Nu-metal legends, rock royalty, and even Keanu Reeves confirmed for the festival’s 23rd edition
The speculation is over. Download Festival has just detonated a lineup bomb that’s sent shockwaves through the rock and metal community, confirming over 90 acts for their 23rd year at Donington Park – and yes, that includes Keanu Reeves!
Download has revealed a triple-header: Limp Bizkit, Guns N’ Roses, and Linkin Park, who will command the hallowed grounds of Donington next June.
Friday: Nu-Metal Reaches Its Final Form
Limp Bizkit will kick off proceedings on Friday night, marking their first-ever Download headline slot in their 31-year career. After absolutely demolishing the crowd in 2024, Fred Durst and company have earned their crown. With anthems like ‘Rollin’ (Air Raid Vehicle)’, ‘Break Stuff’, and ‘My Generation‘, expect Friday to be pure, unadulterated chaos – the best kind.
Saturday: Rock Royalty Returns
Guns N’ Roses need no introduction. The Saturday headliners haven’t graced Donington since 2018, and their 2026 return marks a full 20 years since they first topped the Download bill in 2006. With ‘Appetite For Destruction’ still sounding as dangerous as it did in 1987, Axl, Slash and Duff are set to remind everyone why they’re untouchable.
Sunday: An Emotional Finale
Sunday’s closing set from Linkin Park promises to be the weekend’s most powerful moment. Having headlined Download four times between 2004 and 2014 with their original lineup, this marks their first headline appearance with new vocalist Emily Armstrong since reforming in 2024. With Mike Shinoda and Armstrong at the helm, expect tears, triumph, and a fitting tribute to the band’s incredible legacy.
The Supporting Cast Is Absolutely Stacked
But wait, there’s more, SO much more. The undercard reads like a who’s who of contemporary heavy music:
Cypress Hill bringing the smoke, Cavalera delivering the Brazilian thunder, Mastodon crushing skulls, Architects representing British metalcore excellence, and yes, Dogstar, featuring none other than Keanu Reeves himself. John Wick shredding at Download? We’re here for it!
The lineup spans every corner of heavy music: BABYMETAL‘s kawaii metal madness, Electric Callboy‘s party anthems, Bad Omens‘ modern metalcore, Ice Nine Kills‘ theatrical horror-core, Halestorm‘s arena rock power, and Behemoth‘s blackened death metal brutality.
Special shoutouts to Static-X, Trivium, Black Veil Brides, Hollywood Undead, Drowning Pool, and the legendary Bush and Feeder keeping British rock alive.
The new generation is well represented too: Bloodywood, Lake Malice, Magnolia Park, and As Everything Unfolds prove the future of rock is in safe hands.
With 90+ acts already confirmed and more announcements surely coming, June 2026 at Donington Park is shaping up to be absolutely unmissable.
Better start training those necks now.
Download Festival 2026 takes place at Donington Park.
- Limp Bizkit
- Guns N’ Roses
- Linkin Park
- 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
- 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.
- Lowen
- Magnolia Park
- Mastodon
- Mammoth
- Melrose Avenue
- Mouth Culture
- Nasty
- Native James
- Nevertel
- P.O.D
- Palefeace 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