Download 2026

[NorthernSoul52]

2 hours ago, Andre91 said:

Would Maiden play their final ever show at Donington? If so, I could see that happening in 2027 if they don’t get signed up for 2026. 
 

Biffy will absolutely headline again and they’re currently working on a new album so if that comes out in 2026, they could wrap the cycle up at DL 2028. 

Would be nice, but all I ever here about Biffy at Download is that they draw pretty soft crowds. (A shame, because when they're on live, they're one of the best out there.)

 

Maiden closing their career at Donington wouldn't be a bad shout. Honestly thought London Stadium would be a potential farewell years ago if they ever went back to stadiums here. Delighted to see they've just lobbed this one in for the hell of it.

[panda97]

6 hours ago, FloopFiller said:

After years of them being stuck on the same revolving roster of like 6 headliners it finally seems like the door has opened up and there are quite a lot of possibilities for the next few years. Ghost, Deftones, Linkin Park, MCR, Blink, Bad Omens… as well as old standards. Undoubtedly the undercards will remain a bit stale, but at least it (hopefully) isn’t just gonna be Slipknot up top every other year. 

The thing is that the more they deviate from the usual the more value it actually does place on the old regulars

More people will be excited when they do book Slipknot or Maiden or Avenged Sevenfold because it won't be the case that everyone saw them headline 2 years ago and will get chance again in 2 years time

I feel with the options you listed and with other up and comers they could settle into a routine of 1 old reliable headliner (Slipknot, Iron Maiden, etc), 1 new but established headliner (Green Day, Foo Fighters, Blink etc) and 1 new bumped up headliner (Sleep Token, Bad Omens, Ghost) 

Obviously won't be a perfect match every year but definitely feels like the best way to go, especially with Reading and Leeds moving further and further away from the crowd that would be excited for the likes of Green Day, Blink and Foo Fighters

[northernangel]

3 hours ago, NorthernSoul52 said:

Would be nice, but all I ever here about Biffy at Download is that they draw pretty soft crowds. (A shame, because when they're on live, they're one of the best out there.)

 

Maiden closing their career at Donington wouldn't be a bad shout. Honestly thought London Stadium would be a potential farewell years ago if they ever went back to stadiums here. Delighted to see they've just lobbed this one in for the hell of it.

 

Biffy are an arse end booking for Download, I'd go as far as pointless. I genuinely think there wasn't much point booking them for Download after 2008/9 so that's 3 times since then and I say that as someone being very into Biffy Clyro over that period but I don't feel they've had a half decent album for 15 years. Streaming isn't everything but out of the top 10 most popular currently, 8 of them on Opposites or before and the other two are from different albums. They aren't the two I would choose but that's fine, there are however a few I like that are higher in the lower daily listens if that makes sense.

 

23 minutes ago, panda97 said:

The thing is that the more they deviate from the usual the more value it actually does place on the old regulars

More people will be excited when they do book Slipknot or Maiden or Avenged Sevenfold because it won't be the case that everyone saw them headline 2 years ago and will get chance again in 2 years time

I feel with the options you listed and with other up and comers they could settle into a routine of 1 old reliable headliner (Slipknot, Iron Maiden, etc), 1 new but established headliner (Green Day, Foo Fighters, Blink etc) and 1 new bumped up headliner (Sleep Token, Bad Omens, Ghost) 

Obviously won't be a perfect match every year but definitely feels like the best way to go, especially with Reading and Leeds moving further and further away from the crowd that would be excited for the likes of Green Day, Blink and Foo Fighters

 

Iron Maiden will play the festival likely one more only, I don't think Slipknot will play it more than once more either. I'm not sure Metallica ever play it again. I feel the longer these don't play and other options come through, they will have to go the new way or old way and the old way would say it's failed and you weren't able to adapt while booking Green Day. The further along the new goes, the stranger it will actually look with your Slipknots etc as it won't be worth value as a weekend for as many anymore.

[King101]

8 hours ago, northernangel said:

Biffy Clyro getting booked to headline again will show how desperate the festival are and how their status has dropped given they headlined a sub level festival last year and were due to essentially sub Reading this year, so we're talking about a Catfish, Gerry Cinnamon, or whoever is subbing BMTH and Travis being an option to headline Download still in 3 years time.

Where does the “Biffy were due to sub Reading this year” thing come from? Was there ever any suggestion they would play Reading/Leeds?

 

QOTSA are headlining Victorious this year and also headlined Download so I don’t think it would drop Biffy out if headline contention.

 

Biffy will never be top of the list but if Download are struggling for headliners (as they have done in recent years) and Biffy are in an album cycle they will get the call.

[Andre91]

28 minutes ago, King101 said:

Where does the “Biffy were due to sub Reading this year” thing come from? Was there ever any suggestion they would play Reading/Leeds?

 

QOTSA are headlining Victorious this year and also headlined Download so I don’t think it would drop Biffy out if headline contention.

 

Biffy will never be top of the list but if Download are struggling for headliners (as they have done in recent years) and Biffy are in an album cycle they will get the call.

No there has never been anything to do with Bifdy playing R&L this year. I have no idea what he means by that. 
 

[charlierc]

18 minutes ago, Andre91 said:

No there has never been anything to do with Bifdy playing R&L this year. I have no idea what he means by that. 
 

Have Biffy been rumoured for anything else or is TRNSMT potentially gonna be it for UK shows?

[Andre91]

14 minutes ago, charlierc said:

Have Biffy been rumoured for anything else or is TRNSMT potentially gonna be it for UK shows?

They’ve been predicted for Glasto by a few people but that’s it. 

[northernangel]

2 hours ago, Andre91 said:

No there has never been anything to do with Bifdy playing R&L this year. I have no idea what he means by that. 
 

Check your inbox 

[AwakeToken4]

Honestly I think 2026 headline will be:

Ghost

Maiden/deftones 

100% but my dark horse guess for the Sunday is an AC/DC farewell/final show at Donington 

Ghost are nailed on surely, rumour has they were asked for 2025 but decided to tour instead

[northernangel]

6 hours ago, AwakeToken4 said:

Honestly I think 2026 headline will be:

Ghost

Maiden/deftones 

100% but my dark horse guess for the Sunday is an AC/DC farewell/final show at Donington 

 

Ghost are nailed on surely, rumour has they were asked for 2025 but decided to tour instead

 

 

AC/DC would see you have an extremely poor undercard for Download. You've seen what a very strong year for the anniversary and new movement has done these past two and no band that is headlining ask for £200 for their own show I don't believe. i believe Metallica are about £120 for standing, Green Day was £85/90 for GA and £110/120 for Golden Circle. To get AC/DC now, I honestly feel they would have to feel they could sell a good 2/3rds of the festival themselves or charge more for a day ticket whereby your enticed for a weekend. This is especially with LP very likely for next year. 

 

On this, I actually think Download for do wonders if they started doing like two days packages similar to what Creamfields do. With how it's booking, it would make sense if they did this to maximise sales and you save a bit by choosing Saturday and Sunday....whether you include camping or not I don't know but if I ever started a festival now I would do this. Bearing in mind too, Creamfields is 80k and it sells out every year and some of the artists there, the big one's as well have done separate shows of their own that don't just instantly sell. You can even get Friday day now which you couldn't a while back but I think that's due to Thursday being the smaller day.

 

I would get a double ticket for Friday and Saturday for Download this year for example. Some arena only tickets going to be approaching the £200 point for resale pretty soon. If I could grab one for about £160, I reckon that might be worth it just to cover two days and I reckon I would pay for the shuttle in and out, have a night's car sleep and a wet wipe wash rather than drag my tent there and bits for two nights. I'm not drinking currently either as I'm training so the campsite drink banter doesn't bother me.

Edited February 24, 2025 by northernangel

[charlierc]

11 hours ago, Andre91 said:

They’ve been predicted for Glasto by a few people but that’s it. 

Certainly they make more sense as an Other headliner than the frequent rumour of Loyle Carner.

[charlierc]

13 hours ago, Andre91 said:

They’ve been predicted for Glasto by a few people but that’s it. 

There is something for Biffy in 2025 now: Biffy Clyro announce huge Eden Sessions 2025 UK show 

[Steve G]

Ghost

Alterbridge 

Trivium 

 

A Day To Remember 

 

System Of A Down 

Gojira 

Lamb Of God 

 

Alice In Chains 

 

Iron Maiden 

Architects 

Skindred 

 

Motionless In White 

[northernangel]

1 hour ago, Steve G said:

Ghost

Alterbridge 

Trivium 

 

A Day To Remember 

 

System Of A Down 

Gojira 

Lamb Of God 

 

Alice In Chains 

 

Iron Maiden 

Architects 

Skindred 

 

Motionless In White 

Not a bad shout but I don't think SOAD will make it here by then. I know a lot will but Gojira and LOG are terrible bands for me to go below SOAD.

[Frankly Mr Shankly]

23 minutes ago, northernangel said:

Not a bad shout but I don't think SOAD will make it here by then. I know a lot will but Gojira and LOG are terrible bands for me to go below SOAD.

I think System will do the UK in 2026, whether that’s Download or a stadium/park show remains to be seen. 

[Steve G]

2027 

 

Limp Bizkit, Parkway Drive, I Prevail 

 

Bring Me The Horizon, Electric Callboy, All Time Low 

 

Guns N Roses ( 40th anniversary of Appetite For Destruction), Disturbed, Volbeat 

 

Yes I have ECB at sub but I think the next year or two is going be big for them and could see them doing a small Arena Tour in 2026 and it'll sell well 

 

 

Edited February 24, 2025 by Steve G

[Gejonimo]

2057

 

Friday

Soojie and the Wollops

Hell is a halfpipe

Wodjamacallits

 

Saturday
Grandmaster Panache
Jinjivitis
3+3 isn't always 666

Sunday

Iron Maiden
Deftones
Steel Panther

[northernangel]

1 hour ago, Steve G said:

2027 

 

Limp Bizkit, Parkway Drive, I Prevail 

 

Bring Me The Horizon, Electric Callboy, All Time Low 

 

Guns N Roses ( 40th anniversary of Appetite For Destruction), Disturbed, Volbeat 

 

Yes I have ECB at sub but I think the next year or two is going be big for them and could see them doing a small Arena Tour in 2026 and it'll sell well 

 

 

 

Parkway will be headlining by 2027 I reckon. Also I think I Prevail played right below them last time. Had Andy still been there I'd see it but he won't be.

[CanWeRest]

I can't think in terms of next week, never mind who will be at Download in 2026.

[Steve G]

2 hours ago, northernangel said:

 

Parkway will be headlining by 2027 I reckon. Also I think I Prevail played right below them last time. Had Andy still been there I'd see it but he won't be.

I honestly can't see PWD headlining. I don't feel they're infront of the pecking order and ticket sales might put them off. Could maybe see them headlining Bloodstock again. 

[FloopFiller]

1 hour ago, Steve G said:

I honestly can't see PWD headlining. I don't feel they're infront of the pecking order and ticket sales might put them off. Could maybe see them headlining Bloodstock again. 

Yeah I think Parkway have basically plateaued at this point and can’t see them making the jump up, especially given the new crop of possible headliners who would all be preferable over them. 

[northernangel]

Is anyone else surprised with Megadeth supporting Disturbed? Definitely a tour I need to get on.

[northernangel]

Disturbed is another one out pricing. Anything decent is £83 and up.

Standing £83. Seating £93 to £116.

 

Another for the twickets.

[NorthernSoul52]

Some chunky prices there, it must be said.

[charlierc]

9 minutes ago, NorthernSoul52 said:

Some chunky prices there, it must be said.

More of a surprise when someone is a bargain at this point tbh