Download Festival is an open-air rock and metal festival held each June since 2003 at Donington Park in Leicestershire, England. It is the United Kingdom's largest rock festival, with more than 100 bands playing on several stages and 75,000–80,000 attendees in recent years. The site covers around and includes a large 'village' area with stalls, bars and entertainment. It surrounds Donington racetrack and is beside East Midlands Airport. Between 2016 and 2022 it was held in multiple locations as well as Donington: this included Paris (France), Madrid (Spain), Hockenheimring (Germany), Sydney and Melbourne (Australia). The festival has hosted some of the biggest rock and metal bands.
Download was created by Andy Copping as a successor to Monsters of Rock, which had been held at Donington until 1996. The festival is owned by Live Nation, and was run by Festival Republic until 2023; now being run by Far And Beyond. It is one of the very few open-air metal festivals in the UK, and is similar to the nearby Bloodstock Festival, but Download is much larger and has a broader range of genres as well as more mainstream acts.
History The Download Festival was conceived as a follow-up to the Monsters of Rock festivals which had been held at the Donington Park circuit between 1980 and 1996. The first Download Festival was created by Stuart Galbraith and co-booked by Andy Copping in 2003 in the same location.Music Tank "Speaker Biographies: Stuart Galbraith – CEO, Kilimanjaro Live" , Music TankCity Showcase "Workshop Panellist: Stuart Galbraith", City ShowcaseGeorgie Rogers "Live Nation ex-boss rues merger", BBC News, Friday, 31 July 2009 Download was initially a two-day event, expanding to three days in 2005.
The name Download was chosen for the festival for two reasons. Downloading was a dirty word in the music industry at the time, due to file sharing, and rock is seen as a rebellious genre of music. Download festivals were meant to be Monsters of Rock festivals for the 21st century, also having the internet provide connectivity with its audience.
The 2003 festival tickets included a code that allowed festival-goers to download tracks from bands that had performed. Although this feature was discontinued in later years, the festival organizers have cultivated an online community through the Download Festival Forums. Originally a platform for fans and critics to share their views, the forums have become an integral part of the festival, with regular contributions from festival director John Probyn and promoter Andy Copping. They also facilitate face-to-face feedback through Fan Forum meetings (started in 2006) and organise events such as the Boardie BBQ (from 2006), the Boardie Takeover night (2009), football tournaments, and a pub quiz for R.I.P. campers who arrive on Wednesday night.
When Download began, it took place on the Donington Park circuit infield as had Monsters of Rock. However, in 2008 developments for Formula One meant that the infield was no longer suitable as a festival site. The festival moved to the "Sunday Markets" site to the west of the circuit. Although adequate, numbers were limited and the location of the campsite meant that getting from tents to the arena was quite a hike. 2009 saw the arena move to a much more suitable location to the south of the circuit and has remained there every year since. In 2019 the capacity was 111,000. Security for the festival has constantly been undertaken by professional crowd management specialists Specialised Security, although the campsite area has had various contractors throughout.
From 2009 to 2019 and returning in 2021, there has been on-site radio broadcasting from Rock Radio on 87.7FM. This RSL broadcast has aired music from festival bands, interviews and news to the festival site and the surrounding area, with the signal reaching as far as Nottingham.
The Download Dog The Download Dog is the official mascot of the Download Festival and appears on a wide range of material related to the festival, such as tickets, stage banners, merchandise, marketing, and the official Download website.
Overview by year + Overview of Download Festival UK Event Year Date Headliners Notes 1st 2003 Iron Maiden and Audioslave 2nd 2004 5–6 June Linkin Park and Metallica A smaller Download was also held in Glasgow 3rd 2005 10–12 June Feeder, Black Sabbath and System of a Down Festival extended to three days 4th 2006 9–11 June Tool, Metallica and Guns N' Roses Riot police arrived at the end of the festival to stop campers who had started fires 5th 2007 8–10 June My Chemical Romance, Linkin Park and Iron Maiden 6th 2008 13–15 June Kiss, The Offspring and Lostprophets The arena moved out of the racetrack infield 7th 2009 12–14 June Faith No More, Slipknot and Def Leppard The arena moved to its current site 8th 2010 11–13 June AC/DC, Rage Against the Machine, Thirty Seconds to Mars and Aerosmith AC/DC performed on their own stage 9th 2011 10–12 June Def Leppard, System of a Down and Linkin Park 10th 2012 8–10 June The Prodigy, Metallica and Black Sabbath 11th 2013 14–16 June Slipknot, Iron Maiden and Rammstein 12th 2014 13–15 June Avenged Sevenfold, Linkin Park and Aerosmith 13th 2015 12–14 June Slipknot, Muse and Kiss Police facial recognition was used, and RFID tags were mandatory this year 14th 2016 10–12 June Rammstein, Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden A smaller Download was also held in Paris 15th 2017 9–11 June System of a Down, Biffy Clyro and Aerosmith A smaller Download was also held in Paris and Madrid 16th 2018 8–10 June Avenged Sevenfold, Guns N' Roses and Ozzy Osbourne A smaller Download was also held in Paris, Madrid and Melbourne 17th 2019 14–16 June Def Leppard, Slipknot and Tool Torrential rain left Donington extremely muddy; a smaller Download was also held in Madrid and Melbourne Cancelled 2020 12–14 June Kiss, Iron Maiden and System of a Down Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic 18th 2021 18–20 June Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes, Enter Shikari and Bullet For My Valentine Festival cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic; replaced with smaller test event of UK-only bands 19th 2022 10–12 June Kiss, Iron Maiden and Biffy Clyro A smaller Download was also held in Germany and Japan20th20238–11 JuneMetallica (x2), Bring Me the Horizon and SlipknotFestival extended to four days for 20th anniversary21st202414–16 JuneQueens of the Stone Age, Fall Out Boy and Avenged SevenfoldRunning of the festival changed from Festival Republic to Far and Beyond Events.22nd202513–15 JuneGreen Day, Sleep Token and Korn23rd202612–14 JuneLimp Bizkit, Guns N' Roses and Linkin Park
2003
The first Download was held on 31 May – 1 June 2003. The original headliners were Iron Maiden and Limp Bizkit, although the latter pulled out and were replaced by Audioslave. Metallica attempted to step in as headliners, but were unable to do so, owing to headlining that year's Reading and Leeds Festivals. Instead, having performed an exclusive club show in London the night before, they played an unannounced "secret slot" in the afternoon on the second stage, with no soundcheck. "Sunday belonged to Metallica," wrote Mick Middles in Classic Rock. "At 3.15 the band were fired into the heart of the festival. Before me, a nonplussed, earplugged infant was held aloft. Somehow it seemed historical. Debuting selections from St. Anger, Metallica swept into a 90-minute frenzy so irresistible that even the Hells Angels were seen clapping in wholehearted appreciation at the end. The coup was complete."Middles, Mick: "The agony and the ecstasy"; Classic Rock #56, August 2003, p114
Chevelle were scheduled to play the Scuzz stage on Sunday but pulled out at the last minute. Instruction, playing their second set of the festival, stepped in as the replacements.
Saturday 31 MayMain StageScuzz StageIron Maiden Marilyn Manson Deftones Ministry InMe Murderdolls Amen Funeral for a Friend Stampin' Ground Shadows Fall Murder OneA Reel Big Fish Taproot Sepultura Reef HIM SOiL The Hellacopters SikTh 3 Colours Red From Autumn to Ashes QueenAdreena Violent Delight Arch Enemy Chimaira
Sunday 1 JuneMain StageScuzz StageAudioslave Zwan Flint Apocalyptica Less Than Jake Disturbed Stone Sour Evanescence Mudvayne Spineshank The Darkness One Minute Silence Raging Speedhorn InstructionNOFX Boysetsfire The Bouncing Souls Strung Out Thrice Spunge T.S.O.L. The Real McKenzies Metallica The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster Brand New Instruction Beatsteaks Randy Fabulous Disaster
2004
Donington The 2004 edition of the festival was held on 5–6 June. Another stage was added to the festival, bringing the total to three. Seventy-two bands played over the two days. The 2004 event was also notable for several last minute hitches. First, SOiL got lost on the way to Donington and missed their main stage appearance on Saturday (they later joined Drowning Pool on stage to perform Drowning Pool's "Bodies" and their own song "Halo"). Static-X missed their slot due to a bus breakdown. On Sunday, Slayer arrived on time, but their equipment did not, leading to a slot change from the middle of the afternoon on the main stage to a later slot (and longer set) on the second stage. Slayer were replaced on the main stage by Damageplan, who were scheduled to play the second stage. Their setlist ended with a rendition of Damageplan founders Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell's most recognisable song from Pantera, "Walk."
The biggest news came from the headliners Metallica, when Lars Ulrich was rushed to hospital. Taking to the stage an hour and a half late, James Hetfield explained the situation with Ulrich and the show then began with Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo playing on "Battery" and "The Four Horsemen." Slipknot's Joey Jordison played the rest of the set apart from Fade to Black which was played by Metallica's drum technician, Flemming Larsen.
The full line-up included: Saturday 5 JuneMain StageSnickers "Game On" StageBarfly StageLinkin Park Sum 41 Iggy and the Stooges The Hives The Distillers Cradle of Filth Monster Magnet Opeth The Dillinger Escape PlanPennywise Electric Six Wildboyz Arch Enemy Biffy Clyro Million Dead Instruction 36 Crazyfists Akercocke Viking Skull Powder D-Void The BledPeaches International Noise Conspiracy Ikara Colt thisGirl Roxy Saint The Glitterati Surferosa Burst Lowfive Yourcodenameis:Milo Bullet for My Valentine The Holiday Plan Hiding Place Fireapple Red
Sunday 6 JuneMain StageSnickers "Game On" StageBarfly StageMetallica Korn Slipknot Machine Head Damageplan Soulfly Ill Niño Turbonegro Breed 77HIM Bowling for Soup Taking Back Sunday Slayer Life of Agony Brides of Destruction Drowning Pool Hatebreed Hoobastank Trapt Silvertide Ricky Warwick Terra DiabloSuicide Girls Young Heart Attack Span The Sounds Dirty Americans Recover Amplifier Do Me Bad Things Danko Jones The Black Dahlia Murder Mooney Suzuki Gonga Hurricane Party Planet of Women
Scotland
In June 2004 a two-day Download Festival was held on Glasgow Green, several days before the Donington event. This had a limited line up with only nine bands performing over a two-day period. The bands which did play included the headliners, Metallica and Linkin Park. Download Scotland also saw an appearance from the Welsh rock band Lostprophets who did not perform at Donington.
Acts which also appeared over the two days at Download Scotland were Korn, Slipknot, Iggy and the Stooges, Machine Head, the Distillers and HIM.
The running order went as follows: Wednesday 2 JuneThursday 3 JuneMetallica Slipknot Korn HIMLinkin Park Lostprophets Iggy and the Stooges The Distillers Machine Head
2005
Download 2005 was held again at Donington Park, on 10–12 June 2005. This festival was different from previous years as the Saturday was officially dubbed Ozzfest 2005, as well as an "Indie day" on the first day of the festival.