Download Festival Aka Drownload
Last Friday morning I headed out super early for the drive to Donnington Park which sits next to East Midlands airport around Nottingham/ Derby/ Leicestershire for the annual Download Festival. This year was my seventh year at the festival and although I wasn’t initially excited about the line-up I realised that it was actually pretty bloody great.
The weather has always been a bit hit and miss at Download with some years being sunny and others having a bad day of rain which was enough to drive me home early in both 2010 and 2011. This year took the absolute biscuit though with pretty much constant rain from Friday early afternoon through to when I went home on Sunday.
On Friday myself and my friend were stood by the main stage waiting to watch Babymetal and the heavens opened, I’m talking torrential rain, hailstones, the works, and it was awful. Clothes were soaked, mud puddles formed and the band ended up coming out 20 minutes delayed due to this. But this was just the start with the heavens opening so consistently that every single day I had wet clothes and mud splatters everywhere. I was incredibly lucky in the campsite we had which wasn’t overflowing and had much lower traffic than the standard camping but I heard horror stories of people’s camps and all their stuff being flooded which is horrible.
Despite the awful weather – which saw the festival be renamed Drownload for the weekend – it was pretty amazing. I saw such an array of music from Friday night second stage headliners All Time Low through to operatic metal in the form of Nightwish and hardcore noise in the form of Napalm Death. I experienced new bands, met up with some people I hadn’t seen in a while, and braved the mud and rain to get everything from the weekend.
I was always planning on leaving Download late Sunday evening when my mate finished work there and this year I was so happy I was as I couldn’t face another night camping. Although the greatest mistake I made was not booking the Monday off work. Getting home at 2.45 am and going to work wasn’t fun, but you live and learn.
Have you ever had a rough festival experience?
28 responses to “Download Festival Aka Drownload”
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All About Me
Rhian Westbury
Travels and Destinations
Nothing currently planned
I saw a lot of photos over the course of the weekend showing just how bad the weather was – I’m glad you still managed to enjoy yourself.
However, going to work on the Monday morning?! School boy error!
I have never been to a festival before, I have friends that were there as well and all said they had a great time. I don’t think I could have coped with all the mud though lol x
OMG I hope you took your rubber ring and armbands with you. Bit too muddy for me.
I saw some of the photos from “drownload” and it looked very wet! I am glad you still managed to have a great time though.
Oh my god it really was drown load indeed!! How on earth you survived Monday I’ll never know!!
Ha I’ve heard from a few people that it was drownload although I am so amazed that you survived Monday I would of been not best pleased š
I am so jealous! I really wanted to go this year as I have never been. I know a few people who went and they got pretty wet
So many of my friends went and looks so damp and wet in the rain but had an amazing time x
I went in 2014 and whilst we had a little patch of rain on the Sunday, it was nothing like you have experienced. It’s such a shame when a festival is taking place in the Summer months, yet still the weather is dismal. I am sure the amazing bands made up for it though x
My sister went to download this year, she said even tho the weather was horrendous she didnt let it dampen her mood š I bet it was great to get home though in the warm and dry!
Oh wow! I did hear about that bad weather there. It looked nuts!
Im so jealous of everyone that went to Download this year! Other than the weather it looks amazing
I cannot believe how bad the weather was for Download this year! Awesome that peple still enjoyed it though. x
I really wanted to go to Download as NXT was there – gutted to miss that!
I watched some of the NXT but totally gutted that I missed Triple H!
Oh wow, I must admit, the super wet weather and mud would be my idea of a nightmare but I’m so pleased that you were more optimistic than me and had a fab time. It must be great to see bands you love playing live xxx
I absolutely love camping at festivals, never done Download but one day haha
Seven years straight! Wow. I hope the flood made it more memorable, though I am wishing for a better weather next festival.
The weather seemed pretty bad there but at least you all just tried to enjoy you’re selves and have fun.
Oh the weather looks awful! Glad you still had fun!
So glad that despite the rain you were still able to have fun, it must have been a nightmare but it just goes to show music will be there no matter the weather.
I’d so love to go to Download but I have to admit…the mud is really offputting for me! So jealous you saw Babymetal though!
I have a friend that goes here all the time! I’m not sure I’d be a fan of the weather though, I think I’m too old to go to festivals now because I can’t imagine sleeping in a tent, ha.
Corinne x
http://www.skinnedcartree.com
Oh rain sucks doesn’t it – what a shame. Looks like you managed to have a great time though. Kaz x
Oh goodness! What awful weather. At least it didn’t spoil your fun. š I would love to go to download festival! Maybe next year and hopefully the weather will be better.
Oh my gosh that looks super muddy Im not sure I would cope I hate being wet lol! Its fab that you still managed to have a great time though! xx
You definitely leave and learn, glad you had fun even though it poured throughout
I’ve been to 2 festivals , 1 rained and the other was too sunny… not sure which was worse haha. I think a bit of rain at a festival is nice (on the last day for a clean lol) this looks a bit too much though haha. X