Download Festival announces first wave of bands for 2026

November 3, 2025 James Weaver

Download Festival have announced the first wave of bands for next year’s event!

Following a blockbuster 2025, lead by headliners GREEN DAY, SLEEP TOKEN and KORN, now, for 2026, headlining the festival will be three monumental acts performing their only UK shows of the year: LIMP BIZKIT, GUNS N’ ROSES, and LINKIN PARK.

Nu-metal icons LIMP BIZKIT will headline Download for the very first time on Friday, hard rock royalty GUNS N’ ROSES return on Saturday for their first Donington appearance since 2018, and LINKIN PARK will close the festival on Sunday with their first headline set since reforming in 2024 with new vocalist Emily Armstrong.

Also announced today are over 90 colossal names spanning the full spectrum of rock, metal, punk, emo, hardcore, alternative and classic rock, including:

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, MAMMOTH, MASTODON, MELROSE AVENUE, MOUTH CULTURE, NASTY, NATIVE JAMES, NEVERTEL, P.O.D, PALEFACE 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.