The wait is finally over, the first wave of acts for Download Festival 2026 has just dropped, and it’s every nu-metal fan’s wet dream. The legendary Limp Bizkit, Guns N’ Roses, and the long-awaited return of Linkin Park are set to headline Donington Park from 10th to 14th June 2026, promising an electrifying weekend in the festival’s history.
A staggering 90 bands have already been confirmed, making this one of the biggest and most nostalgia-fuelled line-ups Download has ever hosted. Fans can expect an unmissable blend of old-school icons, modern heavyweights, and genre-bending newcomers, all ready to raise hell on the hallowed grounds of Donington.
The current line-up boasts an incredible range of talent, including Bad Omens, Cypress Hill, Trivium, Halestorm, Pendulum, Electric Callboy, BABYMETAL, Mastodon, Architects, Feeder, The All-American Rejects, Ice Nine Kills, Tom Morello, Black Veil Brides, Bush, letlive., The Pretty Reckless, Sleep Theory, Mammoth WVH, and Dogstar; with even more names still to be revealed.
We’re particularly thrilled to see Bad Omens return to UK festival stages following their brief hiatus. With their new album dropping later this month and a sold-out headline show at London’s Alexandra Palace, fans are eager to catch a glimpse of what’s next from the metalcore favourites. Architects also make a triumphant return, fresh from wrapping up their UK tour in support of their latest record, The Sky, The Earth & All Between, a release that continues to cement their reputation as one of the most innovative forces in modern metal.
In a groundbreaking move, Download 2026 will also make history as the first time a female-fronted band headlines the festival since its inception in 2003; a major milestone for diversity and representation within the rock and metal scene.
Alongside the historic headliner, other powerhouse female-fronted acts such as Halestorm, The Pretty Reckless, BABYMETAL, The Pretty Wild, and As Everything Unfolds are set to bring their signature energy and commanding stage presence to Donington. Fans are hopeful that even more female-led acts will be added as further announcements roll out in the coming months. With such an explosive first announcement and plenty more surprises on the horizon, Download Festival 2026 is shaping up to be a nostalgic yet refreshingly diverse celebration of heavy music. Whether you’re a die-hard metalhead or an alternative rock devotee, this year’s line-up proves that Download remains to be a welcome hug to anyone in the metal community.
Full line-up announced so far:
Ankor / Architects / As Everything Unfolds / As It Is / Ash / BABYMETAL / Bad Omens / Behemoth / Black Veil Brides / Blood Incantation / Bloodywood / Boundaries / Bush / Catch Your Breath / Cavalera / Corrosion of Conformity / Cypress Hill / Decapitated / Die Spitz / Dinosaur Pile-Up / Dogstar / Drain / Drowning Pool / Ego Kill Talent / Elder / Electric Callboy / Feeder / Gatecreeper / Guns N’ Roses / Halestorm / Headwreck / Hollywood Undead / Holywatr / Ice Nine Kills / Imminence / Ivri / James and the Cold Gun / Kublai Khan TX / Lake Malice / Lakeview / Landmvrks / Last Train / letlive. / Limp Bizkit / Linkin Park / Lowen / Magnolia Park / Mammoth WVH / Mastodon / Melrose Avenue / Mouth Culture / Nasty / Native James / Nevertel / P.O.D. / Paleface Swiss / Pendulum / Periphery / Pussyliquor / Rain City Drive / Return to Dust / Røry / Scene Queen / Self Deception / Set It Off / Silent Planet / Slay Squad / Sleep Theory / Snot / Social Distortion / South Arcade / Spineshank / Spitting Glass / Static-X / Story of the Year / Sweet Pill / Sweet Savage / Tailgunner / The All-American Rejects / The Plot in You / The Pretty Reckless / The Pretty Wild / Thornhill / Those Damn Crows / Thrown / Tom Morello / Trivium / Tropic Gold / TX2 / Unpeople / Vianova / Wayside / We Came As Romans / Zero 9:36