Ah, middle Saturday of Download. The sight of so many wonderful performances, and more than a few hangovers brought on by fantastic Donington Friday nights over the years. We are sure that Download Festival 2026 will be no exception to both of these things. If you are yet to catch our Download 2026 Friday Preview, we suggest you do so. Once you’ve done that, it is time to dive right in with our recommendations for the second day of our annual Donington party.
Trivium
When/where: Apex Stage, 5:20pm
The must see band of the day. Their last two appearances in the UK were The Poisoned Ascendancy tour where they crushed it every night, and their triumphant Bloodstock headline performance. Now Trivium return for their biggest, most high profile appearance at the festival that set them on their way, twenty one years on from that unforgettable 11am performance. Given the absolute state of one member of Guns N’Roses at Back To The Beginning, Trivium will never have a better chance of upstaging a headliner and fully staking their claim to the future Download headline slot many of us thought they were destined for all those years ago.
Thanks to Matt Heafy’s habit of streaming shows live on his Twitch channel, you can enjoy the full 2019 performance from the last time Trivium were at Download below:
Babymetal
Where/when: Apex Stage, 3:50pm
The time of Babymetal being seen as a novelty or a joke are long, long gone. Over a decade in now and the Japanese kawaii metal trio and their band are now arena fillers all over the world. Like Trivium, this is their biggest slot at Download since they started coming to Donington. As it’s a festival, we might get a guest appearance or two into the bargain, but this will be as much of a performance as it will be a set filled with some serious earworms. Can we finally break the weather curse of when the Fox God comes to Donington? Do your sun dances and stay tuned!
As Everything Unfolds
Where/when: The Dogtooth Stage, 3:50pm
Unfortunately in a direct clash with Babymetal, we hope this doesn’t mean that the excellent As Everything Unfolds have anything less for their performance, which is one of our most eagerly awaited of the weekend. With their wonderful new album Did You Ask To Be Set Free? still piping hot and fresh from release a couple of weeks ago, frontwoman Charlie Rolfe and her bandmates head into the start of this new cycle for the band in fine form. 25 minutes is not going to be nearly long enough to hear all that we want to, but there should be at least a couple of crackers from the new album and time for a few old favourites too. If you’re not familiar, educate yourselves quickly, and come along!
Conjurer
Where/when: The Dogtooth Stage, 2:10pm
One of the UK’s finest exponents of metal so heavy an anvil would barely make a dent in it, Conjurer make their third Download Festival appearance and first since the wonderful Download Pilot in 2021. Armed with their critically and fan acclaimed new album Unself, Conjurer at times offer music that is simultaneously beautiful and feels like it could rip your limbs off. Another band who should be far bigger than they already are (see As Everything Unfolds), this is another chance for Conjurer to cause a moment in Donington history. Don’t bet against it happening.
Drowning Pool
Where/when: Opus Stage, 12:30pm
They may be best known for their debut album Sinner, and for one iconic song in particular, but nu metal veterans Drowning Pool have over 25 years in the game now. Their appearance at Download Festival 2026 marks the first time in twenty two years that Drowning Pool have graced the hallowed Donington Park grounds, which is quite a gap between performances. We wonder how many people who saw them in 2004 will be seeing them this time around. Given how Download is an annual pilgrimage for many, we’d expect a fair few. With Ryan McCombs of Soil fame back with them for a second stint, it promises to be one of the more intriguing performances of the weekend. Let The Bodies Hit The Floor!
Blood Incantation
Where/when: Headlining the Dogtooth Stage, 8:30pm
After Anaal Nathrakh’s magnificent performance last year (yes we know we keep mentioning that, and what of it), when people were putting their Download 2026 wishlists together, one name that kept cropping up was Blood Incantation. And what do you know, they only went and booked them (this one has to be a Kamran Haq special, we know Kam loves his extreme crazy s***). There’s nothing on earth like Blood Incantation, interdimensional mind bending ambient space death metal, or words to that effect. Another band like Conjurer who can stun you with the beauty of their music one minute and feel like you’re going to be disembowelled the next, Blood Incantation getting a headline slot is a true reflection of the diversity of Download Festival in 2026. Their album Absolute Elsewhere is one of the best heavy records of the decade. We will absolutely be there. You should be there too.
Those Damn Crows
Where/when: Opus Stage, 2:45pm
The Welsh musical export train continues to pump out success stories! Those Damn Crows are not a new name at this point by any means, but along with their ragga metal compatriots Skindred, the Crows are a Welsh rock act who have had a UK number one album in the last couple of years. Always one of the stand out bands to come out of the then burgeoning NWOCR UK scene in the mid – late 2010’s, in Shane Greenhall they have one of the great modern rock vocalists. The guy could sing the BBC Sports pages and it would sound incredible. There’s lots of nasty clashes in the middle of this Download 2026 Saturday, but if you choose Those Damn Crows, you won’t regret it. They always put on a great show!
Die Spitz
Where/when: Avalanche Stage, 1:40pm
As far as rising stars come, they don’t come much more rapidly rising than Die Spitz. Sounding like ethereal pop one minute, and like The Sword or Clutch if they had Lzzy Hale fronting them the next, this is a very talented group of people. Their rise has not gone unnoticed outside the world of rock and metal too. They’ll be opening for none other than global megastar Olivia Rodrigo on some of her European tour dates next Spring. This might be the last time Die Spitz play in such an intimate setting at Download, we suggest you see them that way while you still can!
The Wildhearts
Where/when: Opus Stage, 11am
The Wildhearts are a British rock institution. Maybe not one with the same profile of some of their peers, the Iron Maiden’s, Def Leppard’s and even Thunder’s of this world, but one who have been entertaining the UK and beyond for over three decades. With the recent news that frontman Ginger Wildheart has a serious cancer diagnosis, and has elected not to pursue the treatment on offer, opportunities to see The Wildhearts are now limited in time and potentially in number. Download did an excellent thing in granting The Wildhearts this slot after the news broke. It is a little bit of a shame it’s not the main stage and maybe later in the day, but if anything is worth getting up very early for on the weekend of Download Festival 2026, it is this.
The All-American Rejects
Where/when – The Doghouse, District X – 11:30pm
While many will no doubt flock to see The All-American Rejects headline The Avalanche Stage at 7:40pm, we’re focusing on the acoustic set after hours in District X a few hours later. The last two years have brought incredible acoustic sets at this point of the weekend from Bowling For Soup and Funeral For A Friend. We’re backing The All-American Rejects to make it three from three. A late night acoustic singalong to Dirty Little Secret, Gives You Hell or It Ends Tonight? Sounds like a wonderful way to finish off the day.
Honourable mentions: Architects, Behemoth, Bush, Set It Off, Black Veil Brides, South Arcade, Landmvrks, Elder, Melrose Avenue.
Weekend tickets for Download Festival 2026 are now completely sold out – but if you get lucky you might be able to get one on re-sale (you can try here on this link). There are a small number of day tickets remaining, and if you’d like to see all the bands we’ve mentioned and more, we again recommend heading to Ticketmaster to see if you can pick up a ticket before they are all gone!
Stay tuned for the final part of our Download 2026 preview. The gates are now only hours away from opening and we cannot wait!
