Download 2026

[alexs7]

27 minutes ago, Jos92 said:

Offspring out 

 

Announced for Crystal Palace

 

 

Had a feeling they were gonna do their own thing but also glad because I didn't want them to headline 

[kitatus]

At this rate, we're either going to get the freshest, most unique line-up out of all the EU festivals or we're going to get the worst run we've had in years, haha

[Marka23]

22 minutes ago, northernangel said:

Yeah they were never going to be there. Back after only subbing in 2024 was the most unlikely thing to happen.

Limp Bizkit subbed in 2024 yet are seemingly returning 

[OKMess]

6 minutes ago, Marka23 said:

Limp Bizkit subbed in 2024 yet are seemingly returning 

LB is such a funny one because they have gotten bigger in the last two years, but they're not like a fresh band. I think Andy said they had to headline next time they play after their 2024 show, but they've also been very active around the UK pretty much since COVID. I think if they do headline the thinking is 'they might not shift many tickets on their own back, but people will be fine with it and they'll be cheap'. I can't see them not doing Download if they're doing other Euro fests. They've already done the Piece Hall... etc circuit recently which you'd think would be the other summer option for them. Maybe they could do their own arena shows and Glastonbury? Download just seems like the very obvious landing place for LB. 

[northernangel]

21 minutes ago, Marka23 said:

Limp Bizkit subbed in 2024 yet are seemingly returning 

I'll make it clear as this conversation has been had, returning 2 years later as a sub. If you are returning and getting the bump up it is a different case entirely, whether you should or not. Download history given their multiple repeats heavily suggest a sub doesn't returning to sub after only 2 years, and we all know The Offspring were never going to headline even though there is more viable reason to give them it than LB.

Edited October 13, 2025 by northernangel

[Judas Yeast]

4 minutes ago, northernangel said:

I'll make it clear as this conversation has been had, returning 2 years later as a sub. If you are returning and getting the bump up it is a different case entirely, whether you should or not. Download history given their multiple repeats heavily suggest a sub doesn't returning to sub after only 2 years, and we all know The Offspring were never going to headline even though there is more viable reason to give them it than LB.

 

Although I agree, I wonder if any other band has subheadlined and then come back to headline 2 years later? Or even played the festival in a lower spot and then come back to headline 2 years later. Can't remember it happening ever. Sub headliners have sometimes come back but it's incredibly rare, BFMV in 2011 and 2013 is about all I can think of.

 

I agree though, Offspring coming back to the same spot is different to LB getting a bump though not by much in my eyes

[Jrose]

23 hours ago, alexs7 said:

Would GnR even sell that well.

 

I do think there is still a place for "legacy" bands occasionally but GnRs last tour didn't sell well, they had to give away tickets. Metallica and Iron Maiden are at least shifting stadiums easily.

 

If people aren't going on their tour why would they buy a day ticket for Download (unless they have a stacked undercard

 

 

gnr sold approx 45k at villa park and 75k at wembley. thats about 40k more than the entire download festival sold last year. and you are correct, it was probably gnrs worst numbers on tour since the reunion, and it was still pretty big. they only need to justify about 20k day tickets which they will easily do. have to assume download would sell 60k tickets even if they put me and you as headliners, so the 70-100k+ crowds are on who draws, and GnR, maiden, acdc, slipknot etc are the guaranteed draws. 

[Jrose]

21 hours ago, Marka23 said:

Do you know when we can probably expect this announcement?

the GnR USA announcement is likely around november i heard. but it's GnR, they could delay it till march for an april start, the management are dreadful

[alexs7]

Offspring doing the outdoor show(s) after doing arenas does kinda imply the Ghost rumour of them doing that circuit could happen.

[Jrose]

2 hours ago, OllieJ77 said:

And I’ve never listened to GnR properly because they really aren’t my cup of tea so genuinely not sure I would know many more songs. 

appetite for destruction is universally acknowledged as one of, if not the best rock album ever made. the reason gnr are so mega is in reality they only actually released 3 proper albums in their heyday and had so many hits from them, they were the biggest band on the planet. any rock band that has mass crossover success is going to be bigger than a ghost or parkway drive, who are complete unknowns to general population, they have zero crossover appeal so will never be megastars. download wants to sell 100k tickets, you need those mega bands. ghost parkway drive aritects bring me the horizion might placate a modern day rock fan, but they're not justifying £300+ tickets to 100k people. at the end of the day, the thing they care about most is max profit max attendance, so it wouldnt surprise me if its gnr, but as i said gnr will be in usa next year, so it'd be odd they came here for download

[northernangel]

17 minutes ago, Judas Yeast said:

 

Although I agree, I wonder if any other band has subheadlined and then come back to headline 2 years later? Or even played the festival in a lower spot and then come back to headline 2 years later. Can't remember it happening ever. Sub headliners have sometimes come back but it's incredibly rare, BFMV in 2011 and 2013 is about all I can think of.

 

I agree though, Offspring coming back to the same spot is different to LB getting a bump though not by much in my eyes

 

Yes when I posted about it before I took it back a fair way. B4MV was the only one that stuck out and that's 13-15 years back.

 

It's probably not by much but The Offspring have sold a tour very much and very quickly that I much bigger than LBs own arena tour was. There can be no argument that The Offspring can headline if LB do but we know that's not going to happen. As an Offspring big fan, I also dont think they should headline either, I think they have their fanbase but thag doesn't necessarily transcend to Download ticket sales.

[OKMess]

23 minutes ago, Judas Yeast said:

 

Although I agree, I wonder if any other band has subheadlined and then come back to headline 2 years later? Or even played the festival in a lower spot and then come back to headline 2 years later. Can't remember it happening ever. Sub headliners have sometimes come back but it's incredibly rare, BFMV in 2011 and 2013 is about all I can think of.

 

I agree though, Offspring coming back to the same spot is different to LB getting a bump though not by much in my eyes

MCR played on the 2nd stage in 2005 and then headlined in 2007. 

Slipknot played 3rd down in 2004 then subbed in 2005. 

Korn subbed 2004 and 2006 then headlined 2nd in 2007, subbed again 2009, subbed 2nd stage in 2011, played 3rd down in 2013, Subbed in 2016, subbed in 2022 then headlined 2025.

 

 

[ThatDazFella]

44 minutes ago, Judas Yeast said:

 

Although I agree, I wonder if any other band has subheadlined and then come back to headline 2 years later? Or even played the festival in a lower spot and then come back to headline 2 years later. Can't remember it happening ever. Sub headliners have sometimes come back but it's incredibly rare, BFMV in 2011 and 2013 is about all I can think of.

 

I agree though, Offspring coming back to the same spot is different to LB getting a bump though not by much in my eyes

Jumping from third down/sub-headliner to headliner within a couple of years was very common in the 80's at Monsters of Rock:

Whitesnake: Sub in 1981 to headliner in 1983
ZZ Top:  Third in 1983 to headliner in 1985
Ozzy: Third in 1984 to headliner in 1986
Bon Jovi: Third in 1985 to headliner in 1987

Who would be the quickest from undercard to headliner in the Download Era, Sleep Token?

I guess System of a Down played Ozzfest 2002 at Donington and headlined Download 3 years later in 2005.

[Spiral_Low]

2 hours ago, andyrhodes24 said:

Shame that Architects won’t be booked. Unreal on Friday night, both the band and the crowd. Feels like the new album has really taken them up a level.

 

Gig of the year so far for me.

Ive heard the opposite - seen alot of criticism of the vocals and of some of the crowd being very violent in the pits. Just goes to show it's always subjective. 

[OKMess]

20 minutes ago, ThatDazFella said:

Jumping from third down/sub-headliner to headliner within a couple of years was very common in the 80's at Monsters of Rock:

Whitesnake: Sub in 1981 to headliner in 1983
ZZ Top:  Third in 1983 to headliner in 1985
Ozzy: Third in 1984 to headliner in 1986
Bon Jovi: Third in 1985 to headliner in 1987

Who would be the quickest from undercard to headliner in the Download Era, Sleep Token?

I guess System of a Down played Ozzfest 2002 at Donington and headlined Download 3 years later in 2005.

It's MCR from 3rd down 2nd stage at Download 2005 to headliner in 2007. 

[Marka23]

35 minutes ago, OKMess said:

It's MCR from 3rd down 2nd stage at Download 2005 to headliner in 2007. 

Sleep Token were subbing the Avalanche Stage in 2022 

[Marka23]

1 hour ago, Jrose said:

appetite for destruction is universally acknowledged as one of, if not the best rock album ever made. the reason gnr are so mega is in reality they only actually released 3 proper albums in their heyday and had so many hits from them, they were the biggest band on the planet. any rock band that has mass crossover success is going to be bigger than a ghost or parkway drive, who are complete unknowns to general population, they have zero crossover appeal so will never be megastars. download wants to sell 100k tickets, you need those mega bands. ghost parkway drive aritects bring me the horizion might placate a modern day rock fan, but they're not justifying £300+ tickets to 100k people. at the end of the day, the thing they care about most is max profit max attendance, so it wouldnt surprise me if its gnr, but as i said gnr will be in usa next year, so it'd be odd they came here for download

It would all depend on when they're in the US. Can't see it being early '26 as they'd have announced by now if it was so would have to likely be mid to late '26 

[OKMess]

10 minutes ago, Marka23 said:

Sleep Token were subbing the Avalanche Stage in 2022 

The question was who went from undercard to headliner quickest though...

[Judas Yeast]

1 hour ago, OKMess said:

MCR played on the 2nd stage in 2005 and then headlined in 2007. 

Slipknot played 3rd down in 2004 then subbed in 2005. 

Korn subbed 2004 and 2006 then headlined 2nd in 2007, subbed again 2009, subbed 2nd stage in 2011, played 3rd down in 2013, Subbed in 2016, subbed in 2022 then headlined 2025.

 

 

 

Thanks for looking into that, it's actually quite interesting! It almost looks like the big spots being taken by the same band 2 years apart is something that stopped dead in 2013 with both Korn and BFMV that year. MCR are definitely the big one there though, that's a hell of a jump! Really shows how huge their rise was in such a small amount of time

[OKMess]

12 minutes ago, Judas Yeast said:

 

Thanks for looking into that, it's actually quite interesting! It almost looks like the big spots being taken by the same band 2 years apart is something that stopped dead in 2013 with both Korn and BFMV that year. MCR are definitely the big one there though, that's a hell of a jump! Really shows how huge their rise was in such a small amount of time

I think if you include the Pilot it generates some anomalies, but generally, yes. 

With the Pilot you've got...

Sleep Token 2021, 2022 and 2025.

Bullet for My Valentine 2018, 2021 and  2025

Enter Shikari 2019, 2021 and 2024

Skindred 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023

[h12101]

17 minutes ago, Judas Yeast said:

MCR are definitely the big one there though, that's a hell of a jump! Really shows how huge their rise was in such a small amount of time

The Black Parade was massive, before then they were just another pop-punk/emo band.

 

Fall Out Boy and Panic at the Disco! did a lot of the heavy-lifting moving that whole scene into the mainstream around 2006.

[OKMess]

4 minutes ago, h12101 said:

The Black Parade was massive, before then they were just another pop-punk/emo band.

 

Fall Out Boy and Panic at the Disco! did a lot of the heavy-lifting moving that whole scene into the mainstream around 2006.

Three Cheers was definitely their breakthrough. The Black Parade was actually pretty divisive among fans when it came out, but the momentum was already there when it came out. 

[foolee]

2 hours ago, alexs7 said:

Offspring doing the outdoor show(s) after doing arenas does kinda imply the Ghost rumour of them doing that circuit could happen.

Offspring seems like more of a resurgence whereas Ghost have been selling arenas well for a while now. It’d be quite shocking to see them do those shows over Download. If it is GnR over Ghost which I’m still very skeptical over I wonder if they’d book Ghost for 2027 or if they have actually fallen out. 

[OKMess]

4 minutes ago, foolee said:

Offspring seems like more of a resurgence whereas Ghost have been selling arenas well for a while now. It’d be quite shocking to see them do those shows over Download. If it is GnR over Ghost which I’m still very skeptical over I wonder if they’d book Ghost for 2027 or if they have actually fallen out. 

I think Ghost will be on break 2027. That matches up with their recent schedule. 

[alexs7]

5 minutes ago, foolee said:

Offspring seems like more of a resurgence whereas Ghost have been selling arenas well for a while now. It’d be quite shocking to see them do those shows over Download. If it is GnR over Ghost which I’m still very skeptical over I wonder if they’d book Ghost for 2027 or if they have actually fallen out. 

Can't see them falling out since the entire Download booking team (Kam, Jenny, Andy) followed them around on their UK tour. You don't do that if you have fallen out.