Download Festival is just one of the many stellar events to be cancelled this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Now, flagship event from the UK has announced that they will host a with a virtual instalment of the festival, with none other than Iron Maiden, System Of A Down and Kiss at the helm, to ease the hurt just a little. 

Download’s first virtual program will be kicking off on Friday, June 12th with Kiss’ set from their 2015 Download Festival appearance, followed by Iron Maiden “bringing something very special to the screens with nostalgic performances, Legacy Of The Beast snippets, and something just for Download TV,” the band said in a statement. Sunday night will see the festival conclude with a wrap up of System Of A Down performances, “expect footage from their performances in 2005, 2011 and 2017, proving why they’re one of the best metal bands in history.”

Iron Maiden | "The Trooper"

The three-day online event will be jam-packed with exclusive footage and previously unseen performances, as well as interactive content that will be streamed across social media. The virtual festival will also stream performances from Babymetal, The Darkness, Deftones, Korn, The Offspring and many more.

Organisers also encouraging the viewers to emulate the real-world event by connecting through the interactive online content, saying: “Of course, we want you lot to be as involved as ever! Put your tents and flags up in your garden, send us pics of previous years, air guitar to your fave bands – this weekend is about YOU, the fans, and celebrating the Download community.”

The festival will be streaming Friday, June 12th until Sunday, June 14th via Download TV social media channels. More info here. 

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