Download 2026: the highlights

The best of the fest, from Linkin Park’s triumphant return to Donington to Ice Nine Kills’ blood-soaked horror spectacular

With rock, metal, punk, hardcore and everything in between once again descending on Donington Park, Download 2026 served up another three days of chaos, catharsis, and the kind of moments that only happen in these hallowed fields.

From long-awaited headline returns and career-spanning masterclasses to next-generation bands staking their claim on the future of heavy music, this year’s line-up proved exactly why Download remains the spiritual home of alternative culture in the UK. Whether you were there for the riffs, the nostalgia, the pits, or simply the chance to scream your lungs out with 80,000 like-minded misfits, there was magic to be found in every corner of the site.

Here are our highlights from Download 2026.

Scene Queen turns Donington pink

There are few artists on the Download line-up more committed to doing things entirely on their own terms than Scene Queen. Returning to Donington with a bigger platform and an even sharper sense of purpose, she arrives on the Apex Stage ready to turn the festival pink one breakdown at a time. Equal parts sugary, savage and gloriously ridiculous, her ‘bimbocore’ universe brings a breath of fresh air to a scene that still too often mistakes seriousness for credibility, the likes of ‘Pink Panther’ and ‘Barbie & Ken’ kicking off the weekend with a glitter-coated burst of joy. A reminder that heavy music can be both furious and fun, Scene Queen proves that the future of metal looks a little brighter when it’s covered in pink.

P.O.D. bring the nu-metal bounce

If there’s one thing Donington knows how to appreciate, it’s a band with riffs big enough to rattle your ribcage and choruses built to be shouted by thousands. P.O.D. bring both in hefty supply, delivering a set packed with the kind of sunny nu-metal energy guaranteed to whip these festival fields into a frenzy. From the fists-in-the-air guitar lines of ‘Boom’ and ‘Youth Of The Nation’ to the hip-hop grooves that form the backbone of their sound, their main stage slot is designed for movement – and there’s plenty of it happening here. With a pocketful of undeniable metal songs rooted as much in unity as aggression, it doesn’t take long for Donington to fully lock in, embracing the nostalgic energy pounding out from the Apex Stage. A throwback in the best possible sense, there are few better ways to spend a Friday afternoon.

Hollywood Undead bring rap-rock bedlam to the main stage

There’s something about way in which Hollywood Undead swagger onto the Apex Stage that lets you know they’re ready to cause trouble. Cultivating their rap-rock chaos over the last two decades, their set is brash, loud and knowingly over the top, powered by the party-starting absurdity of songs like ‘Everywhere I Go’ and ‘Comin’ In Hot’. Delivered with the conviction of a band who have long since stopped caring about fitting neatly anywhere, the crowd jumps, shouts, and laughs whenever they’re prompted. Sure, it’s not all that serious, but why should it have to be?

Silent Planet deliver heaviness with heart

“This is an absolute dream, but what is a dream if you don’t make it count?” asks frontman Garrett Russell mid-way through Silent Planet’s slot on the Opus Stage. A band who have always dealt in a kind of heaviness that stretches beyond brute force in search of something truly meaningful, their set is technically punishing, full of jagged riffs and crushing drops, but it’s clear that something bigger is at play for the Californian outfit. The savage ‘Panic Room’ is dedicated to the victims of American and British genocide, ‘Trilogy’ is introduced with a poignant story surrounding Russell’s stay in a mental after trying to take his own life, and the vocalist takes every opportunity to share messages of hope, empowerment and change. One of metalcore’s most vital forces, it’s hard not to walk away without feeling like you want to change the world in whatever small way you can.

DRAIN turn hardcore into a party

Hardcore can sometimes take itself a little too seriously. DRAIN, thankfully, do not have that problem. Bringing Californian sunshine and pit-fuelling ferocity to the Avalanche Stage, from the second the opening notes of ‘Feel The Pressure’ sound out, the tent feels like one almighty celebration of community. There’s nothing particularly showy about it, just fast riffs, a thunderous rhythm section, and a frontman who knows exactly how to get a crowd on their side. Circle pits erupt during ‘Nights Like These’ with ridiculous ease, and a cover of Descendents ‘Good Good Things’ hits with glorious force. Heavy, sweaty, and brilliantly life-affirming, DRAIN are proof that aggression is always best served with a side helping of fun.

Rain City Drive prove they’re ready for bigger stages

There are some bands who feel built to be discovered at festivals, and Rain City Drive are one of them. Walking past their set as a multi-coloured beach ball bounces over the heads of the crowd, it’s hard not to be pulled in by the sheer scale of their choruses, the kind of polished, emotionally charged alt-rock destined to become lodged in your brain after hearing just a few seconds of it. Dealing out slick melodies laced with enough bite to keep things unpredictable, ‘Talk To A Friend’ and ‘Wish You The Best’ feel particularly scaled-up here, and the insatiable riffed-up pop melodies of ‘Frozen’ garner an equally warm response. Making a convincing case for themselves as a band ready to climb, Download has always been a place where bands level up in real time, and Rain City Drive make the most of that opportunity.

Limp Bizkit finally claim their headliner crown

You don’t need to look at the stage times to know who Donington is waiting for on Friday. Red baseball caps are everywhere, and more than two decades after they were first due to headline Download’s inaugural event, Limp Bizkit are finally back to top the bill. Their set paying tribute to bassist Sam Rivers and the band’s friend Dougie Miller, Fred Durst and co.’s Apex Stage outing is as powerful as you’d expect. There are the early detonations of ‘Break Stuff’ and ‘My Generation’, full-field shout-alongs of ‘Hot Dog’ and ‘Take A Look Around’, and a rendition of ‘Rollin’’ that has the whole festival throwing out unhinged dance moves. Rounding out with another blast of ‘Break Stuff’, bookending the night in perfect style, Limp Bizkit’s long-awaited coronation proves one thing beyond doubt: they were always meant to headline Download.

Periphery deliver a technical masterclass

For anyone craving precision, complexity and riffs that’ll boggle your brain for days, Periphery’s set delivers in abundance. The progressive metal trailblazers are well-known for their ability to construct the kind of towering, mind-bending songs that’ll keep you guessing with every tempo shift, and that’s exactly what’s on showcase on the Opus Stage during their set. Delivering every masterful note with a surprising amount of warmth and groove, their sound effortlessly shifts from stomach-turningly brutal to beautifully melodic, with live debuts of tracks from latest album ‘A Pale White Dot’ feeling particularly momentous. A set for anyone who enjoys being sonically flattened, Periphery remain in a lane entirely their own.

South Arcade prove they’re worthy of the hype

There’s a particular thrill in watching a young band realise the size of the opportunity in front of them and seize it with both hands. South Arcade arrive at Download as a band on the cusp of something, their punchy, nostalgia-fused alt-rock creating a huge buzz among the huge crowd gathered for their festival debut. Bringing together nostalgic 2000s energy, sharp modern hooks and a whole lot of personality, the likes of ‘DANGER’ and ‘SUPERMAN’ feel tailor-made for a new generation of alternative fans craving pop immediacy with a guitar-driven streak of darkness ripping through it. If they keep this up, the stages are only going to get bigger from here.

South Arcade are touring February 2027 – find tickets here

Halestorm prove why they’re modern rock royalty

There are rock vocalists, and then there is Lzzy Hale. In characteristically commanding form as she takes to the Opus Stage with Halestorm, the sounds coming from her mouth during the band’s set are enough to have you seeing stars. Landing with absurd power, the band behind her are just as formidable, joining forces for an arena-sized wall of hard rock muscle coated in grit. ‘I Miss The Misery’ remains a monster, ‘Love Bites (So Do I)’ is dealt out with delicious ferocity, and every second of their set seems to reinforce why Halestorm have blossomed into such a beloved force in modern rock. Blisteringly heavy without sacrificing even an ounce of melody or soul, there’s a good reason why they keep making their way back to Donington soil – and they somehow just get better and better.

Guns N’ Roses reclaim their place as Donington headliners

There aren’t many bands capable of pulling off a three-hour-plus festival headline set, but then again, Guns N’ Roses aren’t most bands. Starting early and kicking straight into ‘Welcome To The Jungle’, it’s a night built on swagger, style and an absurd number of hits. ‘Mr. Brownstone’ and ‘You Could Be Mine’ sound razor sharp, and Slash remains the very definition of cool, dealing out solos that seem to get gnarlier by the minute. By the time ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’, ‘November Rain’ and ‘Paradise City’ arrive, arms are around shoulders and voices are thoroughly wrecked. Nights like these are what Download is all about.

Ankor make new believers in the Dogtooth tent

Sometimes, the most exciting festival moments happen when you wander into a tent on a whim and leave feeling like you’ve found something truly special. Ankor’s Dogtooth Stage set is one of those moments. Formed over two decades ago near Barcelona but gaining serious momentum in recent years, they arrive with a sound that feels both wildly polished and thrillingly unpredictable. Electronic pulses and razor-edged riffs collide on ‘Darkbeat’ and ‘Embers’, before ‘Venom’ plunges the tent into the heaviest depths of their world. Innovative, heavy and impossible to ignore, Ankor will be making their way onto plenty of new playlists this week.

Bloodywood bring revolution to the field

Every band wants to believe they have their own niche, but there is no other band on the Download line up that sounds even remotely like Bloodywood. Their blend of Indian folk instrumentation, rap-metal power and politically charged fury brings something genuinely different to Download, and it’s welcomed with open arms, the likes of ‘Nu Delhi’ and ‘Halla Bol’ unleashed with the urgency of a band who know exactly what they stand for. Drawing one of the biggest crowds of the weekend, it’s a reminder of just how universal the language of music can be.

Ice Nine Kills turn the Apex Stage into a horror blockbuster

Armed with bloodied props and enough theatrical murder to make a health and safety officer faint, there’s nothing quite like an Ice Nine Kills show. Making their welcome return to Download’s biggest stage, the horror-metal masters showcase their signature full-scale slasher production, complete with enough riffs to melt your face cleanly off. Frontman Spencer Charnas leads them through the chaos, tearing through costume changes as the band’s razor-sharp metalcore detonates around him. There are chainsaws firing out fireworks, decapitations, and a very morbid end to the festival’s dog mascot’s time at Download 2026. A once-in-a-generation type of band, mastering the art of the horror spectacle like no other, it’s an hour of blood-soaked brilliance from one of the scene’s finest.

Ice Nine Kills play The O2, London 28 March 2027 – find tickets here

Bad Omens underline their superstar status

The rise of Bad Omens has been impossible to ignore, and if anyone needed further proof of why they’ve become one of modern heavy music’s most talked-about bands – this is it. Sleek, atmospheric and devastatingly precise, vocalist Noah Sebastian commands the Apex Stage like someone fully at ease with the scale of the moment. The dark electronic textures of ‘CONCRETE JUNGLE’ and the sultry melodies of ‘Like A Villain’ thrive on tension, the crowd sucked into the action from the very first note, and by the time things are rounding out with seismic bursts of aggression courtesy of ‘Dethrone’, there’s no denying the importance of this set. If there was any doubt that Bad Omens are ready for the very top, consider it put safely to rest.

A Day To Remember deliver the perfect festival send-off

“The fact you f*ck with us enough to not get a good spot for Linkin Park means a lot to us,” Jeremy McKinnon smiles, surveying the enormous crowd gathered for A Day To Remember’s Opus Stage headline slot. Few bands understand Download’s sweet spot quite like the Florida heavyweights, balancing pop-punk nostalgia, metalcore muscle and high-octane silliness with ridiculous ease. There’s pyro, t-shirt cannons, and rolls of toilet paper thrown onto the crowd, and from the opening chants of ‘The Downfall Of Us All’, the party is in full swing. ‘Mr. Highway’s Thinking About The End’ lands with pummelling force, ‘All My Friends’ feels like one giant, sweaty group hug, and a heartwarming singalong to ‘If It Means A Lot To You’ is enough to bring a tear to your eye. There are some bands simply made to close out festivals, and this is one of them.

Linkin Park close out the weekend with a triumphant new chapter

Twelve years since their last Donington headline set, and following the loss of frontman Chester Bennington in 2017, there was a time when this return felt impossible. Now though, with co-vocalist Emily Armstrong helping usher in a new era, the band are back exactly where they belong. From the rap-driven nu-metal bite of ‘A Place For My Head’ and ‘Papercut’ to the staggering vocal strength on show from Armstrong during ‘Faint’ and ‘Heavy Is The Crown’, there’s a sense of release running through the whole set. A celebration of survival, it’s a triumphant return, honouring what was, and allowing something beautiful to bloom from it. Drawing Download 2026 to an emotional, euphoric end, there are smiling faces everywhere you turn, as thousands wave their goodbyes to Donington Park for another year.

Tickets for Download 2027 are on sale now