When 100,000 metalheads poured into Donington Park on Friday 13th June, the air crackled with anticipation. Three days of sun-soaked frolics, brutal breakdowns and one inconvenient shower—that only started once Green Day uttered the word “rain”—lay ahead. Here’s how it all went down, stage by stage, set by set, moment by moment.
Friday 13th June: Opening Salvo on the Apex
1 PM – Gates surge open and SIM kick off the Apex Stage like a shot of adrenaline straight to the chest. By 2 PM the crowd is pulsing, ready for CKY’s gritty riffs, before Rise Against ignite the pit with “Prayer of the Refugee.” Mid-afternoon brings Jimmy Eat World’s nostalgic emo punch and Weezer’s surf-pop catharsis.
8:50 PM – Within Temptation close out the Opus Stage in cinematic style—frontwoman Sharon den Adel smoky and soaring—just as storm clouds gather on the horizon. Exactly the moment Billie Joe Armstrong cheekily warns “hope you’ve got your wellies,” fat raindrops start to fall. Cue collective groan, soggy T-shirts, and a two-hour Green Day set that ends in triumphant sing-alongs under a rainbow. Blame them for the only damp patch on an otherwise golden day.
Opus Stage: The Scratch’s garage-y opener; Dirty Honey’s swaggering blues-rock; Myles Kennedy’s acoustic intimacy (“Seeing the sun on those amps makes it feel alive,” he told Martha); and Opeth’s mind-bending prog death.
Avalanche Tent: Unpeople’s anarchic energy; Battlesnake’s fierce grooves; Svalbard’s post-metal catharsis; topped by McFly’s cheeky set-closer that had the unexpected sparkle.
Dogtooth Tent: Crossfaith’s techno-metal blitz; Graphic Nature’s crushing riffs; Alcest’s dream-gaze; culminating in Apocalyptica smashing cellos with headbanging fervour.
Saturday 14th June: Secret Assaults and Sabbath-Style Shenanigans
Sunshine returns for Day 2, and whispers of a secret Dogtooth set flood every chat group. At 11 AM, PRESIDENT, (the band, shrouded in mystery, is believed to be a side project or related to the headliner, Sleep Token) unleashed a lightning-fast 30-minute blitz, leaving early birds gasping. Meanwhile, Static Dress lay down snarling punk-thrash anthems on the Apex Stage.
Between the big two:
Loathe twist genres like taffy.
Hatebreed stomp on any remaining dip in energy.
Shinedown bring arena-ready hooks.
Kim Dracula’s theatrical freak-out keeps everyone guessing.
Don Bronco and Eagles of Death Metal ride sunlit swagger.
The Darkness deliver falsetto fireworks just before dusk.
Opus Stage: The Sex Pistols crash back in with punk fury so raw it felt like 1976 again.
Apex Stage: Sleep Token’s atmospheric rituals and masked mystique close out with pyrotechnics that would’ve melted Valkyries’ helmets.
Avalanche: Dayseeker’s emo-gaze magic; Twin Atlantic’s anthemic roar; Anaal Nathrakh’s apocalyptic furnace.
Dogtooth: Cradle of Filth’s theatrical black-metal pomp; Split Chain’s hardcore punch; Kittie’s nu-metal revival.
Sunday 15th June: Korn’s Crown and the Clash of Titans
A scorching final day sees Korn step up as headliners for the first time. Their low-down grooves and piercing choruses bring the main stage to a fever pitch—proving they’re more relevant than ever.
The Impossible Choices
Sikth open their Dogtooth headliner at 22:05, overlapping Korn by 45 minutes. Side-by-side brutality—choose your poison or catch a bit of both.
Apex Stage: Bleed From Within’s razor-sharp metalliccore; Jinjer’s Polina “Tatiana” shreds every expectation; Meshuggah’s polyrhythmic onslaught; SpiritBox’s ethereal intensity.
Opus Stage: Municipal Waste’s crossover thrash stampede; Alien Ant Farm’s nostalgic hits; Jerry Cantrell’s soul-stirring solo blues; Lorna Shore’s symphonic blackened death.
Avalanche Tent: Harpy’s demonic speed; Malevolence’s hardcore crush; Turbonegro’s sleazy glam-punk; Me First and the Gimme Gimmes’ gleefully irreverent covers; closing with Kids In Glass Houses’ pop-punk blast of sunshine.
Dogtooth Tent: Neckbreaker’s groove assault; Seven Hours After Violet’s haunting alt-metal; President’s late-night groove-laced jams; that mysterious mystery band drop-in (shadows and smoke—Martha’s photos say it all); Whitechapel’s visceral deathcore finale.
Opus Stage Encore: Steel Panther’s campy hair-metal revival that literally had Dad-moshers waving air guitars.
Three days, four main stages, two big tent titans, one surprise shower—and thousands of stories. From front-pit euphoria to tent-back beers with old friends, Download 2025 proved that every way of worshipping loud music is valid. Whether you bathed in sweat up front, lounged in your deckchair with mates, or navigated a crowd in a wheelchair, you were part of the story. And yes, next year the forecast might be unpredictable—but the power of metal will always shine through.
See you in 2026—rain or shine.
Photos © Martha Fitzpatrick
