District X 2026: Five, Electric Six and The All-American Rejects Lead After-Hours Line-up
district x 2026 at Donington Park has revealed a packed after-hours bill led by Five, Electric Six and The All-American Rejects. The rock and metal festival returns to Donington Park in Leicestershire from June 10 to 14, joining those acts with headliners Limp Bizkit, Guns N’ Roses and Linkin Park. Organisers describe the District X stage as the event’s “ultimate playground, ” mixing pop throwbacks, party-rock, acoustic sets and an extensive comedy programme.
District X 2026: Line-up highlights
The District X stage will feature main billed sets from Five, Electric Six and The All-American Rejects, the latter performing an acoustic set. DJ sets are scheduled from Dick & Dom, Creeper, MODESTEP, Cancer Bats’ Liam Cormer, Holding Absence’s Lucas Woodland, DUNE RATS and Frozemode. The weekend will also include surprise performances with secret sets to be revealed on the weekend itself, plus novelty and tribute acts such as TokenGrass (a bluegrass tribute to Sleep Token) and Nic Cage Against The Machine, a Rage Against The Machine tribute fronted by a Nicolas Cage impersonator.
Line-up extras: comedy, podcasts and unexpected moments
District X will run beyond music, staging a full comedy programme presented by The Comedy Store with more than 25 stand-up acts on the roster. Named performers in the comedy bill include Thomas Green, Matt Bragg, Felicity Ward, Dinesh Nathan and Sikisa. The wider Download bill already lists other festival names across the main stages and shows how District X is being positioned as an all-night hub that blends nostalgic pop, party acts and alternative entertainment.
Immediate reactions
Andy Copping, festival organiser, framed the programming as a deliberate platform for emerging and genre-crossing talent: “I’ve always wanted to do that, and you can see it in how we’ve been developing the other stages like the Dogtooth stage and the Avalanche. For us, it’s about giving bands the opportunity to grow. We’ve got the platform and we want to be sending a message to those guys like ‘Come and play. We believe in you and you’ve got a great opportunity here. ’ Thankfully, for the most part, these bands do step up and they do deliver. “
Quick context
Mainstream pop acts have become regular draws at the traditionally rock- and metal-focused Download festival, with recent District X appearances from acts such as Vengaboys, McFly and Busted. The previous festival edition featured headliners Green Day, Sleep Token and KoRn and a cross-genre supporting bill that broadened Download’s after-hours appeal.
What’s next
Expect the organisers to confirm the identity of the secret sets during the festival weekend and to finalise the District X running order as the event approaches. Weekend camping tickets have sold out, but remaining weekend arena and day tickets are still listed for sale; watch for further programme updates as District X 2026 unfolds.
district x 2026 will remain a focal point for surprise bookings and cross-genre moments when Download returns to Donington Park this June.
