With less than three months to go until we all descend upon the hallowed turf of Donington Park, the folks at Download Festival have finally let the cat out of the bag regarding this year’s District X line-up. If you thought the main arena was packed, the after-hours entertainment is looking equally mental for 2026.
In a move that’ll either have you grinning or scratching your head, 90s boyband Five are making their Donington debut. They once claimed to be “five bad boys with the power to rock you,” and they’ll get the chance to prove it with hits like “Slam Dunk (Da Funk)” and “Everybody Get Up”. They aren’t the only ones bringing the party vibes, as Electric Six will be on hand to remind us all about the “Gay Bar” and “Danger! High Voltage”.
For those after something a bit more chilled (or just a singalong), The All-American Rejects are confirmed for an acoustic set. We’ve also got TokenGrass doing bluegrass covers of Sleep Token, and Nic Cage Against The Machine – which is exactly what it sounds like: a Rage Against The Machine tribute fronted by a Nic Cage impersonator. Absolute madness.
The DJ booth is going to be busy as well, with sets from Creeper, MODESTEP, Liam Cormier (Cancer Bats), and Lucas Woodland from Holding Absence. Even Dick & Dom are getting in on the action. If you’ve still got energy left, there’s Bongo’s Bingo, Heavy Metal Sports, and James B. Partridge playing those “Primary School Bangers” that’ll trigger some serious nostalgia.
Comedy fans are sorted too, with The Comedy Store presenting over 25 acts including Thomas Green and Felicity Ward. With Limp Bizkit, Guns N’ Roses, and Linkin Park headlining the main stages, it’s shaping up to be a belter of a weekend. We were there last year to catch all the action – check out our review of the 2025 festivities.
Just a heads up for those dallying: weekend camping tickets are now completely sold out. You can still grab weekend arena and day tickets over at the official site, but don’t wait too long or you risk missing out!
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