Download Festival 2026 kicks off today (June 10), but what is the weather looking like? Find the latest forecast below.
The rock and metal festival returns to Donington Park in Leicestershire from June 10 to 14, and at the end of last year, organisers confirmed that Limp Bizkit, Guns N’ Roses and Linkin Park would be the 2026 headliners, each a UK exclusive for the year.
Other big names announced for the event included Bad Omens, Cypress Hill, Tom Morello, Trivium, Halestorm, Pendulum, Mastodon, BABYMETAL, Architects and Feeder, while the line-up for the District X stage will feature Five, Electric Six and The All-American Rejects.
There will also be some secret sets that will be revealed on the weekend itself, as well as sets from TokenGrass – a bluegrass tribute to Sleep Token – and a Rage Against The Machine tribute act fronted by a Nicolas Cage impersonator, titled Nic Cage Against The Machine.
Despite its placement in the summer months, Donington Park’s weather record during Download is mixed, with 2024 memorably becoming something of a mudbath. With the festival now just days away, the BBC Weather forecast is now available.
The BBC predicts that there will be light rain showers throughout the five days of Download 2026, with a moderate breeze also likely to be present on each day.
Take a look at the latest BBC Weather forecast below (last updated 10:30, June 10).
Wednesday, June 10: Thundery showers and a gentle breeze, with rain looking likely all day. Temperatures will range from 9 to 11°C.
Thursday, June 11: Light rain and a moderate breeze, with rain likely throughout the morning, afternoon and evening. Temperatures from 10 to 16°C.
Friday, June 12: Light rain showers and a moderate breeze once again, with lighter rain expected in the morning and lunchtime, but lower likelihood later in the day and into the evening. Temperatures from 11 to 20°C.
Saturday, June 13: Sunny intervals and a moderate breeze, with sun breaking through the clouds. From 4pm there will be uninterrupted sunshine, with temperatures from 12 to 21°C.
Sunday, June 14: More sun with a moderate breeze, with a slight chance of drizzle between 2pm-7pm. Temperatures from 14 to 23°C.
Download the app here (Apple) and here (Android) to check out all stage times for Download 2026, and find a full list here.
Festival organiser Andy Copping spoke to NME in 2024 about the importance of creating a platform for new and emerging talent. “I’ve always wanted to do that, and you can see it in how we’ve been developing the other stages like the Dogtooth stage and the Avalanche,” he said.
“For us, it’s about giving bands the opportunity to grow. We’ve got the platform and we want to be sending a message to those guys like ‘Come and play. We believe in you and you’ve got a great opportunity here.’ Thankfully, for the most part, these bands do step up and they do deliver.”