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Download Festival 2025 – The complete line-up deep dive
The ultimate playbook for the biggest and best heavy music festival around
Now in its 22nd year, Download Festival is set to take over Donington Park for three days of mud, metal, and mayhem from Friday 13th to Sunday 15th June.
Welcoming three first-time headliners to the Apex Stage this year, 2025 brings the festival’s boldest line-up to date, colliding the worlds of metal, rock, and punk like never before. Featuring everything from prog-metal pioneers Opeth and modern metal titans Spiritbox to geek-rock legends Weezer and 2000s pop-rock heartthrobs McFly, each glance at the names on the poster brings new surprises – and even more opportunities to stumble upon your new favourite band.
With so many incredible artists to catch across the weekend and only a few months left to get your priorities sorted, here’s your complete guide to the Download Festival 2025 line-up.
The Headliners
Credit: Adamross Williams
Green Day
Friday, Apex Stage
The subject of a lot of debate since their name was dropped, the punk rock legends may not align with many’s view of a classic Download headliner, but there’s no denying their credentials. With five Grammy wins, multiple multi-platinum albums and a 2015 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, it’s crazy to think that this will be the first time the trio ever step foot on a Download stage, but what better way to make an entrance. With timeless anthems such as ‘American Idiot’ and ‘Boulevard Of Broken Dreams’ sure to spark euphoric singalongs and the likes of punk pit-starters ‘Basket Case’ and ‘Longview’ also up their sleeves, their headline slot is the perfect marker of the festival’s new era. Embracing rock legends of all shapes and sizes, it’s a moment that’s long overdue, and we’re more than ready.
Sleep Token
Saturday, Apex Stage
There has likely been no swifter rise to greatness in modern metal history than the story of Sleep Token. Making their Download debut on the Second Stage during the festival’s intimate three-day Pilot event back in 2021, over the last few years their boundary-obliterating vision has forged a path unlike any that came before them. With the success of 2023 album Take Me Back To Eden catapulting the masked icons to arena status in a matter of months – rounding out 2024 with two sold-out nights at London’s The O2 – there’s seemingly no ceiling on what they could now accomplish. A phenomenon that simply must be seen to be believed; as they unleash their next era on hallowed metal ground, prepare to worship.
Korn
Sunday, Apex Stage
Delivering the festival’s crescendo, the closing moments of Download 2025 are in safe hands with these Californian noisemakers. A virtually untouchable live band, emerging in the mid-90s as one of the pioneers of nu-metal, Korn’s last three decades have been defined by aggression, introspection, and most importantly – innovation. With their signature off-kilter heavy riffs colliding with the emotionally charged vocals of inimitable frontman Jonathan Davis, genre classics like ‘Freak On A Leash’ and ‘Blind’ are sure to get some of the weekend’s biggest reactions. The last in a trio of first-time Donington headliners, this one is perhaps the most surprising debut, but with the catalogue of bangers these guys have in their arsenal – it’ll be worth the wait.
The Old Guard
Opeth
Friday, Opus Stage
With one of the most mesmerising live shows in the game, there are few bands capable of balancing brutality and beauty quite like Opeth. Swedish prog-metal titans, for over three decades they’ve been defying conventions of the scene, seamlessly shifting between ferocious death metal growls and delicate, jazz-inflected melodies. From the crushing, expansive weight of 2005 album Ghost Reveries to the more intricate grandeur of 2011’s Heritage, their discography ventures into countless corners of metal mastery, each one bound by expert sonic storytelling. Promising a set filled with sprawling epics like ‘Deliverance’ and ‘Ghost Of Perdition’, frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt and co. will lead The Opus Stage through a labyrinth of haunting passages and thunderous crescendos. Unmistakable kings of prog, whether you’ve seen Opeth a hundred times or never before, this is one not to miss.
Meshuggah
Sunday, Apex Stage
Their name derived from the Yiddish word for ‘crazy’, Meshuggah are bringing their earth-shattering, time-warping chaos back to Download in 2025. A spectacle of sheer technical mastery both on-stage and off, the Swedish extreme metal legends are known for their unique brand of polyrhythmic, precision-engineered heaviness. The likes of ‘Bleed’ and ‘Demiurge’ hitting with enough force to have you making a trip to the dentist on your way home, their mind-bending grooves leave even the most seasoned metalheads questioning what they see before them. No frills or theatrics, just a relentless, hypnotic onslaught of low-end devastation – brace yourself for this one.
Jerry Cantrell
Sunday, Opus Stage
As far as alternative music icons go, they don’t get much bigger than Jerry Cantrell. The mastermind behind some of Alice In Chains’ most iconic compositions and one of the greatest guitar players of all-time, his influence on not only the grunge scene, but the wider rock and metal spheres, is undeniable. From the melancholic broodiness of his band’s 90’s hits ‘Down In A Hole’ and ‘Would?’ to solo gems like ‘Brighten’ and 2024’s ‘Vilified’, his knack for weaving dark, introspective lyricism with towering riffs remains unparalleled. Retaining an effortlessly cool bluesy swagger whilst nailing some of the gnarliest riffs, he’ll be bringing a hearty helping of soul to The Opus Stage.
Looking for more of the classics? Don’t miss Alien Ant Farm, Apocalyptica, Cradle Of Filth, and Within Temptation, also performing across the weekend.
The Throwbacks
Weezer
Friday, The Apex Stage
It’s Friday evening, the summer sun is setting, you’ve got a drink in your hand and a whole weekend of live music still ahead of you. A moment of pure bliss, it’s a feeling that demands the right soundtrack, and few bands can match the feel-good nostalgia and effortless cool of Weezer. Taking to the stage right before Green Day’s headline slot, there’s no end to the festival anthems these lot have at their disposal. From the bright, breezy brilliance of ‘Island In The Sun’ to the throat-shredding emotion of ‘Say It Ain’t So’, and the irresistible earworms peppered through 2021’s introspective OK Human and the ambitious SZNZ project, each step of their career comes to life during their live show. Hook-laden rock classics oozing with energy and crunchy power chords, there’s no one better to kick off a weekend under the Donington skies.
The Darkness
Saturday, The Opus Stage
It’s simply not Download Festival without a shot of flamboyance, and with jumpsuits, guitar duels, and boundless showmanship, who better to deliver it than The Darkness? Celebrating 25 years of theatricality and face-melting solos, their tongue-in-cheek rock ‘n’ roll prowess has given us a whole host of untouchable anthems. From the strutting glam of ‘I Believe In A Thing Called Love’ and the fist-pumping glory of ‘Love Is Only A Feeling’ to the joyous singalongs that take centre stage on their eighth studio album Dreams On Toast, expect a showcase of everything that makes rock music so ridiculous and brilliant in equal measure. A reminder that festivals are all about dialling up the fun, with the unmistakable falsetto of Justin Hawkins ringing through your eardrums, it’ll be hard to leave The Opus Stage without a grin plastered across your face.
Bullet For My Valentine
Sunday, Apex Stage
Kickstarting their 2025 with an arena tour to mark the 20th anniversary of genre-defining debut album The Poison, right now Bullet for My Valentine are in full nostalgia mode. Veterans of the festival making their sixth appearance on the line-up, they’re returning to celebrate their career milestone in style. Tearing through the razor-sharp riffs and raw emotion of old-school classics ‘Four Words (To Choke Upon)’ and ‘Tears Don’t Fall’, the Welsh metal giants’ live show is as ferocious as ever. A whirlwind of crushing breakdowns and fists-in-the-air singalongs, this one could well make Download history.
Looking for more nostalgia trips? Don’t miss AWOLNATION, CKY, Elliot Minor, Jimmy Eat World, Mallory Knox, Rise Against, and Turbonegro also performing across the weekend.
The Unmissable Sets
Credit: Alexander Bemis
McFly
Friday, The Avalanche Stage
With Busted making their triumphant Download debut last year, it seems only right for their (friendly-ish) rivals to take their shot in 2025. Looking to match the chaos their spiky-haired counterparts sparked, McFly are next to prove that they have a home at Donington, and with a heavier edge creeping into 2023’s Power to Play – you’d be a fool to doubt it. With a reputation for thunderous live shows and scream-along anthems ‘Five Colours In Her Hair’ and ‘Star Girl’ ready to unleash upon a packed-out tent, whether you’re there for nostalgia, curiosity, or just to witness the inevitable carnage when ‘All About You’ gets a circle pit, one thing’s for sure – this is going to be unforgettable.
Sex Pistols
Saturday, Opus Stage
A match made in chaos, one of modern rock’s most ferocious frontmen is bringing anarchy to Download 2025. Fronting the punk icons, Frank Carter will be joined by founding members Steve Jones, Paul Cook and Glen Matlock as they unleash a set of anthems that defined a genre. The likes of ‘Anarchy In The U.K.’ and ‘God Save The Queen’ seeming perhaps more pertinent than ever, there’ll be no shortage of middle fingers in the air as they erupt from the speakers. With Carter having torn up the festival’s stages with both Gallows and The Rattlesnakes in the past, he’s made a name as one of the most unpredictable and exhilarating performers in its history. Now, with the Pistols behind him, expect a vicious spectacle fuelled by riotous energy and snarling attitude.
Spiritbox
Sunday, Apex Stage
A career-defining headline show at London’s Alexandra Palace now under their belts, Spiritbox’s return to Download comes shortly after the long-awaited drop of second album, Tsunami Sea. Expanding upon the ethereal melodies and earth-shattering heaviness of 2021 debut Eternal Blue, their ambition to redefine modern metal has already brought everything from Grammy nominations to a genre-smashing collaboration with Megan Thee Stallion, and now it’s time for their debut on Download’s main stage. With the kind of chameleonic heaviness and jaw-dropping technicality most bands can only dream of possessing, paired with Courtney LaPlante’s spellbinding vocal range, you don’t want to miss this.
Looking for more unmissable artists? Check out Alcest, Kittie, LØLØ, PRESIDENT, and Sophie Lloyd, also performing across the weekend.
The Party Starters
Crossfaith
Friday, The Avalanche Stage
If your idea of a good party is one where you have no idea what will happen next, you’d better get down to The Avalanche Stage for this one. With a reputation for genre-blending chaos, this Japanese metal-electronica hybrid turn every stage into a full-blown metal rave. Fusing blistering metalcore riffs, jarring synths, and throat-shredding screams, it’s the ultimate cocktail for a mosh pit-meets-dancefloor frenzy, darting from breakdowns that burst your eardrums to bass drops that rattle your ribcage. Making their long-awaited return with 2024 album AЯK, if you like your heaviness with a dose of futuristic mayhem, Crossfaith are the ones for you.
Poppy
Saturday, Apex Stage
One of the genre’s most talked about artists in recent years, Poppy’s main stage Download debut is going to be a hell of a moment. With a futuristic take on industrial metal – complete with plenty of melodic nods to alt. rock and hyperpop glitches – last year’s groundbreaking Negative Spaces established her as a trailblazer of the scene’s new breed, carving out a space entirely of her own design. Whether you’re a die-hard fan or you’re simply wanting to see what all the fuss is about, expect a set unlike anything else you’ll see across the weekend.
Steel Panther
Sunday, Opus Stage
Glam metal’s most ridiculous revivalists, Steel Panther are back to transform the final day of Download 2025 into the biggest, most outrageous party of the year. Armed with face-melting solos, hilarious lyrics, and enough hairspray to set Donington ablaze, the spandex-clad rockers have spent nearly two decades proving that glam is far from dead, it just needed a little more eyeliner… And a lot more double entendres. Expect profanity-laden crowd singalongs, cringe-worthy innuendos, and stage antics that’ll have you belly laughing in no time.
Looking for more sonic chaos? Don’t miss Airbourne, Don Broco, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, NOTHING MORE, and SiM, also performing across the weekend.
The Ones With The Riffs
Eagles Of Death Metal
Saturday, Opus Stage
If it’s swaggering, no-frills desert rock you’re after, look no further than Jesse Hughes and co. Led by one of the most charismatic frontmen in the business, Eagles Of Death Metal are the undisputed masters of raunchy riffs, hip-shaking anthems, and pure rock ’n’ roll bedlam. The kind of band that’ll have you shouting, ‘Oh sh*t, I know this one!’ as the bluesy dance-ready notes of ‘Miss Alissa’ and ‘Wannabe In L.A.’ ring out from The Opus Stage, there’s no better excuse for a boogie with a beer in hand.
The Ghost Inside
Sunday, The Opus Stage
Few bands embody strength through adversity quite like The Ghost Inside. Having found power in their darkest moments, emerging stronger than ever, the metalcore heavyweights’ latest album, Searching For Solace, came as a testament to passion and determination. Packed with pummelling riffs and euphoric melodies, the band’s dynamic sixth full-length refined their signature sound, ramping up the hardcore intensity before the sweet release of a cathartic chorus. With some of the most emotionally charged singalongs in the game, heavy music simply doesn’t get much more powerful than this, and if their past Download appearances are anything to go by – this one’s going to pop off.
Lorna Shore
Sunday, Opus Stage
With a reign over modern deathcore that shows no signs of slowing down, Lorna Shore’s return to Download should be top of the list for riff-lovers everywhere. Blending blackened fury with symphonic grandeur in a way that feels both apocalyptic and transcendent, the New Jersey metal innovators will be bringing the blast beats to The Opus Stage, with Will Ramos’ deep guttural screams and piercing highs sure to have the whole crowd transfixed. From the iconic pig squeal breakdown of ‘To The Hellfire’ to the orchestral swells of ‘Pain Remains III: In A Sea Of Fire’, this one is destined to leave Donington in ruins.
Looking for more riffs? Don’t miss Bleed From Within, Currents, Loathe, Power Trip, Svalbard, and Whitechapel, also performing across the weekend.
The Ones With The Hooks
Bad Nerves
Friday, The Avalanche Stage
Dubbed “the best band in England right now” by Billie Joe Armstrong, if the Green Day frontman’s schedule allows it there’s a fair chance he’ll be popping down to The Avalanche Stage for this one. Looking to shake up the formula of rock ’n’ roll with irresistible power-pop melodies and snarling nods to the 80s punk scene, there’s no messing about with Bad Nerves. Getting straight to the point with ferociously fast tunes that snake their way into their centre of your skull and refuse to leave for days, their set is likely to feature plenty of cuts from bone-rattling 2024 album Still Nervous.
Teen Mortgage
Saturday, The Dogtooth Stage
When the after effects of Friday night are beginning to take their toll and one of your mates suggests going back to the campsite for a quick nap, drag them over the Dogtooth Stage to catch this Baltimore-based duo. A no-half-measures wake-up call in the form of fuzzed-up guitars and huge drum sounds, they’re taking the magic of the classic punk scene and jazzing it up with high-energy bursts of surf and garage rock. Opening up for Weezer and The Smashing Pumpkins on some of the UK’s biggest venues last summer, they’re on the verge of an explosion right now, so this will likely be the first and last time you’ll catch them on Download’s smallest stage.
Arrows In Action
Sunday, The Avalanche Stage
Right now, pop-punk is in a great place. Retaining all the energy and emotion of the early 2000s scene whilst venturing into more experimental uncharted territory, there aren’t many bands who sum up the genre’s position in 2025 better than Arrows In Action. Revitalising the scene with indie flourishes and an ‘80s sheen, the Nashville outfit are rocking up to Donington to bring the sun-soaked singalongs. With soaring, saccharine melodies and a blinding alt-pop glow, once the infectious hooks of recent singles ‘Feel It Again’ and ‘Cheekbones’ start blaring from The Avalanche Stage nobody in that tent will be standing still.
Looking for more huge hooks and singalongs? Don’t miss Boston Manor, Dayseeker, Kids In Glass Houses, Survive Said The Prophet, Trophy Eyes, and Twin Atlantic also performing across the weekend.
The Up-And-Comers
Artio
Saturday, The Dogtooth Stage
Bursting out of the gate with last year’s boundary-smashing debut full-length Babyface, Leeds’ Artio are a force to be reckoned with in the modern alternative scene. With pulsating synths, towering riffs, and wonderfully emotional storytelling courtesy of vocalist Rae Brazill, they’re here to offer solace to anyone who feels they don’t belong, exploring queerness, neurodivergence, and mental health within adrenaline-fuelled anthems. Making their Download debut after a run of European shows with status-quo-smashing Scottish duo VUKOVI, they’re ready to seize their moment.
House Of Protection
Sunday, The Avalanche Stage
With a crushing sound that refuses to shy away from extremes, it’s hard to believe that House Of Protection are a two-piece. The latest venture from Stephen Harrison (Fever 333, The Chariot) and Aric Improta (Fever 333, Night Verses), this duo are boldly leading the charge for a new era of heavy music, fusing elements of hardcore, industrial, punk, and hip-hop into an experimental call to arms – showcased on fiery 2024 debut EP GALORE. Masters of controlled chaos, even in its infancy the project has laid the foundations for a community centred on self-expression and fearlessness, pushing limits and blurring the line between those onstage and those in front of it. Unpredictable and brilliantly urgent, keep an eye on these guys as they make their Download debut.
Split Chain
Saturday, The Avalanche Stage
Nu-metal is alive and kicking, and Split Chain are here to prove it. Channelling the gritty pummelling power that the likes of Korn and Slipknot flung onto our radar in the early 2000s, these Bristol newcomers have been rising through the ranks of the scene with their intricate blend of crunching riffs, eerie atmospherics, and venomous vocals. Recently signed to Epitaph, their groove-laden breakdowns and nods to nu-gaze feel simultaneously nostalgic and undeniably fresh, already turning heads across the alternative world. Poised for a breakthrough, make your way to The Avalanche Stage ready for your faith in the nu-metal resurgence to be restored.
Looking for more new blood to check out? Don’t miss Karen Dió, Kim Dracula, Unpeople, and Vower, also performing across the weekend.
Download Festival 2025 returns to Donington Park between 13-15 June. Find tickets here
Photo credits: Mark Holloway/Redferns, Adamross Williams, Alexander Bemis, Miikka Skaffari/Film Magic
