Karen Dio

DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL UNVEILS THREE-DAY STAGE AT THE GREAT ESCAPE 2025

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Download Festival is bringing the noise to Brighton next month at The Great Escape with its very own stage under the famous city seafront arches at The Volks. Spanning three days of heavy hitters, rising alt-stars and future Download favourites, the stage will spotlight the best of the new wave – all primed for bigger things.

Catch chaos-ready sets from Mouth Culture, Twenty One Children, Karen Dio, Zetra, Vower, James and The Cold Gun, BEX, Jayler and more across Thursday 15 to Saturday 17 May. Whether you’re scouting your next favourite band or want a taste of what’s to come at Donington at DLXXII, this is your chance to get up close and loud as the festival season kicks off.

The Download stage at TGE highlights the festival’s ongoing commitment to championing new music. Artists like Sleep Token made their mark at the festival in 2018 and now headline Download 2025 – a testament to the platform and progression the festival supports. Download also partners with Kerrang! Radio on ‘The Deal’, an initiative for unsigned bands, with the winner earning the chance to open the Avalanche Stage at Donington.

Expect three stacked days of riffs, noise and non-stop energy as Download shines a spotlight on the artists shaping the future of rock, metal and everything in between. Access to the shows is via a TGE festival wristband and is subject to capacity.

Synonymous with new music discovery and acting as a springboard for rising artists, The Great Escape is the festival for new music. Playing host to over 450 up-and-coming artists and hotly tipped talent across 35+ walkable venues, alongside the music industry-led TGE conference, the festival will kick off the 2025 season from 14 – 17 May in Brighton, England. Tickets for The Great Escape festival start from £50 and are on sale here.   

DLXXII will see Green Day, Sleep Token and Korn headline the festival with the likes of Jimmy Eat World, Weezer, Rise Against, Shinedown, Bullet For My Valentine, Spiritbox, Don Broco, Palaye Royale, Meshuggah, Within Temptation, Sex Pistols featuring Frank Carter, Steel Panther, The Darkness, Eagles Of Death Metal, Myles Kennedy, McFly, Jerry Cantrell and many more joining them on the bill.  Download 2025 tickets are on sale now: www.downloadfestival.co.uk.