Download Festival has unveiled the line-up for its 22nd edition, set to take place at Leicestershire’s Donington Park from 13 to 15 June 2025. Over 90 acts have been confirmed, with Green Day, Sleep Token, and Korn each making their debut as Download headliners, marking a new chapter in the festival’s history. In a strategic push to refresh its top bill, Download has presented a line-up that embraces a mix of genre pioneers, contemporary chart-toppers, and rising bands within the rock and metal scenes, with tickets on sale now here.
Green Day, a longstanding figure in pop-punk, headlines the festival’s opening night. Despite having been a fixture in rock for decades, this will be the band’s first performance at Download, and their new billing reflects a renewed relevance following the release of Saviors earlier this year. The album was widely praised, with Classic Rock’s Mark Beaumont describing it as “the sound of reassuring rebellion from the midst of the 21st-century breakdown”.
Following Green Day, Saturday will see Sleep Token’s anticipated ascent to headliner status. The enigmatic UK band has seen a meteoric rise, moving from Download’s smaller stages to the pinnacle of its main stage within just a few years. Known for their atmospheric blend of metal, pop, and ambient music, Sleep Token gained substantial traction in 2023, largely due to viral exposure on TikTok, making their announcement today a surprising one to many metal fans. Their most recent album, Take Me Back to Eden, was released in 2024 to considerable acclaim. Download chief Andy Copping explained to NME that the decision to elevate Sleep Token stems from their recent success and popularity, saying, “It’s time. It’s Sleep Token’s moment,” adding that the festival has often led the way in breaking newer acts, from Slipknot to Bring Me The Horizon.
Rounding out the top of the bill is nu-metal stalwart Korn, who last performed at Download in 2022 as a main-stage support act. Although they have been part of Download’s line-up since 2004, 2025 will mark the first time Korn headlines the festival. Their career-spanning set is expected to draw from their 30-year history, including fan favourites from their recent Gunnersbury Park performance, which attracted a record UK crowd. The band is reportedly working on new material, adding further anticipation to their Download headlining debut.
.@DownloadFest 2025? Fuck yeah!
Tickets on sale Thursday at 9PM here: https://t.co/aD8KptBxLT.#DLXII pic.twitter.com/MrgwvZdE2d
— The Darkness (@thedarkness) November 12, 2024
In addition to the headline acts, the festival will feature a diverse range of bands and artists, from punk to extreme metal. Notable inclusions are Weezer, Jimmy Eat World, The Darkness, Alien Ant Farm, Bullet for My Valentine, and Frank Carter’s collaboration with the Sex Pistols. Further down the bill, acts such as Cradle of Filth, Steel Panther, Meshuggah, Poppy, and McFly provide breadth to this year’s programming. “There’s something for truly everyone,” Copping remarked to NME, emphasising the festival’s need to adapt and sustain a broad appeal to survive.
But wait, there’s more! UK, you’re in luck because we’re playing @DownloadFest in June (!!!) AND a show in Halifax on 30th June @ Piece Hall. The mailing list pre-sale for all of the headline shows starts tomorrow at 10am GMT/11am CET. Sending the code out in 2 hours, sign up… pic.twitter.com/Ujk9v7MUE4 — weezer (@Weezer) November 12, 2024
Download’s organisers appear to be continuing a trend of expanding the definition of a “rock” festival, following a 2024 event marked by quarrels about genre and sponsor controversies. Last year’s line-up, headlined by Queens of the Stone Age, Fall Out Boy, and Avenged Sevenfold, was criticised for under-representing traditional metal acts. The event faced last-minute challenges, as multiple artists withdrew in response to Download’s sponsorship by Barclaycard, which later withdrew after facing scrutiny.
Photo credit: Raymond Flotat
