Download Festival has shared details about the 2025 edition of ‘District X’ – with appearances from Vengaboys, Justin Hawkins and Funeral For A Friend.
The instalment is described as a “festival within a festival” and will take place alongside the main bulk of Download, which is going to be held this June at the usual Donington Park site.
Now, with less than three months until this year’s edition kicks off, organisers have shared details about what fans can expect from the ‘District X’ site, including an unexpected appearance from the Dutch Eurodance music group Vengaboys.
While not the traditional artist set to ignite the stage at the metal festival, the group are set to take to the stage at the ‘District X’ area thanks to fan demand and expected to bring their usual high-energy performance to the stage.
A number of DJ sets are also planned for the area, including one from Cradle of Filth frontman Dani Filth, who is predicted to bring “a nightmarish mix of gothic anthems and metal classics”, one from Aled Phillips from Kids In Glass Houses, and one from Liam Cormier of Cancer Bats.
Elsewhere, it has been confirmed that Welsh post-hardcore icons Funeral For A Friend will be breaking out a specially-curated acoustic set for the ‘District X’ site. On top of that, live podcasts will be making their debut in the area, including that of The Darkness’s Justin Hawkins, who will be bringing his acclaimed YouTube series, Justin Hawkins Rides Again to the stage.
Other highlights include DJ sets from McFly’s bassist Dougie Poynter, a ‘Now That’s What I Call A 00’s Mixtape’ throwback party hosted by Sophie K, Emo Drag Karaoke, Silent Disco and quizzes centred around some of the biggest metal bands of all time.
Find out more about ‘District X’ here, check out the new poster above, and visit here to buy remaining tickets to Download 2025.
The upcoming 2025 edition will see Green Day, Sleep Token and KoRn perform as headliners, as well as performances from Weezer, Sex Pistols featuring Frank Carter, Jimmy Eat World, Poppy, Loathe, Jerry Cantrell, McFly Within Temptation, Eagles Of Death Metal, The Darkness, Spiritbox, Meshuggah, Steel Panther, Cradle Of Filth and Alien Ant Farm.
Another batch of artists joining the 2025 line-up was then confirmed last month, with new names including the likes of Rise Against, Hatebreed, Kids In Glass Houses, Opeth, Myles Kennedy, Shinedown, AWOLNATION, Power Trip, Palaye Royale, Municipal Waste, Crossfaith and more.
Shortly afterwards, organisers shared the day splits and a recent newsletter confirmed that there will be “multiple secret sets” taking place this year.
At the end of last year, organiser Andy Copping spoke to NME about the importance of creating a platform for new talent going into 2025. “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.”
The 2024 edition was headlined by Queens Of The Stone Age, Fall Out Boy and Avenged Sevenfold, and NME gave it four stars, writing: “At first glance, Download 2024 seemed to be marred by a range of factors that could have signalled its downfall – even festival boss Andy Copping admitted that it was the ‘hardest year’ to secure a line-up and the team approached over ‘21 bands’ to find headliners.
“Pair that with the threat of boycott in retaliation against the Barclays sponsorship and news that this year could be the wettest in a century, and the hopes of it coming out smoothly began to waver. Yet, against the odds the festival delivers one of its most promising editions in recent memory, and proves that it is one of the main events leading the way when it comes to creating opportunities for the next generation of headliners.”
