Download Festival has never been shy about scale, but DLXXIII is shaping up to be one of those rare years where the booking feels less like a lineup and more like a statement of intent. Today’s second wave announcement adds 14 new names to the Donington pilgrimage — and it’s a mix that captures the full, chaotic, genre‑bending energy of heavy music in 2026.
A Day To Remember lead the charge, bringing their Florida‑bred pop‑punk‑meets‑metalcore swagger back to the UK’s loudest field. They’re joined by a genuinely historic booking: THE PRIMALS, the official band of Final Fantasy XIV, performing outside Asia for the first time. It’s the kind of curveball that only Download could pull off — a collision of gaming culture, fan devotion, and big‑room rock theatrics that already feels like a future cult moment.
The announcement also deepens the festival’s commitment to the new wave of British alternative. Creeper, forever theatrical and forever evolving, return to Donington as one of the UK’s most creatively ambitious rock bands. Hot Milk continue their ascent with a set that’s likely to be equal parts catharsis and chaos. And after years of silence, Marmozets are back — a booking that will send a jolt of electricity through anyone who remembers their explosive early shows.
But Download’s 2026 identity isn’t just about nostalgia or safe bets. It’s about the unexpected. Enter DECESSUS, the Santiago death‑metal outfit fronted by current Miss World Chile, Ignacia Fernández — a vocalist whose viral performances have already rewritten assumptions about who gets to scream on a global stage. Add in genre‑smashers Frozemode, hardcore stalwarts Stampin’ Ground, rising metal heavyweights Conjurer, and the ever‑eccentric Silly Goose, and you’ve got a second wave that feels restless, international, and defiantly weird in all the right ways.
They join a lineup already headlined by Limp Bizkit, Guns N’ Roses, and Linkin Park, with a supporting cast that swings wildly from Scooter to BABYMETAL, Cypress Hill to Electric Callboy, Halestorm to Tom Morello. It’s eclectic, maximalist, and unmistakably Download.
Festival booker Kamran Haq summed it up best: this year is about depth, diversity, and a few surprises that nobody saw coming. With day tickets now on sale — and a PayPal presale opening today — the scramble for Donington is officially underway.
If this second wave is anything to go by, DLXXIII isn’t just another year in the Download story, it’s a reminder of why this festival remains the spiritual home of rock: loud, unpredictable, and always evolving.
For full details and tickets, head to downloadfestival.co.uk.
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