Download 2026

[OKMess]

On 25/10/2025 at 21:15, partypirate said:

Whilst nu-metal was hugely popular there were very few who actually made the leap to headliner status at that time. Slipknot are the obvious exception, and Linkin Park. At least that’s my hazy recollection now! 

Limp Bizkit sort of did too, they were meant to headline the first Download. If that had happened they would have been a shoe-in for a headliner slot when they came back.

[Spiral_Low]

Download missing out on A Perfect Circle again reflects very poorly on the festival.

[Gejonimo]

A Perfect Circle pretty much ruled out, playing Italy on the Saturday, Poland Wednesday, Hungary Monday.

[OllieJ77]

49 minutes ago, Gejonimo said:

A Perfect Circle pretty much ruled out, playing Italy on the Saturday, Poland Wednesday, Hungary Monday.

Plus doing their own UK dates people arent going to book to go to their show if they are already going Download. Or it’s unlikely anyway.

[firehazard]

47 minutes ago, Gejonimo said:

A Perfect Circle pretty much ruled out, playing Italy on the Saturday, Poland Wednesday, Hungary Monday.

 

And two London dates the week before that, making the possibility even less likely 

[BingusBongus]

We've a week to go and if I'm honest, I'm finding very little to get my hopes up about.

 

Unless Download has managed to pull some crazy exclusives, I'm just struggling to see how we pull a decent lineup out of the acts we know might be available.

 

I hate being the pessimist, but this seems like the first year in a while where the few weeks leading up to the announcement have felt this bleak. 

[OllieJ77]

12 minutes ago, BingusBongus said:

We've a week to go and if I'm honest, I'm finding very little to get my hopes up about.

 

Unless Download has managed to pull some crazy exclusives, I'm just struggling to see how we pull a decent lineup out of the acts we know might be available.

 

I hate being the pessimist, but this seems like the first year in a while where the few weeks leading up to the announcement have felt this bleak. 

The exclusive is gonna be GnR isnt it 🤣 splashed all the money on them thinking it’s going to be an insane pull 

[OllieJ77]

57 minutes ago, firehazard said:

 

And two London dates the week before that, making the possibility even less likely 

Yeah you can rule them out of being at download 100%

[chatty]

11 minutes ago, OllieJ77 said:

The exclusive is gonna be GnR isnt it 🤣 splashed all the money on them thinking it’s going to be an insane pull 

I'm coming round more and more to that being true. I'm a GNR fan so it's fine by me. I know Axels voice has gone and he's a bit temperamental but I'll be going into it with those expectations plus ill have been on the drink for a couple of days so it'll definitely sound better 🤣 

 

Plus I can get a few months out of listening to GNR on the build up and that's as much a part of the appeal for gigs for me. And I live their albums still. 

[Marka23]

35 minutes ago, BingusBongus said:

We've a week to go and if I'm honest, I'm finding very little to get my hopes up about.

 

Unless Download has managed to pull some crazy exclusives, I'm just struggling to see how we pull a decent lineup out of the acts we know might be available.

 

I hate being the pessimist, but this seems like the first year in a while where the few weeks leading up to the announcement have felt this bleak. 

I'm just hoping we get one of either Slayer or Megadeth. Megadeth seems very likely given they're in the area and we know Slayer are active next year and I can't see them only doing one festival.

[Andre91]

If GNR and LP are two of the headliners, no doubt their days will be full of shite. Can see myself maybe only getting a day ticket if Bizkit are there. 

[craigcharles420]

So do we still think GNR is one of the headliners? 

[liamglastocrowhurst1]

9 minutes ago, craigcharles420 said:

So do we still think GNR is one of the headliners? 

It certainly has not been ruled out

[Marka23]

10 minutes ago, craigcharles420 said:

So do we still think GNR is one of the headliners? 

Slash has said they're touring North America next year but didn't mention anywhere else so we know they're active next year. Still think it's more likely to be Ghost than GnR.

[chatty]

Think it's probably in this order: 

 

Linkin Park - certs 

Limp Bizkit - likely 

Ghost - good chance

GNR - possible if Ghost aren't there 

Blink 182 - less so that other 2 but in the running

NIN - hopefully but less likely than the rest

Muse - seems to be people clutching 

Foos - unlikely  

 

Could possibly get some band stepping up but there's a whole bunch of pick ems for that. 

[OllieJ77]

57 minutes ago, craigcharles420 said:

So do we still think GNR is one of the headliners? 

Yeah I think so given everything that’s been said.

[OllieJ77]

1 hour ago, Andre91 said:

If GNR and LP are two of the headliners, no doubt their days will be full of shite. Can see myself maybe only getting a day ticket if Bizkit are there. 

I think the subs will be alright not sure about rest of the card

[northernangel]

2 hours ago, Andre91 said:

If GNR and LP are two of the headliners, no doubt their days will be full of shite. Can see myself maybe only getting a day ticket if Bizkit are there. 

FOB, BMTH and KSE in 2014, Bullet, Disturbed and Gaslight in 2011 disproves that theory 

[firehazard]

"The first names for #GMM26 are here... are you ready? On Thursday 18 June, Limp Bizkit, Within Temptation and Megadeth will rule the festival arena at Graspop Metal Meeting!"

 

 

[alexs7]

2 minutes ago, firehazard said:

"The first names for #GMM26 are here... are you ready? On Thursday 18 June, Limp Bizkit, Within Temptation and Megadeth will rule the festival arena at Graspop Metal Meeting!"

 

 

That TBC is definitely a Ghost/GnR.

 

Just strange that it's being kept a secret? (Greenfield and Rock for People have a TBC headliner too)

 

Do we think whoever it is are at DL? and Download might be the first to name them?

[xbrownstonex]

9 minutes ago, alexs7 said:

That TBC is definitely a Ghost/GnR.

 

Just strange that it's being kept a secret? (Greenfield and Rock for People have a TBC headliner too)

 

Do we think whoever it is are at DL? and Download might be the first to name them?

That's what I'm thinking. GNR have always played the Thursday at graspop and they would want to announce their tour themselves rather than having a festival announce their Europe tour. 

So my guess would be next week for that maybe 

[kitatus]

Can I just say the amount of unfounded GnR copium in this thread is borderline insane. The amount of times it gets less and less likely, people push the idea harder and harder. There is a no basis in any fact whatsoever GnR are even thinking of doing it, it comes from wishful thinking to the point now it just sounds deluded.

 

Let it go, it won't become true just because you wish for it harder and harder

[alexs7]

19 minutes ago, kitatus said:

Can I just say the amount of unfounded GnR copium in this thread is borderline insane. The amount of times it gets less and less likely, people push the idea harder and harder. There is a no basis in any fact whatsoever GnR are even thinking of doing it, it comes from wishful thinking to the point now it just sounds deluded.

 

Let it go, it won't become true just because you wish for it harder and harder

Nobody here actually wants it.

 

We are just preparing ourselves for it - that way we can't be disappointed.

 

We want Ghost but there is no evidence towards them either

[kitatus]

5 minutes ago, alexs7 said:

Nobody here actually wants it.

 

We are just preparing ourselves for it - that way we can't be disappointed.

 

See, that's what I felt at first but then I started to get the feeling that maybe people weren't joking and are actively wanting it to happen... 😐

[losing43]

They should 100% drop the exclusivity rule for bands that shouldn’t be affected by the sales of their own shows. For example, if MCR played DL 2026, the festival would still sell very well. When I got tickets for one of their shows next year, there was still 60,000+ people trying to get tickets behind me, after it had sold out