Yes, the rumours are true, Download faithful, German techno icons Scooter are officially joining the 2026 lineup as the ‘curveball’ artist.
After years of fans calling online for Scooter to play, Download Festival have delivered.
Previous curveball acts to play the festival include Chase & Status, Busta Rhymes and Pendulum.
The group will be headlining the Avalanche Stage.
Next year’s festival will be taking place between June 10-14, 2026 at the spiritual home of rock – Donington Park.
Scooter will be joining an already stellar line-up, headlined by the holy trinity of Limp Bizkit, Guns N’ Roses and Linkin Park.
Already announced are the likes of Electric Callboy, Pendulum, Cypress Hill, Trivium, Bad Omens, Halestorm, The All-American Rejects, BABYMETAL, Ice Nine Kills, Tom Morello, Bush, Feeder, Ash, The Pretty Reckless, Dogstar, and many more.

Over the past 30 years, Scooter have become Germany’s most successful techno act. Led by frontman H. P. Baxxter, the band have made music history, with over 30 million records sold, over 2.5 billion streams, and more than 1,000 sold out shows worldwide.
With classics like ‘The Logical Song’, ‘Hyper Hyper’, ‘How Much Is The Fish?’ and newer anthems like ‘For Those About To Rave’, one thing is clear: they are sure to go down a storm at Download XXIII.
Book tickets now: www.downloadfestival.co.uk.
