Download Festival is heading to Brighton next month, joining forces with Kerrang! to host a specially curated stage at The Great Escape 2026. Running from Wednesday 13 to Friday 15 May at Daltons, Kerrang! Presents The Download Stage At TGE will put a spotlight on rising rock and alt-metal talent, running nightly from 6-10pm.
The partnership builds on the increasingly close relationship between the two iconic rock brands. The Download, a Kerrang! Radio show dedicated to the festival, launched in January 2025 and has been connecting rock fans to the world of Donington Park every week since.
The TGE stage takes that relationship firmly into the live space.
Each of the three nights will be headlined by an emerging act with their sights set on Donington. The full nightly line-up is as follows:
Wednesday 13 May
Headliner: Native James
Frozemode / Mudrat / EMNW
Thursday 14 May
Headliner: Comastatic
Eurotripp / Overgrown / Theboyshadow
Friday 15 May
Headliner: Oversize
Ally Nicholas / Heave Blood & Die / East Exchange
The stage is part of Download’s broader mission to nurture the next wave of rock and metal talent. In its 23rd year, the festival is using the TGE platform to get its hands on some of the genre’s most promising up-and-comers before they graduate to Donington Park itself, continuing a tradition of discovery that stretches back to the festival’s earliest editions.
The Great Escape is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, and remains the UK’s leading festival for breaking new music. The 2026 edition runs from 13-16 May across 35+ walkable Brighton venues, welcoming over 450 up-and-coming artists alongside the music industry conference. Earlier this year, Irish indie-folk trio Kingfishr were announced as headliners for the 2026 Spotlight Show, giving a flavour of the eclectic talent on show across the festival.
For those with rock coursing through their veins, this is also a timely reminder to sort out tickets for the main event. DLXXIII takes place at Donington Park from 10-14 June, with Limp Bizkit, Guns N’ Roses and Linkin Park headlining. They’re joined by Halestorm, Architects, A Day To Remember, Cypress Hill, Trivium, Bad Omens, Electric Callboy, BABYMETAL, Ice Nine Kills, Pendulum, The Pretty Reckless, Black Veil Brides, Behemoth, Daughtry, Mastodon, The All-American Rejects, Feeder, Scooter, and many more. Final remaining Friday and Saturday day tickets are on sale now at www.downloadfestival.co.uk.
Kerrang! brings 45 years of alternative music heritage to the partnership, having covered rock, metal, hardcore, punk, emo, grunge and thrash since its launch as the world’s biggest-selling weekly rock magazine. The brand now operates as a global music platform reaching millions of fans each month, and continues to champion new artists across every corner of the alternative scene.
Image credits: Andrew Whitton
In this article: Download Festival, Kerrang!, The Great Escape Festival, Brighton, Linkin Park, Guns N’ Roses, Limp Bizkit, Halestorm, Architects, A Day to Remember, Cypress Hill, Trivium, Bad Omens, Electric Callboy, Babymetal, Ice Nine Kills, Pendulum, The Pretty Reckless, Black Veil Brides, Behemoth, Daughtry, Mastodon, The All-American Rejects, Feeder, Scooter, Donington Park, Leicestershire. Generated by Wikidata Schema Link Builder.
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