Download Festival Announces 2021 Dates

Download festival has announced that the 2021 instalment will take place on June 4-6.

The announcement comes one day after the Donington weekender was forced to cancel for the first time in its history, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Ticket holders for this year's festival will be able to exchange them for Download 2021.

In a statement made on social media yesterday, the Download team said that after monitoring the coronavirus situation, it just isn't possible to put on the festival this year.

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"This decision hasn’t been taken lightly and we’re beyond disappointed, we extend our heartfelt apologies to all of you – we really did try to make this work," read the message.

"Please rest assured we will be back next year. Now, more than ever, we need the Download spirit to thrive and offer support to those that need it most. We’ll do our best to put together an amazing line-up for you in 2021 and can’t wait to see you all then. Thank you, as ever, for your continued support."

KISS, System Of A Down and Iron Maiden were scheduled to headline Download 2020. There has been no word on potential bands for next year's festival.

Download is just one of many festivals forced to cancel this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Glastonbury, Desertfest, Isle Of Wight and SXSW have all pulled their 2020 events. Slam Dunk festival in the UK and Coachella in the US have rescheduled for September and October respectively.

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