:

  • Cypress Hill
  • Electric Callboy
  • Pendulum
  • Halestorm
  • Trivium
  • Babymetal
  • Bad Omens
  • Ice Nine Kills
  • The Pretty Reckless
  • A Day to Remember
  • Mastodon
  • Tom Morello
  • Feeder
  • Drowning Pool
  • Cavalera
  • Static-X
  • Bloodywood
  • Scooter
  • Ash
  • Dogstar

The 2026 line-up reflected how broad Download’s identity had become.

Nu metal, classic rock, metalcore, industrial music, punk, electronic music and modern alternative metal all shared the same festival.

Limp Bizkit’s long-delayed headline moment tied the newest edition directly back to the festival’s birth.

Linkin Park’s appearance looked firmly towards the future.

Download had completed another chapter. (Download Festival)

🐕 The Download Dog

One of Download’s most recognisable symbols is the Download Dog.

The red, black and white mascot became part of the festival’s visual identity, appearing across posters, merchandise, signs and campsite landmarks.

For many fans, seeing the Download Dog means the festival countdown has properly begun.

It has become as closely associated with Download as mud, black T-shirts and the phrase:

“Where the hell did we pitch the tent?”

🏕️ The Campsites Become Their Own Festival

Download is not only about what happens inside the main arena.

The campsites form a massive part of the experience.

Over time, Download has developed a range of camping options and areas, including:

  • General camping
  • Quiet camping
  • Eco camping
  • Mini Moshers family camping
  • Accessible camping
  • RIP camping and accommodation
  • Campervan areas
  • District-based campsite layouts

The campsite entertainment has expanded to include:

  • DJ sets
  • Comedy
  • Cinema screenings
  • Fairground rides
  • Silent discos
  • Markets
  • Food traders
  • Activities
  • Late-night parties

For weekend campers, Download can last five days rather than three.

Friendships are formed in queues, around camp chairs and during desperate attempts to identify which row of identical tents is actually yours.

The campsite is where the Download community becomes real.

👑 RIP: Download’s Premium Experience

Download’s premium camping experience is known as RIP.

Depending on the package, it can include upgraded camping, pre-pitched accommodation, guest-area access, improved facilities and shorter walks.

RIP has expanded considerably over the years.

Options have included cabins, bell tents, hotels, luxury tents and traditional camping pitches.

For some Downloaders, the idea of attending without carrying a tent across several counties is worth every penny.

For others, struggling with a collapsing tent in the rain remains an essential part of the authentic experience.

Both groups believe they are correct.

♿ Download and Accessibility

Download has developed extensive access facilities for disabled festival-goers and customers with additional requirements.

These have included:

  • Accessible campsites
  • Viewing platforms
  • Accessible toilets
  • Charging facilities
  • Personal-assistant ticket schemes
  • Shuttle services
  • British Sign Language performances
  • Quiet and sensory-support spaces
  • Dedicated access teams

The size and terrain of Download can still create significant challenges.

The distances are considerable, and bad weather can make movement difficult.

However, accessibility has become a far more visible part of festival planning than it was during Download’s early years.

The continued involvement and feedback of disabled Downloaders remain essential to improving the experience.

🌧️ The Mud: Download’s Unofficial Headliner

Download weather deserves its own headline slot.

Some years have brought glorious sunshine and dust.

Others have created enough mud to qualify Donington as an inland sea.

The most infamous wet editions have been given the name Drownload.

The mud affects everything:

  • Walking
  • Camping
  • Accessibility
  • Parking
  • Arena movement
  • Footwear
  • Personal dignity

Download veterans know to bring:

  • Proper boots
  • Waterproof clothing
  • Spare socks
  • More spare socks
  • Bin bags
  • Sun cream
  • Warm layers
  • A trolley that may or may not survive
  • Emotional acceptance

The weather is frustrating, exhausting and occasionally ridiculous.

It is also part of Download folklore.

Nobody enjoys standing ankle-deep in mud.

Everyone enjoys telling the story afterwards.

🧹 The Battle Against Abandoned Tents

Like every major camping festival, Download has faced serious challenges involving waste.

Broken tents, chairs, gazebos, sleeping bags and enormous amounts of rubbish have historically been left across the campsites.

Download has introduced environmental initiatives encouraging fans to:

  • Take tents home
  • Separate waste
  • Use recycling points
  • Donate unwanted equipment correctly
  • Reduce single-use plastic
  • Use reusable bottles
  • Leave campsites clean

The message is simple.

A tent is not single-use just because folding it back into the bag feels impossible.

Leaving equipment behind creates additional waste and places enormous pressure on the clean-up operation.

Rock responsibly, butt.

❤️ The Download Family

Download frequently describes its audience as the Download Family.

That phrase has endured because the festival creates a strong sense of community.

Fans travel from across Britain and around the world.

Some attend alone and leave with new friends.

Others return with the same group every year.

Download has hosted:

  • Birthdays
  • Engagements
  • Weddings
  • Memorials
  • Charity fundraisers
  • Family traditions
  • First festivals
  • Final performances
  • Emotional reunions

The community is not perfect.

No festival crowd containing tens of thousands of people will be.

But at its best, Download is welcoming, supportive and united by a shared love of music.

You can wear a battle jacket covered in death-metal patches, arrive dressed as a dinosaur or spend the weekend carrying an inflatable animal.

Nobody is particularly surprised.

That freedom is part of Download’s appeal.

🎤 The Bands That Grew Up at Download

One of Download’s greatest achievements has been providing a path for bands to rise through its stages.

Notable examples include:

Slipknot

Slipknot moved from major supporting positions to their landmark 2009 headline set and became one of the festival’s most dependable headliners.

Avenged Sevenfold

Avenged Sevenfold progressed through the Download line-up before receiving their first headline position in 2014.

Bring Me the Horizon

The Sheffield band endured hostile reactions during parts of their early career before returning as triumphant headliners in 2023.

Biffy Clyro

Biffy Clyro grew from earlier appearances into a two-time Download headliner.

Sleep Token

Sleep Token’s rise from the smallest stage in 2018 to main-stage headliners in 2025 remains one of the most dramatic progressions in festival history.

Korn

After appearing numerous times across Download’s history, Korn finally received their first headline slot in 2025.

Download needs legacy bands.

But its future depends on allowing new ones to rise.

🏆 Download’s Greatest Moments

Choosing the greatest moments in Download history is almost impossible, but several have become part of festival legend:

  • Metallica’s secret second-stage set in 2003
  • Joey Jordison helping Metallica complete their 2004 headline performance
  • Trivium’s breakthrough appearance in 2005
  • Metallica performing Master of Puppets in 2006
  • Slipknot becoming headliners in 2009
  • AC/DC bringing their own stage in 2010
  • Metallica performing The Black Album in 2012
  • Rammstein closing the tenth anniversary in 2013
  • Linkin Park performing Hybrid Theory in 2014
  • The Lemmy Stage tribute in 2016
  • Guns N’ Roses’ marathon 2018 set
  • The mud-soaked Drownload of 2019
  • The emotional Download Pilot in 2021
  • Metallica’s two no-repeat anniversary sets in 2023
  • Sleep Token rising to headline in 2025
  • Limp Bizkit finally headlining in 2026

Every Download veteran will have a different list.

That is exactly the point.

Download’s real history consists of thousands of personal moments happening across the same fields.

🤘 Why Download Festival Matters

Download Festival preserved Donington’s status as the spiritual home of British rock.

It gave classic artists somewhere to return.

It provided newer bands with a path towards the biggest stages.

It brought together metalheads, punks, goths, alternative fans, classic-rock veterans and younger generations discovering heavy music for the first time.

Download has also adapted.

Its earliest line-ups reflected nu metal, punk and the alternative boom of the early 2000s.

Later editions embraced metalcore, electronic music, emo, progressive metal, theatrical rock and an increasingly broad definition of what belongs at a rock festival.

Not every booking has pleased everybody.

That is probably healthy.

A festival that never changes eventually becomes a museum.

Download’s challenge is to respect the past while creating enough room for the future.

🔥 The Riff Report Verdict

Download Festival is one of the great institutions of British rock and metal.

It was born from the legacy of Monsters of Rock but developed an identity entirely its own.

Since 2003, Donington has hosted secret Metallica appearances, historic album performances, farewell tours, reunions, new headliners, emotional tributes and some of the biggest heavy-music crowds in Europe.

The festival survived cancellations, controversy, brutal weather and a global shutdown.

It returned because the Download community returned with it.

Download is exhausting.

It is expensive.

It is enormous.

It is occasionally so muddy that reaching the arena feels like completing military training.

And yet, every year, the faithful come back.

They carry their tents across the fields.

They find their campsite family.

They raise their horns.

They watch the lights come up over Donington.

Then, before they have even recovered, they start counting down to the next one.

That is Download.

Loud.

Messy.

Historic.

Unforgettable.

The spiritual home of rock.

Long live Donington.

Proudly loud. Zero apologies. 🤘🐕🔥