Campers are arriving at Donington Park today (June 18) for the Download Pilot, the UK’s first camping festival since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 10,000-capacity event, set to be headlined by Bullet For My Valentine, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes and Enter Shikari, sees the legendary rock festival make a small-scale return for a three-day camping pilot as part of ongoing research into the safe return of live music.
Organisers say that “moshing is allowed” for the event, which runs until Sunday (June 20). âThis massive next step will help us understand and study the safe return of large-scale festivals with no social distancing or face masks over a full weekend⊔ said event organiser Melvin Benn, who also organised a series of pilot events in Liverpool over the May Bank Holiday weekend, where the likes of Fatboy Slim and Blossoms played to a crowd without any COVID restrictions.
Ahead of the music beginning today, fans are arriving in their droves to a rainy Donington. See photos and reactions from the return of camping festivals below.
The gates are open! Welcome home, Downloaders!
#DownloadPilot pic.twitter.com/KcQHA5wZoa
— Download Festival (@DownloadFest) June 18, 2021
Excited beyond belief
WE ARE FUCKING GOING HOME
This is for every single one of you who loves live music
And needs live music @DownloadFest #musicdeclaresemergency #downloadpilot #musicsaves #letthemusicplay pic.twitter.com/2skpmguf44— Rachael (@RachaelHTFC) June 18, 2021
We're getting ready for you…
#DownloadPilot pic.twitter.com/uLILTlKprF
— Download Festival (@DownloadFest) June 16, 2021
We're all pitched up at @DownloadFest. Can confirm it's absolutely chucking it down. But LIVE MUSIC IN TWO HOURS! #Downloadpilot pic.twitter.com/7l7fZvgKpB
— Flipping the Record (@FliptheRec) June 18, 2021
We are at a bloody festival! #DownloadPilot @DownloadFest pic.twitter.com/ifBWuzVQKM
— Ryan (@ryan_simmonds) June 18, 2021
Settled in my home for the next 3 nights #DownloadPilot pic.twitter.com/lHDtu6pZyN
— Am
(@Amandwin) June 18, 2021
Off we go to @DownloadFest #Downloadpilot #Drownload
pic.twitter.com/4pLInwtKWj
— Charlotte Wade (@CharlotteWade10) June 18, 2021
The Met Office is predicting clouds on the festivalâs first day today, with temperatures between 13 and 17 degrees Celsius and a 20 per cent chance of precipitation.
Tomorrow (June 19) is set to be similar, with temperatures peaking at 18 degrees Celsius and a 10 per cent chance of rain. Sunday June 20, however, is 50 per cent likely to bring rain from 10am until 7pm.
Check out the festival’s full weather forecast and set times here.
Just 15 people tested positive for COVID-19 following the Liverpool Sefton Park event, with initial data suggesting that holding mass events without face masks and social distancing poses as little risk as going to a shopping centre or restaurant.
Download Festival will make a full return in 2022 with headline sets from KISS, Iron Maiden and Biffy Clyro.
The post Punters arrive to rainy Download Pilot for first UK camping festival since pandemic appeared first on NME.
