Download Festival
A festival home to some of the weirdest, wackie st and quite frankly most outrage ous entertainment, think Britain's Got Talent but without the pre-teen dancing groups or Simons unruly chest hair. If One Direction and Taylor Swift are your headlining matc h made in hell (much like Swiftie and Styles relationship) ; ;then Download may just be the thing for you. Don't worry there's no buffering or annoying ads to contend with just some of the best rock and metal music from round the world all under one roof. Well alright, it’s outside in a park if you really want to get fussy about it.
Where and When?
The three day affair will take place between the 12th and the 14th of June in Donington Park in Leicestershire. The park is situated right next to East Midland's airport, great for those of you flying in by private jet, something tells me this isn't really Simons kind of thing, otherwise I would totally be making another Simon Cowell joke right about now. The park is basically slap bang in the middle of the country so be sure to plan your route in advance to avoid any last minute mishaps. The festival offers a coach service which will allow you to be picked up from a number of different UK pick up points as well as a shuttle service from local trains stations so you have lots of safe, reliable options to get you there on time.
A Huge Line Up
There's around 150 acts set to perform over 4 stages, that’s one hell of a line-up. Its jam packed with the best rock artists from not only the UK but around the globe all descending on Donington Park&am p;nb sp;to knock your socks off including headlining acts Slipknot and Muse. Each day has a whole host of artists to choose so from there's bound to a little bit of what you fancy thrown in the mix. Friday will see performances from Fightstar, Judas Priest and Black Stone Cherry amongst others. Saturday is headlined by Muse and you can also catch Mallory Knox and Funeral for a friend as well as Marilyn Manson. Sundays line-up includes Encore Stage headliners Enter Sha kari, Billy Idol and Slash. Prepare for a lot of screaming, some hard-core head banging and probably some good old fashioned mosh pitting. You have been warned.
Staying the Night?
Camping is of course available for those wanting to experience the hard-core festival lifestyle, its not all flower crowns and face paint you know. There is also a quiet camping zone mostly put in place for families and children, rules state that music must be turned off after midnight to ensure a good nights sleep. If you couldn't care less about sleep then by all means camp elsewhere and party on through the night, just don’t be surprised if your temporary neighbours aren't too friendly. There is an RIP camping area for all those VIP`s out there, doesn’t sound too flash but trust me. The RIP area comes complete with its very own day spa because obviously th ere's nothing more rock and roll than a pedicure! Am I right?
Make your own sweet music
Rock music may not entirely be your sort of thing but honestly its worth going just for the chance to take part in some heavy metal speed dating, because that's obviously now a thing. Oh and if it all works out you can even get married in the inflatable chapel of love - not legally though, don’t get too excited. As well as wedding bells ringing in your ears you can also jump on board with the chance to make your own sweet music. If you’ re a top high scorer on Guitar hero and fancy yourself as the next Jon Bon Jovi, hopefully minus the dodgy hair do, then get yourself on the Dog Bed Stage, equipped with all the instrument's you can possibly need. To add to the onsite entertainment there's laser tag, progress wrestling, a silent disco (probably the only peace and quiet you'll get all weekend), an art gallery, a circus workshop, a mask workshop and a cinema. Phew, something tells me you'll be far from bored.
So prepare to come home smelling and looking so awful that your parents may just wish to disown you but just remember guys, it was totally worth it.
By Sophie Black