Slipknot prepare for Download Festival at Donington Park

Slipknot, Iron Maiden and Rammstein are headlining this year's Download Festival, which runs until Sunday.

The three bands are joined at the event by the likes of Bullet For My Valentine and Queens of the Stone Age.

Iron Maiden's set will see them bring their Maiden England tour to Donington Park on the 25th anniversary of their first headline appearance.

In 1988, Donington's highest attendance, 107,000 people, turned out to see Iron Maiden's Seventh Son show.

Slipknot are headlining the Friday night at this year's Download Festival

German metal band Rammstein have also been announced as headliners on 16 June, the first time they've played the venue.

Others bands appearing include Jimmy Eat World, Thirty Seconds To Mars, The Gaslight Anthem and We Are The Ocean.

Enter Shikari drummer Rob Rolfe said he was looking forward to his band's headlining slot on the festival's second stage on Saturday night.

"This year at Download will be the first year we've ever headlined a major festival," he said.

"It's the first time we've ever been able to bring in any production, we we're excited about that."

'Childhood heroes'

Blitz Kids, who open the main stage on Sunday, are looking forward to seeing the main headliners.

Speaking at the Kerrang! Awards, the band's frontman Joe James said: "[I'm] looking forward to Slipknot, [they're] childhood heroes of mine, QOTSA on the Saturday, Rammstein on the Sunday.

"We're playing early on the Sunday, later on on our stage Limp Bizkit are performing.

"I remember seeing them in 2001 and now we're opening a stage they are on."

The weather for the weekend is forecast to be a mix of rain and sunny spells.

More than 100,000 people attended last year's Download Festival when Black Sabbath headlined the Sunday night.

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