Download festival, the UK’s largest rock event, is to return next month after its initial cancellation earlier this year.
The event, named Download Pilot, will have a capacity of 10,000 instead of the usual 80,000.
Download Pilot will take place across three days as usual from 18th to the 20th of June at the Donington Park site in Derbyshire. Camping will be allowed, and the event organisers have stressed that moshing will also be permitted.
It will be the first event of its kind to go ahead since Covid restrictions started to relax.
Tickets are available from the 1st of June for those with tickets to the 2022 festival (rolled over from the cancelled 2021 and 2020 editions), and from the 3rd of June for everyone else.
The event is part of the UK government’s ongoing testing around large-scale events, with attendees expected to camp on site for the duration, show a negative lateral flow test to gain entry, and take a PCR test before and afterwards.
Promoters Festival Republic previously staged a successful one-day test event in Liverpool on the 2nd of May, headlined by Blossoms.
Speaking to the Evening Standard this week, culture secretary Oliver Dowden said of test events so far: “Overall, it has been a real success.”
According to Dowden, just 15 Covid cases were identified among a total of 58,000 attendees across numerous events, including the World Snooker Championship in Sheffield and the recent BRIT Awards.