Louder AAA
A representative for East Midlands Railway has banned those travelling to Download festival in Donington next month from bringing wheelie bins full of beer onto their trains.
Philippa Cresswell, the company’s customer experience director, issues the statement (via BBC News) after rock and metal fans reportedly brought bins and trolleys full of alcohol onto public transport for last year’s fest.
“Last year, some festival-goers tried to board services with wheelie bins or festival trolleys full of beer,” she says.
“While it might seem like a great idea for getting your supplies to the festival, it just isn't safe or possible to bring them on board train services. Our teams will be on hand at stations to support customers and help them complete their journeys, without their bins or trolleys, as smoothly as possible.”
The comment is one of a number of travel warnings given to those travelling to and from Download this year. East Midlands Railway has also urged metalheads to be mindful of planned engineering works which will be taking place over the festival weekend, June 10 to 14. Meanwhile, East Midlands Airport says that the festival will bring “significant extra traffic” to nearby roads and encourages passengers to give themselves extra travel time.
Download is the UK’s biggest annual rock and metal festival, bringing between 80,000 and 100,000 attendees to Donington every year. According to the BBC, the expected turnout this year is 95,000. The weekend will be headlined by Limp Bizkit, Guns N’ Roses and Linkin Park, with other performances set to come from Bad Omens, Trivium, Cypress Hill, Babymetal, Black Veil Brides and many more.
Last year, Download was headlined by three first-time headliners: Green Day, Sleep Token and Korn. Sleep Token’s Saturday set was lauded by Metal Hammer, with writer Rich Hobson awarding it four stars out of five.
“Even against Green Day, whose Donington debut feels long overdue, and Korn, who have their own illustrious past at the festival, Sleep Token headlining Download festival 2025 feels truly momentous, a legendary event in the making,” Hobson wrote.
“And their story is still not finished. Number-one album, sold-out tours, they are the metal sensation of the decade, if not century, and this set draws a line in the sand for doubters. Like it or not, they’re top of the world right now.”
In an interview one week after Download ’25, Korn’s Brian “Head” Welch said that Sleep Token “shut up” the haters with their set.
“I love it because all these people – I don’t know how many – but, I heard chatter about people like, ‘Sleep Token headlining?’ Some people were saying they’re so young to be able to headline so quick. And they came with that stage? Shut everybody up. They went bigger than a Slipknot stage, man.”
2026 will mark the first time Limp Bizkit top the Download bill. Guns N’ Roses last headlined in 2006, when they notoriously endured audience unrest which led to 12 arrests, and Linkin Park last headlined in 2017. However, it will be their first Download headliner with new singer Emily Armstrong, who replaces the late Chester Bennington.
