Donington Park
12-14 June 2026
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DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL 2026 REVIEW
The last few years has seen Download Festival undertake something of a soft reset with fans dubbing this new era of the Donington Park event Download 2.0. Post-pandemic the festival simply hasn’t looked back and continues to go from strength to strength.
This year the event is sold out. Something which longtime attendees won’t have experienced often. That does mean that the arena is rammed and again those old school rockers find everything takes a little longer. That said, compared to some other festivals, it never feels dangerous or unsafe.
It’s corny but the Download Family makes this the occasion that it is. These past few years have seen high percentages of first-time attendees and with rock back in fashion, the future of heavy music appears to be healthy.
FRIDAY
Those that enter the arena early on Friday have Scene Queen getting the weekend started on the main stage. An act that in the darker days of rock gatekeeping would’ve been bottled off stage, instead is given a great reception as her bimbo-core brand brings colour to the world and typifies this new Download.
Of course, like all festivals, clashes are inevitable and again this year there are four music stages to pick from. In the biggest change to the arena layout in a decade the Avalanche Stage now occupies part of the campervan field, creating a whole new area. This works well as a standalone space and alleviates some of the pressure caused by the hyper-attendance.
For us we stay on the main stage for a nostalgic sing-along with P.O.D as the packed crowd sings back the likes of ‘Boom’, ‘Youth of the Nation’ and ‘Alive’. Then we catch great little sets from James and the Cold Gun in the Dogtooth, Paleface Swiss at the Opus Stage and Lakeview in the Avalanche tent as we catch our bearings again.
Organisers have done well to open up space and make the most of the arena, which continues to fill up as the day goes on. There are the usual food stalls with some returning favourites and festival standards. Queue wise despite the crowds (barring some really popular options), things aren’t too bad.
The festival is now in full-swing and the sheer scale of the crowd becomes clear as we arrive at the main (Apex) stage for Pendulum. With a bigger crowd then some past headliners have got the band deliver a textbook performance that elicits delirious scenes. The highlight being an appearance by Rou Reynolds (Enter Shikari) on their cover of ‘Sorry, You’re Not a Winner’.
The great thing that Download has always done is intermix iconic acts and new bands and we catch the always joyous Lake Malice next who celebrate announcing their debut album with a full-throttle performance.
The buzz around Electric Callboy continues to mount and if we are judging band by crowd participation and volume then again this is a band in the headliner conversation. Time will tell if the novelty ever wears off but seeing a crowd full of metalheads living their best lives to the first of two airings for ‘RATATATA’ is a joy to behold.
We are split three-ways on the clash front next with Cypress Hill, Halestorm and Feeder taking to the bigger stages. We plump for Halestorm on Opus (plus a bonus side of Story of the Year in the Avalanche) and whilst we don’t know what we’ve missed elsewhere; Lzzy and co deliver a stunning audition for future headliners. Again, seeing the smiles on faces as they breakout their cover of Lady Gaga’s ‘Bad Romance’, sums up the festival this year and backs up our decision.
Day one is all about Limp Bizkit though. The band who were meant to headline the first ever Download only to pull out finally take that top spot some twenty-three years later. The main stage is simply a party as the band show that they belong in this slot. After an emergency causes a delay, the band reprise ‘Break Stuff’ and day one is an enormous success.
SATURDAY
There’s an emotional return to Donington Park for The Wildhearts to kick off Saturday with Ginger receiving a hero’s welcome and blowing away any cobwebs from the night before.
One thing that has crept in in recent years is shorter sets. Back in the day thirty minutes was the minimum, but Tropic Gold are able to make the most of their twenty minutes in the Dogtooth tent. This allows us time though to catch South Arcade on the main stage who deliver one of the most engaging sets of the weekend.
We then head to Opus to catch Drowning Pool, however due to a change in schedule are greeted by As Everything Unfolds. Despite the genre and fanbase differential, the band capitalise on the larger stage and do a great job in winning over some confused old rockers!
Two bands that we were incredibly excited for in advance are back-to-back next in the Avalanche tent. Die Spitz and Mouth Culture both deliver punchy sets but it’s Mouth Culture who enter the conversation for set of the weekend. From the moment they arrive with ‘Ratbag’, the band had the audience in the palm of their hands. We’ve said it before, but this band deserve to be massive.
The weather this year was a hot topic in advance with the forecast very difficult to predict. The rains that greeted campers on Wednesday and Thursday however thankfully subsided and the three main days are graced with a deceptive amount of sun (based upon the number of red necks on display).
Many would’ve predicted heavy rain during BABYMETAL due to their previous main stage appearances seeing two of the worst weather events in the history of Download. This year (though winds are high), the rain stays away. This finally gives the band that uninterrupted opportunity to showcase their unique performance and judging by the amount of people singing back ‘Gimme Chocolate!!’, their set is a winner.
We are at the tail end of the day now and this is when people typically begin flagging a bit. What better way to stay alert then a textbook Trivium face-melting set. Stepping up to sub-headliners with ease (despite the wind cutting back their bells and whistles), the band make a clear and undeniable statement that it’s their destiny to headline this event in the future.
Next, we sneak in a cheeky Hot Milk performance in the Avalanche as the band deliver a trademark emotive set to a crowd eager for some energy. That may be because, closing the day is a now standard three-hour slog with Guns N Roses.
No longer the most dangerous band in the world, instead the most dad-rock band in the world. It’s a technically sound performance which includes all of the hits that you’d want to hear and some great deeper cut choices too. Would a shorter more chaotic set be more fun? Maybe. But the third coming of Guns N Roses still provides amazing bang for your buck.
SUNDAY
Opening the main stage on Sunday when the majority of the crowd is hungover and warn out is a treacherous spot. unpeople though are a band that can knock any challenge out of the park and by the end of their set everyone is on board the hype train.
Whilst the food queues have coped well this weekend, the same can’t be said for the bars and merch stands with both at times looking horrendous. Even on Sunday morning the merch stalls are still too much for some to bother, instead we checkout Catch Your Breath and Mammoth on the Opus stage who both go down well as we gather energy for what’s to come.
The story of RØRY is truly remarkable and is inspiring in so many different ways. Clearly her slot on the main stage is a big moment for her and her fans. The performance is captivating and ‘BLOSSOM’ was made for stages like this!
We are then back in the Avalanche tent for The Pretty Wild and TX2 who keep the trend going of not catching a bad performance so far. What is frustrating however is the increasing propensity of groups setting up their own mini areas of chairs and blankets. Chairs have always been controversial at Download and within reason we feel the choice should remain. However full camps being set-up in the centre of tents is potentially dangerous.
The Pretty Reckless are next on the Apex and deliver a slow burning performance that in many ways is sublime however is arguable too slowly paced for the big slot they are in. Fitting only eight tracks into a fifty-minute set feels a little like a wasted opportunity to showcase their fantastic back catalogue to a big crowd. The energy displayed at the top of the hill for a secret set from Skindred drawing even more attention to this fact.
Speaking of headline size crowds, Ice Nine Kills draw a massive crowd to the main stage, however instead we are back in the Avalanche tent for two of our favourites. First up, Dinosaur Pile-Up who may just capture that set of the weekend with an incredibly fun slot and then the ever-majestic Ash who’s own warm reception again shows the mindset of the event is much different to their last appearance in 2008.
It’s then time for the final run-in. Bad Omens make the mother of all Download debuts in the sub-headline slot and deliver a performance that leaves little doubt that when they return they will top the bill.
A Day To Remember then headline Opus and show their versatility again. Wherever you book them, they will deliver one of the most fun sets of the festival. They may feel further away from the top spot then a few years back, but you can’t ever envisage a time when they won’t deliver the goods.
Finally, it’s down to the reunited Linkin Park to closeout the entire weekend. With a monstrous crowd, and all the hype in the world, the band hit the stage with ‘The Emptiness Machine’ and don’t look back.
It’s worth noting that somehow Emily Armstrong is the first female headliner ever at Download. A massive moment, albeit many years too late and not without its own controversies. With so many amazing women in rock, we prey that it won’t be long before we see a truly organic headliner.
After a more ambient mid-set, the final run-in for Linkin Park is insane. ‘What I’ve Done’, ‘Numb’, ‘Heavy Is The Crown’, ‘Bleed It Out’, ‘Papercut’, ‘In The End’ and ‘Faint’ is one hell of a way to close out Download 2026.
With Linkin Park 2.0 and Download 2.0 showing us that with a mixture of nostalgia and new favourites, you can achieve wonderful results, we simply can’t wait to get back to Donington Park in 2027!
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