The Download Festival is held at Donington Park, which is the home of rock. It’s next to East Midlands Airport, so it’s easy to get there.

The Monsters of Rock festivals, which were held at the Donington Park circuit between 1980 and 1996, inspired the Download Festival. Stuart Galbraith and Andy Copping co-booked the first Download Festival in 2003 at the same location. Download began as a two-day event before expanding to three days in 2005.

The festival’s name, Download, was chosen for two reasons. Because of file sharing, downloading was a dirty word in the music industry at the time, and rock is seen as a rebellious genre of music. Download was also to be a Monsters of Rock for the twenty-first century, with the internet providing connectivity with its audience.

Download, like Monsters of Rock, began on the infield of the Donington Park circuit. However, developments in Formula One meant that the infield was no longer suitable as a festival location in 2008. The festival was relocated to the circuit’s “Sunday Markets” area to the west. Although sufficient, numbers were limited, and the location of the campsite meant that getting from the tents to the arena required quite a hike. The arena was relocated to a much more suitable location to the south of the circuit in 2009, and it has remained there ever since.

Download Festival is in the middle of three counties: Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, and Derbyshire. It’s easy to get to by road, rail, bus, and plane.

We’re now looking to recruit Download Festival Volunteers

To find out more follow the link below