Download Festival returned to the hallowed grounds of Donington Park this weekend [12 - 14 June, 2026], with glorious sunshine, Limp Bizkit, Guns N' Roses and Linkin Park helping make Download XXIII one of the festival's strongest editions in years.
Photo; Matt Higgs
Donington Park has one hell of a history. First, it was home to the biggest metal event of the 1980s, Monsters of Rock, and since 2001 it has hosted its natural successor, Download Festival. It is rightly revered as the spiritual home of rock in the UK.
This weekend, 95,000 people witnessed another unforgettable Download Festival — one destined for the heavy music history books.
With more than 120 acts spread across four stages, alongside sideshows, bars and countless attractions, there's a lot to take in upon arriving at Donington Park. It's a sensory overload, but that's the beauty of any great festival; getting lost in the experience.
Whether visiting Crobar Download — a recreation of the legendary London metalhead watering hole — or Lemmy's Bar, officially opened by none other than Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan, it's clear you really can find anything at Download. Oh, and did we mention the Red Arrows flew overhead in formation on two separate occasions?
Of course, while the event itself is one hell of a party, it would mean little without the soundtrack. Following spirited sets from Scene Queen and P.O.D., day one [Friday 12 June] really kicked into gear with Hollywood Undead, whose inspired take on 'Sweet Caroline' was always guaranteed to raise the roof.
Over on the main Apex Stage, Download regulars Pendulum set the evening alight. With the sun blazing overhead, their high-energy anthems provided the perfect soundtrack. Drawing a huge crowd, the Australians were joined by Enter Shikari's Rou Reynolds for a blistering rendition of 'Sorry, You're Not a Winner'.
Equally popular were Electric Callboy, who have followed up their appearance by announcing a huge 2027 tour. Drawing a headliner-worthy crowd to their afternoon Apex Stage slot, they packed their set with feel-good anthems, with the singalong to 'The Devil Within' proving one of the day's standout moments.
While Cypress Hill brought the hip hop chill to the Apex stage, an indecently packed Avalanche tent helped Feeder celebrate their return to Donington following a two-decade plus absence. Blasting out the big hitters like 'Come Back Around', and 'Buck Rogers' in the early part of the set, the duo earned a truly rapturous response. "It's taken us 22 years to come back and play for you", confessed front man Grant Nicholas; "it's good to be back!"
Closing out the day, the number of reversed red baseball hats in the crowd left little doubt that this was to be Limp Bizkit's day. With Fred Durst and co. rollin' onto the stage to an incendiary 'Break Stuff', what followed was as subtle as the main man's curly-haired wig.
Bringing on "a super fresh new artist" in Lauren Sanderson for 'Hot Dog', as well as four girls from the crowd who joined in on 'Full Nelson', it was a night loaded with surprises.
Oh, and kudos to the stage production that gave nods to a wide variety of influences from Run DMC to Minor Threat, Sepultura, Led Zeppelin, The Cure and House of Pain in the form of a row of oversized cassette tape spines.
Those in the need for more, however, headed to the Dogtooth Tent to see the Cavalera brothers rip through their 1993 masterwork 'Chaos AD' in its entirety. Backed by an impressive animatronic suspended corpse that aped the album art dangling from the rear of the stage, the band reminded all just how good the album is. "over thirty years ago this album came out, and it made a big splash in the metal world", said Max Cavalera. He wasn't wrong.
This weekend, 95,000 people witnessed another unforgettable Download Festival — one destined for the heavy music history books.
With more than 120 acts spread across four stages, alongside sideshows, bars and countless attractions, there's a lot to take in upon arriving at Donington Park. It's a sensory overload, but that's the beauty of any great festival; getting lost in the experience.
Whether visiting Crobar Download — a recreation of the legendary London metalhead watering hole — or Lemmy's Bar, officially opened by none other than Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan, it's clear you really can find anything at Download. Oh, and did we mention the Red Arrows flew overhead in formation on two separate occasions?
Of course, while the event itself is one hell of a party, it would mean little without the soundtrack. Following spirited sets from Scene Queen and P.O.D., day one [Friday 12 June] really kicked into gear with Hollywood Undead, whose inspired take on 'Sweet Caroline' was always guaranteed to raise the roof.
Over on the main Apex Stage, Download regulars Pendulum set the evening alight. With the sun blazing overhead, their high-energy anthems provided the perfect soundtrack. Drawing a huge crowd, the Australians were joined by Enter Shikari's Rou Reynolds for a blistering rendition of 'Sorry, You're Not a Winner'.
Equally popular were Electric Callboy, who have followed up their appearance by announcing a huge 2027 tour. Drawing a headliner-worthy crowd to their afternoon Apex Stage slot, they packed their set with feel-good anthems, with the singalong to 'The Devil Within' proving one of the day's standout moments.
While Cypress Hill brought the hip hop chill to the Apex stage, an indecently packed Avalanche tent helped Feeder celebrate their return to Donington following a two-decade plus absence. Blasting out the big hitters like 'Come Back Around', and 'Buck Rogers' in the early part of the set, the duo earned a truly rapturous response. "It's taken us 22 years to come back and play for you", confessed front man Grant Nicholas; "it's good to be back!"
Closing out the day, the number of reversed red baseball hats in the crowd left little doubt that this was to be Limp Bizkit's day. With Fred Durst and co. rollin' onto the stage to an incendiary 'Break Stuff', what followed was as subtle as the main man's curly-haired wig.
Bringing on "a super fresh new artist" in Lauren Sanderson for 'Hot Dog', as well as four girls from the crowd who joined in on 'Full Nelson', it was a night loaded with surprises.
Oh, and kudos to the stage production that gave nods to a wide variety of influences from Run DMC to Minor Threat, Sepultura, Led Zeppelin, The Cure and House of Pain in the form of a row of oversized cassette tape spines.
Those in the need for more, however, headed to the Dogtooth Tent to see the Cavalera brothers rip through their 1993 masterwork 'Chaos AD' in its entirety. Backed by an impressive animatronic suspended corpse that aped the album art dangling from the rear of the stage, the band reminded all just how good the album is. "over thirty years ago this album came out, and it made a big splash in the metal world", said Max Cavalera. He wasn't wrong.
Photo; Leora Bermeister
Delivering a much-needed caffeine bomb to a very hungover Download, The Wildhearts deliver a set of pop metal classics on the main stage fit to shake the weariest of souls. It may have been too much for some, but not front man Ginger's dog Maggie, who sat by his side throughout. "We're both very much in love and enjoying the day", he later told us backstage; "she commands all the attention, she's the star, and I'm fine with that".
Over on the opus stage, US act We Came as Romans played an impressive set of metalcore material, while later British grunge icons Bush played a blinder by opening with 'Machinehead' and going on to play a further brace of tracks from their 1994 multi-million-selling smash 'Sixteen Stone'. With a short early afternoon set, frontman Gavin Rossdale declared; "we're not here for a long time, but we're sure here for a fucking good time!"
With Bush on one corner of the field and Trivium tearing up the Apex stage, NWOBHM heroes Sweet Savage had some fierce competition for their Dogtooth Tent slot, but won over the crowd with both classic, and new material from their latest set, 2025's 'Bang'. Going down a storm, singer and bassist Ray Haller told the crowd; "next time you come to Ireland, give me a shout and I'll buy you a Guinness!"
For a band routinely derided for their historic chronic lateness, Guns n' Roses arrived onstage five minutes ahead of schedule, to a barnstorming 'Welcome to the Jungle'. What followed was two and a half hours of the world's most dangerous band performing for, as Axl Rose put it; "a few close friends here tonight".
Mixing up the set with deeper tracks like 'Bad Obsession' and 'Think About You' - last performed in 2006 - and rarities like 'Yesterdays' - only sporadically performed since its 1991 release - it was of course the hits that kept the audience most entertained.
As is the norm with Gn'R these days, a large chunk of the set was taken up with covers, from Wings' 'Live and Let Die' to Black Sabbath's 'Sabbath Bloody Sabbath', which Rose simply said was; "for Ozzy".
With the band seemingly head over heels for Download, Slash's impromptu handstand leaving the stage said it best about how much they enjoyed their fourth Donington appearance.
Over on the opus stage, US act We Came as Romans played an impressive set of metalcore material, while later British grunge icons Bush played a blinder by opening with 'Machinehead' and going on to play a further brace of tracks from their 1994 multi-million-selling smash 'Sixteen Stone'. With a short early afternoon set, frontman Gavin Rossdale declared; "we're not here for a long time, but we're sure here for a fucking good time!"
With Bush on one corner of the field and Trivium tearing up the Apex stage, NWOBHM heroes Sweet Savage had some fierce competition for their Dogtooth Tent slot, but won over the crowd with both classic, and new material from their latest set, 2025's 'Bang'. Going down a storm, singer and bassist Ray Haller told the crowd; "next time you come to Ireland, give me a shout and I'll buy you a Guinness!"
For a band routinely derided for their historic chronic lateness, Guns n' Roses arrived onstage five minutes ahead of schedule, to a barnstorming 'Welcome to the Jungle'. What followed was two and a half hours of the world's most dangerous band performing for, as Axl Rose put it; "a few close friends here tonight".
Mixing up the set with deeper tracks like 'Bad Obsession' and 'Think About You' - last performed in 2006 - and rarities like 'Yesterdays' - only sporadically performed since its 1991 release - it was of course the hits that kept the audience most entertained.
As is the norm with Gn'R these days, a large chunk of the set was taken up with covers, from Wings' 'Live and Let Die' to Black Sabbath's 'Sabbath Bloody Sabbath', which Rose simply said was; "for Ozzy".
With the band seemingly head over heels for Download, Slash's impromptu handstand leaving the stage said it best about how much they enjoyed their fourth Donington appearance.
Photo; JB
It fell to Mammoth to shake the weary as they arrived onsite in the late morning for the final day [Sunday 14 June]. With their alt rock, Foo Fighters-esque catalogue, Wolfgang Van Halen and co's Opus stage set proved a massive hit.
On the same stage, the festival's social media proclaimed Dogstar's performance "an almighty debut". Buoyed by a huge crowd who had come to witness Hollywood superstar Keanu Reeves on bass, the trio ripped through a sludgy set of post-punk tracks mostly culled from this year's 'All in Now' album. With their thirty minutes done, Reeves approached the mic and said in his instantly recognisable drawl; "thank you very much Donington. You guys rock!"
With so much going on around the site, from a secret set by Download favourites Skindred to Ash laying waste to the Dogtooth tent, it was difficult to know where to place yourself.
Tom Morello meanwhile played one of the most inspired and uplifting sets of the weekend, abetted by his indecently talented son Roman on guitar. From Rage Against the Machine's greatest riffs to tributes to Chris Cornell and Ozzy Osbourne - with Morello Jr making Randy Rhodes' solo in 'Mr. Crowly' look effortless, this was a masterclass in how to do a festival set. Taking aim at the far right with 'Fuck Tommy Robinson' emblazoned across the back of his guitar, it was clear that Tom is still one of metal's greatest protest acts.
With the remaining stages falling silent, all eyes turned to the Apex stage for Linkin Park's set. Back for their first DL appearance in twelve years, the occasion marked, incredibly, the first time a female-fronted act had headlined Download.
Drawing the biggest crowd of the weekend by some margin, the band were on fire from the off, with Mike Shinoda calling the reaction "fucking incredible!" while Emily Armstrong simply said; "this is awesome to be here tonught. Awesome, awesome, awesome".
Set highlights included an incendiary 'Burn it Down', an incredible 'Breaking the Habit' and a pulverising 'Numb'.
As the final notes of Linkin Park's headline set echoed across Donington Park, there was a palpable sense that Download XXIII was another special one. From surprise moments and unforgettable performances to glorious weather and a line-up that delivered at every turn, it captured everything that makes the festival the spiritual home of rock and metal.
Whether it was Limp Bizkit's chaotic Friday night triumph, Guns n' Roses belting out the hits, or Linkin Park writing a new chapter in Download history, this was a weekend packed with defining moments. For 95,000 fans, Download 2026 wasn't simply another festival — it was a reminder of why Donington remains sacred ground for heavy music.
Download Festival returns to Donington Park from Wednesday 9th - Sunday 13th June 2027. For early bird tickets, click here.
On the same stage, the festival's social media proclaimed Dogstar's performance "an almighty debut". Buoyed by a huge crowd who had come to witness Hollywood superstar Keanu Reeves on bass, the trio ripped through a sludgy set of post-punk tracks mostly culled from this year's 'All in Now' album. With their thirty minutes done, Reeves approached the mic and said in his instantly recognisable drawl; "thank you very much Donington. You guys rock!"
With so much going on around the site, from a secret set by Download favourites Skindred to Ash laying waste to the Dogtooth tent, it was difficult to know where to place yourself.
Tom Morello meanwhile played one of the most inspired and uplifting sets of the weekend, abetted by his indecently talented son Roman on guitar. From Rage Against the Machine's greatest riffs to tributes to Chris Cornell and Ozzy Osbourne - with Morello Jr making Randy Rhodes' solo in 'Mr. Crowly' look effortless, this was a masterclass in how to do a festival set. Taking aim at the far right with 'Fuck Tommy Robinson' emblazoned across the back of his guitar, it was clear that Tom is still one of metal's greatest protest acts.
With the remaining stages falling silent, all eyes turned to the Apex stage for Linkin Park's set. Back for their first DL appearance in twelve years, the occasion marked, incredibly, the first time a female-fronted act had headlined Download.
Drawing the biggest crowd of the weekend by some margin, the band were on fire from the off, with Mike Shinoda calling the reaction "fucking incredible!" while Emily Armstrong simply said; "this is awesome to be here tonught. Awesome, awesome, awesome".
Set highlights included an incendiary 'Burn it Down', an incredible 'Breaking the Habit' and a pulverising 'Numb'.
As the final notes of Linkin Park's headline set echoed across Donington Park, there was a palpable sense that Download XXIII was another special one. From surprise moments and unforgettable performances to glorious weather and a line-up that delivered at every turn, it captured everything that makes the festival the spiritual home of rock and metal.
Whether it was Limp Bizkit's chaotic Friday night triumph, Guns n' Roses belting out the hits, or Linkin Park writing a new chapter in Download history, this was a weekend packed with defining moments. For 95,000 fans, Download 2026 wasn't simply another festival — it was a reminder of why Donington remains sacred ground for heavy music.
Download Festival returns to Donington Park from Wednesday 9th - Sunday 13th June 2027. For early bird tickets, click here.