Three days of dust, riffs and relentless energy all led to Download Festival XXIII’s final chapter. Sunday offered one last opportunity for Donington to empty the tank, bringing together rising stars, legendary names and one of the most anticipated headline performances in the festival’s history. From emotional singalongs and crushing metal to triumphant returns and a crowning headline set, Download’s closing day delivered unforgettable moments from start to finish.
Emily Armstrong of Linkin Park @ Download Festival XXIII
12:40: Mammoth Bring Modern Rock Muscle to the Apex Stage
Wolfgang Van Halen’s Mammoth continued their steady rise with a confident early-afternoon performance on the Apex Stage. Opening with The End, the band quickly showcased why they have become one of modern rock’s most talked-about acts.
Tracks including Another Celebration At The End of the World, The Spell And Like A Pastime highlighted Wolfgang’s knack for combining huge hooks with muscular riffs, while Same Old Song, I Really Wanna and Don’t Back Down kept the growing crowd engaged throughout.
As Sunday slowly gathered momentum, Mammoth provided a fitting start to Download’s final day.
13:10: RØRY Delivers an Emotional Homecoming on the Opus Stage
Few performances across the weekend felt as personal or as heartfelt as RØRY’s appearance on the Opus Stage. Having built a devoted following through honesty, resilience and connection, her Download set became one of Sunday’s most emotional highlights.
Opening with ANTI-REPRESSANT, she guided fans through deeply personal tracks including Dead Girl Walking, if pain could talk, what would it say?, UNCOMPLICATED and ALTERNATIVE. Throughout the performance, the crowd sang back every word, creating an atmosphere that felt more communal than merely observational.
Closing with SORRY I’M LATE and BLOSSOM, RØRY’s set served as a powerful reminder that vulnerability can be just as impactful as volume.
13:40: Dogstar Draw Curious Crowds to the Opus Stage
With film star Keanu Reeves once again taking his place behind the bass guitar, Dogstar attracted one of the day’s most curious and diverse audiences mere hours after delivering a headline set to London’s Roundhouse.
Yet beyond the celebrity factor, the trio delivered a measured and confident performance built on alternative rock grooves and understated musicianship. Their relaxed stage presence offered a welcome contrast to the intensity elsewhere across the festival site, allowing fans a chance to settle into Sunday’s increasingly warm afternoon.
As the crowd steadily grew, Dogstar proved they are far more than a novelty booking.
14:25: Bloodywood Ignite the Apex Stage with Global Metal Power
Few bands have enjoyed a rise as remarkable as Bloodywood, and Sunday’s Apex Stage appearance demonstrated exactly why their momentum continues to build worldwide.
Combining crushing riffs, Indian folk instrumentation and boundless energy, the New Delhi outfit transformed the arena into one of the day’s most vibrant celebrations. Dana Dan, Aaj and Nu Delhi immediately got bodies moving, while Gaddaar, Bekhauf and Halla Bol showcased the band’s unique ability to blend cultural identity with modern heaviness.
Closing with Machi Bhasad (Expect a Riot), Bloodywood delivered precisely what the title promised as circle pits erupted across Donington.
15:40: The Pretty Reckless Command the Apex Stage with Dark Elegance
Taylor Momsen and The Pretty Reckless brought swagger, attitude and arena-sized choruses to Sunday afternoon as they delivered one of the day’s most polished performances. This all comes after touring with the mightly AC/DC for two years and gettign album #5 ready for release this month with a tiny underplay show at London’s Underworld!
Opening with Death By Rock And Roll, the band balanced newer material with fan favourites including Follow Me Down, Only Love Can Save Me Now and Heaven Knows. Momsen’s commanding presence remained the focal point throughout, particularly during For I Am Death, Witches Burn and the storming Make Me Wanna Die.
The set closed with Going To Hell, bringing a dramatic flourish to one of Download’s strongest main stage appearances of the weekend.
17:35: Tom Morello Mixes Protest and Six-String Fire on the Apex Stage
Few artists blur the line between performance and political statement quite like Tom Morello, and his Sunday afternoon appearance on the Apex Stage delivered both in abundance.
Opening with Soldier In The Army of Love and the anti-fascist anthem Adjourn It, Morello quickly established the tone for a set that balanced activism with a celebration of his remarkable musical legacy. One of the day’s most talked-about moments came when the guitarist held up the back of his guitar to reveal the message “Fuck Tommy Robinson” to the Download crowd, prompting a huge reaction from fans gathered across the arena. The gesture continued Morello’s long-standing tradition of using festival stages as platforms for political expression.
Musically, the set was equally memorable. Morello welcomed his teenage son, Roman Morello, to the stage, with the young guitarist more than holding his own as the pair traded riffs and solos throughout the performance. Roman also featured on Adjourn It, the father-and-son collaboration that has become a centrepiece of Morello’s current solo work, and his appearance drew one of the warmest receptions of the afternoon.
From there, the set became a whirlwind tour through Morello’s career. A medley of Rage Against The Machine classics including Bombtrack, Know Your Enemy, Bulls On Parade, Guerilla Radio, Sleep Now In The Fire and Bullet In The Head transformed the Apex field into a sea of raised fists, while a shortened Like A Stone paid tribute to his Audioslave years and the late, great Chris Cornell. Unsurprisingly, Killing In The Name generated one of Sunday’s loudest singalongs before an extended rendition of Power To The People pushed the set beyond its allotted slot.
Equal parts protest rally, guitar clinic and family affair, Morello’s performance proved that few artists can still inspire, provoke and entertain quite like him.
18:45: Mastodon Deliver a Powerful Tribute on the Opus Stage
Appearing amid a period of change for the band, Mastodon’s Opus Stage performance carried added emotional weight.
Opening with Tread Lightly and The Motherload, the Atlanta heavyweights delivered a set packed with progressive metal excellence. One particularly poignant moment arrived during Your Ghost Again, which was dedicated to former guitarist Brent Hinds, drawing a heartfelt response from the crowd.
Elsewhere, Crystal Skull, Black Tongue, Crack The Skye and Blood And Thunder reminded fans exactly why Mastodon remain one of the most respected names in modern metal.
20:05: A Day To Remember Turn the Apex Stage into One Giant Singalong
As darkness approached, A Day To Remember delivered the perfect bridge between Sunday’s earlier festivities and the night’s headline event.
Launching into The Downfall Of Us All, the Florida favourites immediately had Donington singing every word. I’m Made of Wax, Larry, What Are You Made Of?, 2nd Sucks, Right Back At It Again and Paranoia maintained the pace, while Miracle, Rescue Me and Have Faith In Me showcased the band’s melodic side.
The closing run of All I Want, The Plot To Bomb The Panhandle, If It Means A Lot To You and All Signs Point To Lauderdale created one of the weekend’s largest singalongs, perfectly setting the stage for what followed.
21:25: Linkin Park Reclaim Their Throne on the Apex Stage
Twelve years after their last appearance at Donington, Linkin Park returned to Download not simply as headliners, but as a band writing a new chapter in their history. Following years of uncertainty after the loss of Chester Bennington, Sunday’s closing performance felt less like a comeback and more like a coronation, with the band proving beyond doubt that they remain one of rock’s defining forces.
Download Festival XXIII
Opening with an extended The Emptiness Machine, Linkin Park immediately showcased the balance between past and present that has defined this new era. Classics such as Lying From You, Crawling and Somewhere I Belong generated deafening singalongs, while newer material including Up From the Bottom, Two Faced, IGYEIH and Heavy Is The Crown landed with the confidence of future staples rather than tentative additions.
The performance also marked a significant moment in Download Festival history. With Emily Armstrong now fronting the band, Linkin Park became the first female-led act ever to headline the festival’s main stage in its twenty-three-year history. Far from being a footnote, it felt like a landmark occasion, reflecting both the band’s successful evolution and the changing face of modern rock and metal. Throughout the set, Armstrong commanded the vast Apex Stage with confidence and charisma, earning every bit of the enormous response from the Donington crowd.
Structured across four distinct acts, the set allowed moments of intensity and reflection to coexist. One Step Closer was briefly paused to address a crowd safety issue before resuming to an even louder reception, while the piano-led pairing of Lost and Breaking The Habit provided some of the evening’s most emotional scenes. Elsewhere, Waiting For The End, What I’ve Done and Numb united generations of fans, demonstrating the enduring power of a catalogue that continues to resonate more than two decades after the band’s emergence.
As Papercut, In The End and Faint brought Download Festival XXIII to a close, Donington became one voice. Tens of thousands sang every word back at a band who have shaped alternative music for a generation, while Linkin Park stood atop the mountain once more. For a festival built on defining headline performances, this felt like one of the most important in recent memory: a celebration of legacy, a statement of renewal, and a historic moment that will be remembered as Download’s first female-fronted headline set.
Photography of Download Festival XXIII on 14th June 2026 by Neil Lupin / neillupin.com.
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