Download Festival 2025: almost everything you wanted to know about the festival but were afraid to ask
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- The beloved UK metal festival Download returns to Castle Donington for its 22nd year.
- The festival has a rich history, dating back to the days where Castle Donington held another series of huge metal festivals.
- Culture and tickets writer and self-confessed ‘metalhead’ Benjamin Jackson looks at the history and shares his memorable moments at Download Festival.
Am I looking forward to this year’s Download Festival? Yes - in fact, I even went to the length to share some of the acts I'm looking forward to in June 2025 at Castle Donington.
It would mark my fifth time heading to the festival, but a little bit older now I think the days of eschewing ‘glamping’ might come to an end - do let me know if I need to hand over my Mastodon shirt in the process.
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Hide AdBut one of Europe’s biggest metal and alternative music festivals has had an enduring legacy at Castle Donington, one that was forged 23 years before the first iteration of the event in 2003 and one that Download continues to carry the flag for at the site.
But for some people, especially of an age where they’re starting to become more entrenched in the metal scene and its always welcoming community - despite the impression mosh pits may give - they might not be overly familiar with the festival.
So ahead of this year’s event, let’s take a look at what the festival is, a little bit of the history before Download became a staple at Castle Donington, and a couple of interesting facts and trivia - some of which are based on my own experiences.
So - for those wanting to ask questions but afraid to ask, let me be of some assistance for yourselves.
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Hide AdWhat is Download Festival?


Download Festival is a rock and metal music event, first held in 2003 as a spiritual successor to the legendary Monsters of Rock festivals (1980–1996) at Donington Park, Leicestershire.
Created by Stuart Galbraith and co-booked by Andy Copping, it began as a two-day event before expanding to three days in 2005. The festival has since become a cornerstone of the UK rock scene, drawing fans and iconic bands from around the world.
The name "Download" was chosen for its rebellious edge—reflecting the tension around music file sharing in the early 2000s—and as a nod to the festival’s 21st-century vision of connectivity. The first year’s tickets even included codes to download tracks from performing bands, underscoring this digital-forward ethos.
Initially held on the Donington Park circuit infield, the festival relocated to a new site in 2008 due to Formula One developments. Since 2009, it has been held to the south of the circuit, providing an improved layout and larger capacity, which reached 111,000 by 2019.
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Hide AdWas there a metal festival at Castle Donington before Download?
Yes - before Download Festival, Castle Donington was famously home to the Monsters of Rock festival.
Held annually from 1980 to 1996 at Donington Park, it was one of the most iconic events in heavy metal history. Created by promoter Paul Loasby and Maurice Jones, Monsters of Rock attracted some of the biggest names in rock and metal, including AC/DC, Metallica, Iron Maiden, and Guns N’ Roses.
The festival was known for its single-stage setup, which allowed every attendee to experience the headline acts without the need to choose between multiple performances. Over the years, it became a mecca for rock and metal fans, cementing Donington Park’s reputation as the UK’s "spiritual home of rock."
Has Download Festival always been at Castle Donington?
Download Festival has always been held at Donington Park, near Castle Donington, Leicestershire, since its inception in 2003. However, its exact location within the park has shifted over the years due to changes in the site’s infrastructure and requirements.
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Hide AdInitially, the festival took place on the Donington Park circuit infield, the same location used for the legendary Monsters of Rock festivals. In 2008, the event moved to the "Sunday Markets" site to the west of the circuit after Formula One developments made the infield unsuitable. However, this new location presented logistical challenges, such as limited capacity and a longer trek between the campsite and the arena.
In 2009, the festival moved again, this time to a site south of the circuit, where it has remained ever since. This newer location allowed for better crowd flow, more space for stages and amenities, and improved overall accessibility.
However, there have been ‘off-shoots’ of the festival in other areas: in 2004, an iteration of Download took place in Glasgow just days before the Castle Donington event, with Metallica, Slipknot, Linkin Park and Korn among the names that performed at that event.
There have also been iterations of the festival that have taken place in Japan, Germany, Spain and Australia throughout its history.
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According to our research, Iron Maiden hold the crown as the band who has performed at Download Festival the most number of times, having played the festival a total of seven times (2003, 2007, 2013, 2016, 2022).
After Iron Maiden, Metallica are the second most-performed act to have played Download Festival with five appearances (2003, 2004, 2006, 2012, 2019) - their appearance in 2003 was a secret set under the pseudonym ‘Deehan.’
Who is the oldest act to perform at Download Festival?
Black Sabbath’s performance at the 2016 Download Festival is considered to have the oldest performer to grace the stages at the festival; with Ozzy Osbourne having been born in 1948, he was 67 years old when the iconic metal act played the main stage.
Who is the youngest act to perform at Download Festival?
Baby Metal’s performance at the 2014 Download Festival is considered to be the youngest performance by an act at the festival - with Su-metal (the lead vocalist) being only 16 years old when they performed.
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Hide AdBut there is also an argument that New Zealand group Alien Weaponry can also be considered the youngest act to perform at the festival, with their performance in 2018 seeing Lewis de Jong (guitar/vocals) 16 years old and Henry de Jong (drums) being 14.
Are there secret sets at Download Festival?
Oh you best believe there are secret sets at Download Festival, as alluded to when we discussed Metallica’s history at the festival.
At the 2009 edition of the festival, Enter Shikari and Thunder were revealed to be secret acts performing at that year’s festival, while in 2014 Black Stone Cherry were a secret performance performing between Crazy Town and Memphis May Fire.
A year later, both The Darkness and Young Guns were confirmed as 2014’s secret acts - so they do occur. Start speculating who could play at this year’s event.
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Hide AdWhat are some memorable moments from Download’s history?
Personally speaking, I recall some very memorable moments from Download Festival on the occasions I attended.
While I missed out on Metallica’s secret set at the 2003 edition, I caught the band during their set in 2004 when Lars Urlich was rushed to hospital, leading to Slipknot’s Joey Jordison, Slayer’s Dave Lombardo and Metallica drum tech Flemming Larson take turns drumming for the band.
A similar situation also occurred with Korn during the 2006 edition of the festival, when frontman Jonathan Davis was rushed to hospital; in his place, a who’s who of Download favourites took turns to perform with the band including Slipknot’s Corey Taylor, DevilDriver’s Dez Fafara, M. Shadows of Avenged Sevenfold and Benji Webbe of Skindred among those names assisting the group.
In 2012, Machine Head also made history (allegedly), when 29 circles pits took place during their set, which at the time was considered the most circles pits happening during one song at a metal festival.
What’s your favourite memory of Download Festival throughout its history, and are you planning on going to 2025’s event? Let us know by leaving a comment down below!
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