Festivals
Download Festival 2026: The complete line-up deep dive
Lightening the load on the heaviest poster of summer – your guide to who's playing Download 2026
Donington Park is once again preparing for a weekend of mammoth riffs as Download Festival 2026 rolls around with another stacked bill of rock, metal, punk, and everything in between.
Promising the kind of chaos only Download can deliver, the line-up is packed with everything from pit-starting hardcore and deathcore brutality to throwback rock singalongs and old-school punk attitude. With every glance at the poster presenting you with another band you suddenly need to make time for, there’s no chance of catching everything, so it’s time to start mapping out your must-sees.
Whether you’re chasing nostalgia, chaos, or the sets that everyone will be talking about, here’s your complete guide to the Download Festival 2026 line-up.
THE HEADLINERS
Limp Bizkit
Friday, Apex Stage
Over three decades into their career, it’s hard to believe Limp Bizkit have never taken on a Donington headline slot before. Whether you’re there for singalongs, mosh pits, nu-metal nostalgia, or just to lose your mind in a field filled with strangers, Fred Durst and co. have got every base covered to close out the festival’s opening night. With enough hits to ensure there’s not a second of downtime in their set – from the anarchic chugs of ‘Break Stuff’ to swaggering bravado of ‘My Way’ – this is the type of loud, riff-fuelled ridiculousness that Download was made for.
Guns N’ Roses
Saturday, Apex Stage
There are headliners, and then there are headliners. Few bands in rock history can command a crowd in quite the same way as Guns N’ Roses, and even fewer bands boast such a stacked catalogue of hard rock anthems. Whether they’re rattling through the sleazy stomp of classics like ‘Welcome To The Jungle’ and ‘Mr. Brownstone’ or tapping into their emotional side with sky-scraping ballads like ‘November Rain’, these certified legends have all the ingredients they need to deliver a spectacular headline set. As effortlessly cool now as they were 40 years ago, this will be one of those moments that has people talking for years to come.
Linkin Park
Sunday, Apex Stage
Back for their fifth stint as Download headliners, Linkin Park’s return to the field is going to be an emotional one. Their first Donington stop since the passing of iconic frontman Chester Bennington, it’ll mark their first performance at the festival with co-lead vocalist Emily Armstrong, joining the mighty Mike Shinoda behind the mic. A band whose legacy is woven into the DNA of modern rock and metal, there are countless moments that are going to hit hard here. From the explosive punch of classics such as ‘One Step Closer’ and ‘Faint’ to the sheer catharsis of the singalongs that’ll spark from the likes of ‘In The End’ and ‘Numb’, as well as a sprinkling of fresh cuts from the band’s 2024 comeback album From Zero, expect a masterclass on closing out a festival in style.
THE OG’S
Cypress Hill
Friday, Apex Stage
Formed in 1988, whilst they’re most commonly categorised as a hip-hop group, it’s impossible to deny how much of an impact Cypress Hill have had on metal music. Having been embraced as the oddball cousins of the genre since the early nineties, their smoky beats and razor-sharp attitude have brought them the type of crossover appeal most artists can only dream of, long before metal learned to widely embrace genre fusion. A little nastier and more rebellious than most of their peers, classics like ‘Insane In The Brain’ and ‘How I Could Just Kill A Man’ are tailor-made for a field full of people ready to lose it. The perfect example of how to throw a curveball booking into the mix, this is guaranteed to be the topic of many conversations as people walk back to their tents on Friday night.
P.O.D.
Friday, Apex Stage
If you were anywhere near the metal scene at the turn of the millennium, it’s likely P.O.D. were blasting through the speakers of your CD player at some point. With their 2001 album Satellite giving a home to genre-smashing anthems ‘Youth Of The Nation’, ‘Boom’ and ‘Alive’, the San Diego band’s alt-metal and rap-rock hybrid sound still hits with serious force 25 years on. Whether they’re a band you associate with pure nostalgia or you’ve tuned into their more recent collaborations with everyone from Lamb Of God’s Randy Blythe to Jinjer on 2024 album ‘VERITAS’, P.O.D. will be looking to prove why they’ve been such a truly enduring force in metal as they take to the stage this summer.
Social Distortion
Sunday, Opus Stage
There’s a timeless cool to Social Distortion that few bands could ever even hope to fake. For more than four decades, Mike Ness and co. have been carving out their own lane between punk grit, country soul and rock ’n’ roll heartache, sounding just as at home blasting through roaring fists-up anthems as they do leaning into something more weathered and reflective. Songs like ‘Ball And Chain’, ‘Story Of My Life’ and ‘Machine Gun Blues’ carry that perfect mix of raucous energy and raw feeling, and it’s exactly the kind of no-nonsense songwriting that hits beautifully in a festival setting. One for the punks, the rockers, and everyone in between, this should be a class act from start to finish.
Looking for more of the classics? Don’t miss Halestorm, Tom Morello, and Trivium, also performing across the weekend.
THE UNMISSABLE SETS
Bad Omens
Sunday, Apex Stage
There are few bands more integral to the modern heavy music landscape than Bad Omens. Evolving from their scrappier metalcore beginnings into something far slicker and darker over the years, the Los Angeles outfit have become a force to be reckoned with, setting the example for the genre’s next wave. Fronted by Noah Sebastian – a vocalist with one of the most enviable ranges in the game – their live show is a feverish collision of atmosphere and aggression. Darting between haunting melody and full-throttle momentum, cuts like ‘Just Pretend’, ‘THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND’ and ‘Dethrone’ prove just why they’re one of the most in-demand bands on the planet right now. This set’s going to leave a lot of festival goers with hoarse voices as they make their way home on Monday morning.
Dogstar
Sunday, Opus Stage
There’s always at least one booking on the Download line-up that makes people do a double take, and with a Hollywood icon dishing out the bass, Dogstar are undoubtedly one of this year’s biggest talking points. Formed by Keanu Reeves and drummer Robert Mailhouse after striking up a friendship during a chance supermarket encounter in 1991, despite having a superstar in their ranks, the alt-rock trio are one of the more understated contenders on the bill. Leaning into a warm, melodic sound with songs that favour groove and slow-burning hooks over riff-laden confrontation, their set should cut through the weekend’s chaos with ease. This one’s bound to draw a serious crowd, so you definitely want to make sure you’re a part of it.
Scooter
Sunday, Avalanche Stage
While we’re talking about curveballs, there’s one name that undoubtedly tops the list. Bringing their assault of pounding rave beats and absurdly infectious energy to Donington for the first time, German happy hardcore heroes Scooter are the type of booking that shouldn’t work for a metal crowd on paper – but just you wait. One of the most relentless live acts around, you can guarantee the whole crowd will be sent into meltdown the second ‘How Much Is The Fish?’ starts pumping out of the Avalanche Stage speakers. A dose of pure, unfiltered energy shot straight into your veins, whatever you do, don’t be that guy standing at the back of the tent with arms folded moaning that it’s ‘not metal’. No one likes that guy.
Looking for more unmissable artists? Check out Drain, Letlive., Silent Planet, Thornhill, and Thrown, also performing across the weekend.
THE PARTY STARTERS
Pendulum
Friday, Apex Stage
There are few better ways to send a crowd into overdrive than unleashing Pendulum at full volume. Following their return to touring in 2024, the legendary electronic outfit recently unleashed their first album in 15 years, Inertia, and now they’re ready to bring their drum and bass driven mayhem back to Download Festival. With one of the most explosive live shows in the game, whether it’s the apocalyptic EDM rush of ‘Propane Nightmares’, the atmospheric tension of ‘Watercolour’ or the high-energy punch of ‘Witchcraft’, the Australian heavyweights know exactly how to make thousands of people move at once. Packed with enough adrenaline to jolt anyone back to life no matter how mental the day has been, don’t miss out on this one.
Electric Callboy
Friday, Apex Stage
There are plenty of words in Electric Callboy’s vocabulary, but thankfully subtlety is not one of them. With one of the most wildly entertaining live shows on the planet, the German party-starters have made a career out of their rave-ready blend of metalcore, Eurodance and sheer absurdity. Destined to get everyone’s blood pumping with tracks like ‘WE GOT THE MOVES’, ‘Pump It’ and ‘Hypa Hypa’, they might not take themselves too seriously, but don’t be fooled into thinking that means they won’t give it everything they’ve got. Prepped with enough riffs to detonate a crowd in seconds, their set will almost certainly have limbs flying in every direction. Make sure to add your neon tracksuit to the packing list ready for this one.
Ice Nine Kills
Sunday, Apex Stage
One of the most unique bands in modern metal, Boston horror obsessives Ice Nine Kills put on a live show that feels more like a night out at the theatre. With their electrifying, blood-soaked metalcore stylings leading the charge, they serve up every triumphant chorus with a generous helping of cinematic flair and slasher movie magic. Designed to drag crowds into their twisted universe whether they’re willing participants or not, you can expect everything from decapitations to chainsaw attacks taking place right in front of you. A band who are guaranteed to have a whole host of devilish surprises up their sleeve, you’d be best to expect the unexpected.
Looking for more sonic chaos? Don’t miss Bloodywood, Hollywood Undead, Hot Milk, and Scene Queen, also performing across the weekend.
THE ONES WITH THE RIFFS
Paleface Swiss
Friday, Opus Stage
If you’re after the type of ugly, knuckle-dragging heaviness that would send your family into a frenzy if you blasted it at the dinner table, Paleface Swiss should be on your list of ones not to miss. Dealing exclusively in the kind of pulse-racing deathcore that’ll have everyone pulling their gnarliest stank face, these Zurich newcomers certainly don’t mess around. Darting between downtempo filth and colossal hardcore grooves, with vocalist Marc “Zelli” Zellweger spitting every line like he’s trying to incite a riot, there’s nothing pretty to be found here – but who’s coming to Download looking for pretty? If you’re craving the nastiest breakdowns of the weekend, welcome to your idea of absolute heaven.
Architects
Saturday, Opus Stage
By this point, Architects don’t require much of an introduction. One of British heavy music’s most important modern exports, the Brighton giants have spent years evolving from chaotic metalcore favourites into arena-sized forces. From the crushing urgency of their early days to the euphoric choruses of their more recent output, over the years their live show has evolved into something simply unstoppable. Led by frontman Sam Carter and his ability to command a crowd like few others can, hits like ‘Doomsday’ and ‘Animals’ are sure to set the crowd alight. Throw in some blisteringly heavy cuts from 2025’s genre-defining album The Sky, The Earth & All Between into the mix, and you’ve got an absolutely essential Download 2026 set.
Kublai Khan TX
Sunday, Apex Stage
There’s heavy, and then there’s Kublai Khan TX heavy. Stripping everything back the type of brutality that sparks the same reaction as throwing gasoline onto a roaring fire, these Texas bruisers specialise in metallic hardcore that’ll have you leaving your jaw in the field. With jagged riffs, cavernous grooves and furiously barked vocals courtesy of frontman Matt Honeycut, they’re the type of booking that should come with its own public safety hazard. When the likes of ‘Self-Destruct’ and ‘Theory Of Mind’ kick into life, this may well become one of the most glorious sights the Apex Stage has ever seen.
Looking for more riffs? Don’t miss Behemoth, Conjurer, Lake Malice, Mastodon, Periphery, and We Came As Romans, also performing across the weekend.
THE THROWBACKS
Feeder
Friday, Avalanche Stage
Picture it. The sun is shining, the alcohol is just starting to seep into your system, and you’ve got pure excitement surging through you at the thought of what the rest of the weekend has in store. Right then, you hear the opening riff of 2001 alt-rock mega-hit ‘Just A Day’. Bliss. There are some bands who just know how to create the perfect festival vibe, and Welsh favourites Feeder are certainly among the greats. Stepping into Donington with a catalogue packed full of soaring choruses and warm, fuzzed-up alt-rock comfort, prepare for the ultimate serotonin boost when they rip into the likes of ‘Buck Rogers’ and ‘Feeling A Moment’.
The All-American Rejects
Saturday, Avalanche Stage
Sure, riffs and breakdowns are a lot of fun, but is it Download Festival without those life-affirming singalongs to the songs that soundtracked your teenage years? Those moments surrounded by mates are the ones that’ll stick with you for life, and The All-American Rejects are coming to Donington ready to deal them out in spades. Conquerors of the 2000s sweet spot between pop-punk edginess and radio-rock polish, they’ve spent years proving they know exactly how to channel heartbreak and angst into something thousands of people can scream back at them. Expect the entire tent to lose their minds when the likes of ‘Swing, Swing’, ‘Dirty Little Secret’ and ‘Gives You Hell’ start roaring out of those monitors.
Bush
Saturday, Opus Stage
If you’re after a dose of proper 90s alt-rock heft, Bush have got you covered. Led by the ever-commanding Gavin Rossdale, the London-formed rockers made their name on grunge-era staples that still sound enormous when blasted through any speaker, balancing moody introspection with radio-ready riffs. From the brooding crunch of ‘Machinehead’ and ‘Everything Zen’ to the towering emotional release of ‘Glycerine’, it’s guaranteed to be one of those sets that has you and all your mates shouting, ‘Wait, I know this one!’.
Looking for more nostalgia trips? Don’t miss Daughtry, Drowning Pool, The Pretty Reckless, and Those Damn Crows also performing across the weekend.
BRINGING THE SINGALONGS
Black Veil Brides
Saturday, Apex Stage
With their combo of bombastic glam-metal flash, metalcore bite, and massive emo-leaning choruses, Black Veil Brides have become absolute masters when it comes to working a festival crowd. Theatrical in all the right ways, yet never straying into melodrama, across six studio albums the black body-painted outfit have amassed no shortage of material built for pumping you fist in the air and screaming at full volume. Whether they’re throwing it back to the 2010s with the larger-than-life punch of ‘In The End’ and ‘Knives And Pens’ or treating us to snapshots of their forthcoming seventh full-length – set to be their heaviest to date – this is going to be one to remember.
A Day To Remember
Sunday, Opus Stage
Absolute titans of the modern metal world, no band has ever nailed the balance between pop-punk catharsis and bone-crunching heaviness quite like A Day To Remember. With a live show that can switch from heartfelt mass singalong to brutal mosh pits in a matter of seconds, these Floridian noisemakers are absolute masters of their whiplash-inducing craft. Expect some of the weekend’s finest crowd chants during the opening notes of ‘The Downfall Of Us All’, some tears of nostalgia shed during acoustic ballad ‘If It Means A Lot To You’, and absolute carnage when they launch into the earth-shattering riffs of 2025 hit ‘Miracle’. If you like your metal served with a hefty side helping of unapologetic fun, this is the place to be on Sunday night.
Ash
Sunday, Avalanche Stage
Since they emerged in the late 90s, Ash have had an almost uncanny gift for making huge guitar songs feel absolutely effortless. Breaking onto the scene at a time when Britpop had the nation in a chokehold, the Northern Irish trio’s blend of fuzzed-up power-pop sweetness and punky momentum soundtracked the formative years of countless teens. From the jet-propelled rush of ‘Burn Baby Burn’ to the lovelorn brilliance of ‘Girl From Mars’ and the undeniable nostalgia hit of ‘Shining Light’, their set will be packed with the sort of timeless indie-rock gold that takes on a whole new life when shouted back in a festival tent. This one’s guaranteed to be a mood-lifter no matter what the glorious British weather has in store for us this year.
Looking for more huge hooks and singalongs? Don’t miss As It Is, Creeper, Dinosaur Pile-Up, Set It Off and Story Of The Year also performing across the weekend.
THE UP-AND-COMERS
Native James
Friday, Avalanche Stage
Explosive in every sense of the word, Native James is the kind of artist that feels right at home on a Download line-up. Fusing punk, grime, metal, and spoken word into something fiercely urgent, whether he’s tearing into society’s biggest downfalls or reckoning with his personal trials and tribulations, every line is delivered with raw intensity and conviction, combative and vulnerable all at once. Following the arrival of volatile latest EP CONFESSIONS OF A SINNER last year, this has all the hallmarks of one of those early-day sets people end up bragging about catching before everyone else clocked on.
Rain City Drive
Friday, Avalanche Stage
If you need a breather from the all-out chaos without sacrificing big emotion or even bigger hooks, Rain City Drive have your name written all over them. This Floridian outfit deal in glossy post-hardcore and alt-rock melodies fused with contemporary pop stylings and the perfect amount of bite, their songs packed with soaring choruses, gorgeous guitar work, and the kind of hooks that’ll be kicking around in your brain all weekend. Don’t miss your chance to catch them this year, because there’s a fair chance they’ll be playing on a much bigger stage next time they’re on Donington soil.
South Arcade
Saturday, Apex Stage
There’s a whole lot of aggression, heartbreak, and devastation to be found in the alternative music world, but sometimes this scene is at its best when it leans into one thing: fun. That word is central to Oxford newcomers’ South Arcade, who are bringing their brightly coloured carnage to Donington this summer. Merging the adrenaline-fuelled spirit of 2000s pop-punk with a nu-metal attitude, they’ve quickly built up a reputation for songs that feel both shamelessly nostalgic and refreshingly current. Armed with infectious hooks, crunchy guitars, and a confidence that shines through every note, they’ll have the crowd wrapped around their finger from the second they step onto the main stage.
Looking for more new blood to check out? Don’t miss As Everything Unfolds, Magnolia Park, Melrose Avenue, and Unpeople, also performing across the weekend.
Photo credits: Matthew Baker/Getty Images, Harry Durrant/Getty Images, Dave Simpson/WireImage, Jim Bennett/Getty Images, Mariano Regidor/Redferns
