It’s another whopper of an announcement from the Download Festival team for the 2020 edition of the annual Donington shenanigans! Over forty bands have just been added, and we’ve got more than music for you as well!
Kicking things off and filling Saturday’s special guest slot, in something of a poorly kept secret are Rock Sins’ favourites Alter Bridge. Hot off their fourth and most successful UK arena run yet, Mark, Myles, Scott and Brian return to Download once again. We’re still waiting for them to get the nod to headline, but we’ll enjoy them being special guests once again this time around.
Headlining The Avalanche stage are more friends of ours – Bowling For Soup return to Download for the first time since 2014! With it now being something of a tradition to have punk / pop punk / emo / ska type bands headlining The Avalanche Stage for the last couple of years, BFS are set to be one of the most popular choices to headline the big tent in the last few years as they close the stage on the Sunday night.
Speaking of punk, you don’t get more punk in 2020 than Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes! Frank and co slot into Friday’s main stage under KISS and Deftones in their highest profile slot yet. The Distillers also join the line up on Friday on the Zippo Encore Stage to give it some more punk flavour.
Joining Bowling For Soup in headlining The Avalanche Stage are none other than Funeral For A Friend! With their charity comeback going down SO well in Autumn 2019, the boys are back in town, thirteen years after sub-headlining Guns N’ Roses on the main stage.
Fresh from being unmasked as the chameleon on The Masked Singer, Justin Hawkins and the rest of The Darkness return to Download, sub-headlining for Disturbed on the Zippo Stage on the Sunday. Having impressed alongside Alter Bridge before Christmas, The Raven Age are delighted to be bagging themselves a main stage slot on the Saturday.
For those who were wanting more big name metal bands on the line up for Download 2020 – you don’t come much bigger than Mastodon – who sub headline the Zippo Stage . The prog metal favourites make a much welcome return to Donington, alongside the likes of Employed To Serve, Thy Art Is Murder and Wage War.
You want some more? How about the likes of Lacuna Coil, Amaranthe, The Glorious Sons, 3 Doors Down and Hatari, who are all appearing on the Zippo Encore stage across the Download 2020 weekend. Joining BFS and FFAF on The Avalanche are everyone’s favourite Americana punks The Menzingers, Milk Teeth, Loathe, Holding Absence, Press Club and the Mysterious Sleep Token.
Not wanting to see Iron Maiden on Saturday. Then Sepultura headlining The Dogtooth Stage on Saturday night could be just for you! Electric Wizard (Friday) and Periphery (Sunday) have been confirmed as the other Dogtooth Stage headliners. Joining them will be the likes of Polyphia, Haken, Northlane, Kill The Lights and many more!
Last but not least, across Download Festival 2020 you also have the possibility and pleasure of seeing Fire From The Gods, Cemetary Sun, Gender Roles, Heavy Lungs, JJ Wilde, Modern Error, Renounced, Shvpes, Sullii, The Hara, The Skints, Tempt, Twin Temple and the mighty Will Haven!
And IF somehow that wasn’t enough, the WWE NXTUK superstars like Walter, Toni Storm, Moustache Mountain, Jordan Devlin and many more will be returning to the ring on the hallowed Donington turf!
All of the above bands join headliners KISS, Iron Maiden and System Of A Down at the 2020 Download Festival, taking place at Donington Park from the 12th – 14th of June 2020 (campsite open 10th – 15th). Get your tickets now!
