Festival season is back..and so is the weather:10,000 rock fans enjoy second day of Download
A taste of fun! 10,000 rock fans party at second day of Download music festival as organisers tell of ‘euphoria’ at pilot mass event despite heavy rain
- Thousands flocked to Donington Park, Derby, for the beginning of the Download pilot festival event on Friday
- Around 40 bands will perform over three days on two stages and festival-goers advised not to leave venue
- It is the UK’s first post-Covid music festival which is being carefully monitored by government scientists
- The event is running at a reduced capacity but will not enforce social distancing measures and face masks
Revellers partied at the second day of Download festival on Saturday after the official Covid test event kicked off with heavy downpours.
Festival goers were seen ‘moshing’ despite the weather as Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes closed on the main stage late last night, with other performances from Neck Deep, Conjurer, and the Hara.
They are taking part in the UK’s first post-Covid music festival, where masks and social distancing rules have been scrapped. It will be carefully monitored by government scientists.
The three-day camping-only weekend event kicked off on Friday at Donington Park, Derby, and gave music lovers the freedom to enjoy themselves without any Covid restrictions.
Rock on! Fans enjoy live music at the second day of the Download Pilot festival at Donnington Park on Saturday despite the wet weather
Revellers have enjoyed their second day at Download festival where masks and social distancing rules have been scrapped for the official test event
Milkie Way of Wargasm performs in front of thousands at the festival which celebrates rock music which has been held since 2003
For many rock music fans, the festival was the first chance to watch live music in more than a year due to Covid lockdowns
Revellers partied at the second day of Download festival after the official Covid test event kicked off with heavy downpours on Friday
The festival is taking place this weekend as part of a Government live events pilot, meaning fans do not have to wear masks or socially distance
Download was given the green light in May to proceed as a Government test event, following a number of smaller pilots and the Brit Awards in May
Festival organisers announced in March that they were cancelling the event for a second consecutive year due to the pandemic
Jason Perry of A performs during Download festival at Donington Park on Saturday during the government test event
Festival goers enjoy the weather as the sun makes an appearance on the second day of the Covid pilot event
Festival goers enjoyed were seen ‘moshing’ as Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes closed on the main stage late last night, with other performances from Neck Deep and the Hara (pictured, Conor Marshall of Conjurer)
Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes performed at the Download pilot festival – the UK’s first post Covid festival – on Friday night
10,000 rock music fans were all smiles despite the downpours as they crammed into Donington Park for Download festival on Friday
Festival goers partied into the night at Download Pilot Festival in Donington Park, Derby. It is the first post-Covid festival to take place in the UK and will be monitored closely by scientists
For the music event to go ahead, festival-goers have to produce a negative PCR test before arrival and are required to test again afterwards.
In addition, leaving the festival site in between is strongly discouraged and there are no day tickets available.
The Download Pilot festival, arranged rapidly in about a month, will feature 40 bands over three days on two stages.
While the event appears to be a positive step for the music industry, the numbers of people welcomed through the gates will be considerably reduced from the normal 100,000 fans by 90 per cent.
The three-day camping-only weekend event, which includes performances from Conjurer (pictured) kicked off on Friday at Donington Park, Derby, and gave music lovers the freedom to enjoy themselves without any Covid restrictions
In a return to pre-pandemic scenes, 10,000 people crammed into Donington Park for a three-day Download Festival on Friday (pictured, revellers enjoy the first night of music on Friday)
Download Pilot is a 10,000 capacity festival part of a UK government test event to examine how Covid-19 transmission takes place in crowds
Paul Collins and Aidan Cooper of Lotus Eater were among those invited to perform at the pilot Download festival this weekend
They are taking part in the UK’s first post-Covid music festival which will be carefully monitored by government scientists
Theresa Jarvis of Yonaka sings to the large crowd after more than a year with no live music as fans made the most of the test event
For the music event to go ahead, festival-goers have to produce a negative PCR test before arrival and are required to test again afterwards
Download festival, taking place in Donington Park, Derby, this weekend, is the UK’s first post-Covid festival and is a trial event that will be monitored closely by the government
Revellers were all smiles as they were welcomed back to Donington Park for the UK’s first post-Covid festival – Download
The event has see social distancing rules and masks thrown out the window as 10,000 music fans were welcomed back to Donington Park on Friday
Rock music fans donned their best outfits as they enjoyed the second day of the Download festival in Donington Park, Derby
The Download Pilot festival, arranged rapidly in about a month, will feature 40 bands, including Conjurer (pictured), over three days on two stages
Festival goers have had to follow strict rules in order to attend the event and have been strongly discouraged from leaving the site before the end of the weekend
10,000 festival goers have descended on Donington Park for the three-day pilot festival over the weekend (pictured, left performers Conjurer, right, event attendees)
Paul Collins and Aidan Cooper of Conjurer performed at the Download pilot festival on June 19, the event is the UK’s first post-Covid music festival which will be carefully monitored by government scientists
Rock music fans descended on Donington Park for a the weekend where social distancing and mask have been scrapped as part of the government’s test events
Thousands of people turned up to enjoy a weekend of music as Download opened its gates to a festival free of any Covid restrictions in Donington, Derby
Hundreds of music lovers braved the wet and windy weather to still attend the event this weekend, armed with their essential possessions and beer
More than 10,000 rock fans gathered at Download with mosh pits, no social distancing and no need for masks at the first festival selected as an official test event
The thousands of festival-goers are taking part in the UK’s first post-Covid music festival which will be carefully monitored by Government scientists
Away from the festival, people will be required to follow the Government’s current guidelines on social distancing and mask-wearing.
Signs were placed on the entrance barriers reminding visitors that they must adhere by social distancing measures before they enter.
A group of wardens wearing face masks welcomed the lucky ticket holders, scanning their tickets and checking their test results before they entered.
As they arrived many of the festival goers continued to wear their masks, which were required before they walked inside.
For the music event to go ahead, festival-goers have to produce a negative PCR test before arrival and are required to test again afterwards
People hoping to leave the festival site in between is strongly discouraged and there are no day tickets available for the restriction-free event
The Download Pilot festival was arranged rapidly in around a month and will feature 40 bands across three days on two stages
The numbers of people welcomed through the gates will be considerably reduced from the normal 100,000 fans by 90%
Once they were given the all-clear to enter their festival bands were attached to their wrists.
Many people carried enormous backpacks while others wheeled their possessions for the weekend along on carts, including large multipacks of beer.
Leicestershire Police said it is not anticipating problems with the reduced numbers and has handed over duties to local officers.
Highways England said it is ready to respond to problems on major roads but does not expect the usual traffic hold-ups.
Lauren and Jamie Mecaloon, who have visited the festival for the past 16 years after meeting there in 2008, tied the knot at the festival on Friday
Away from the festival, people will be required to follow the Government’s current guidelines on social distancing and mask-wearing
As they arrived many of the festival goers continued to wear their masks, which were required before they walked inside
Despite the wet and windy weather in Derby today, the festival goers looked ready and raring to go for the rock event
Eager festival-goers, laden with bags filled with essentials for the weekend, tents and more, queued at the entrance in the rain
People were determined to not let the weather dampen their spirits as they battled the rain to find their camping spot
Festival goers flocked to the stages and crammed together at the pilot event, getting into the music
The event has no Covid restrictions imposed, including social distancing and face masks, meaning the crowds could gather close together in front of the stage
Due to the relaxation of Covid restrictions, visitors were able to join mosh pits and even crowd surf
But festival-goers have been warned to be ready for rain as heavy thundery showers have been forecast at times over the weekend.
Rain began to fall on Wednesday, which fell short of becoming the hottest day of the year so far when a high of 29.2C (84.56F) was recorded at Heathrow, after the 29.7C (85.46F) peak felt in Teddington, Middlesex, on Monday.
Today, lows of 10C are expected in the north of Scotland, and average temperatures of around 12C for rest of the country.
The Environment Agency has issued 17 flood alerts, with flooding possible in London and surrounding areas, and Kent.
A yellow weather warning for rain covering much of England, apart from Devon and the North West, has also been issued by the Met Office.
In one of the tents at the event, hundreds of people gathered in a crowd to watch Death Blooms perform
Hot Milk’s Jim Shaw performs on the main stage on the first day of Download Festival at Donington Park
The festival revellers donned their boots and wellies to wade through the mud as the rain poured down
Many people carried enormous backpacks while others wheeled their possessions for the weekend along on carts, including large multipacks of beer
Festival-goers have been warned to be ready for rain as heavy thundery showers have been forecast at times over the weekend
Leicestershire Police said it is not anticipating problems with the reduced numbers and has handed over duties to local officers.
Boyfriend, 26, proposes to his partner at festival – ten years after meeting her there
Iona Crosby got the surprise of her life at this year’s Download Pilot festival when her boyfriend unexpectedly got down on one knee and proposed to her.
The couple first met at the Donington Park venue 10 years ago as 16 year olds – and have been together ever since.
But according to Iona, who lives in Perth in Scotland, they did not hit off straightaway when they met, although boyfriend Eliot Robinson, of Heanor, seemed keener on getting to know her than she did him.
She said: ‘We were standing near each other in the crowd. I was with my dad and he went off to do something and said to Eliot ‘look after her’.
Iona Crosby got the surprise of her life at this year’s Download Pilot festival when her boyfriend unexpectedly got down on one knee and proposed to her
The couple first met at the Donington Park venue 10 years ago as 16 year olds – and have been together ever since
‘So we carried on standing next to each other without speaking. He kept asking me when different bands were coming on stage because he knew I had a lanyard on me with the times on it. Although I later found out, he had one too but he was using it as an excuse to speak to me.
‘Eventually, after about six hours, I turned to him and formally introduced myself and shook his hand. The rest, as they say is history.’
But Eliot had the last word with his surprise proposal – only his mum
Jane Robinson, who was also at this weekend’s festival with Eliot’s sister Miranda, was in on the surprise.
Eliot said: ‘I didn’t have a definite plan to propose at Download. We first met here, System of a Down were headlining, and it felt right.
‘But with the pandemic and Download being cancelled last year and this year, I did not think I would get a chance until it was announced that there was going to be a Download Pilot festival after all.
‘We got tickets, I bought a ring and then went down on one knee.’
The 26-year-olds are thinking of getting married in 2023 but they have yet to decide where that will be but Iona wants it to be in June, the month that Download usually takes place
System of a Down were due to play the normal Download festival until it was cancelled in March.
Mum Jane, 53, said: ‘I think it is a good time to do this. Especially as Eliot normally works in Singapore but cannot travel there currently because of the pandemic restrictions.
‘The look on Iona’s face was one of complete shock but it was lovely.’
The 26-year-olds are thinking of getting married in 2023 but they have yet to decide where that will be but Iona wants it to be in June, the month that Download usually takes place.
Romance is in the air definitely. On Friday – the first day of the festival – couple Lauren and Jamie Mecaloon took part in a humanist wedding in front of the main stage.
They first met at Download in 2008 and the pair have been attending the festival for 16 years altogether.
Although humanist weddings have no legal standing in England and Wales and couples also need to have a register office ceremony, they are legal in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
But the weather hasn’t dampened visitors spirits. Donning waterproof clothing and shielding their possessions with plastic wrap, many of the eager visitors looked ecstatic to be back inside a festival venue.
Jonathan Billing, 39, and Mathew Markowicz, 30, were with a group from Thornton Cleveleys, near Blackpool.
Jonathan said: ‘It’s the best feeling ever. We got here about 9.30am, pitched the tent and now we are just waiting for the music to start.’
The pair have been to about six full Download Festivals and were really surprised an event was possible this year.
Mathew said: ‘It’s awesome to be part of a group again. Taking a test was no problem and we feel really safe because no one should have Covid.’
Promoter Andy Copping, promoter for the festival, said there is a ‘real sense of euphoria’ despite the rain.
‘The thing is, it wouldn’t be Download unless there was a bit of rain and we had to have that,’ he added.
He said the festival organisers are honoured’ to be among the first large-scale events to return since the start of the pandemic.
A series of big names in music are playing the event, including Enter Shikari, Bullet For My Valentine and tonight’s headline act Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes.
The event comes after a series of other pilots events run as part of the government’s Events Research Programme which aims to examine the risk of transmission of Covid-19 from attendance at events and explore ways to enable people to attend a range of events safely.
Highways England said it is ready to respond to problems on major roads but does not expect the usual traffic hold-ups
The Environment Agency has issued 17 flood alerts, with flooding possible in London and surrounding areas, and Kent
A yellow weather warning for rain covering much of England, apart from Devon and the North West, has also been issued by the Met Office
Donning waterproof clothing and shielding their possessions with plastic wrap, many of the eager visitors looked ecstactic to be back inside a festival venue
In April thousands of fans returned to Wembley for the first time in more than a year the FA Cup semi-final, which saw Leicester City beat Southampton 1-0 and secure a spot in the final.
Days before some fans were allowed to attend the World Snooker Championship at the indoor Sheffield Crucible Theatre which operated at a socially distanced capacity of about 325 for the first few days and gradually increased to full capacity.
And in May thousands of revellers returned to the dancefloor at the UK’s first post-lockdown ‘nightclub’ rave, with a tent of scientists outside monitoring their behaviour.
Nightlife promoter Circus hosted The First Dance in Liverpool, where revellers did not have to wear face coverings or social distance for the first time since before lockdown began.
The line-up included Circus founder and DJ Yousef, Lewis Boardman and The Blessed Madonna. Fatboy Slim is among the acts due to perform on Saturday.
Ravers had to take a lateral flow test 24 hours before the event in order to release their e-ticket, and had to produce a negative result to gain entry.
They were then asked to take another test five days after the rave and submit the results.
A series of big names in music are playing the event, including Enter Shikari, Bullet For My Valentine and tonight’s headline act Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes
Signs were placed on the entrance barriers reminding visitors that they must adhere by social distancing measures before they enter
Once they were given the all-clear to enter their festival bands were attached to their wrists
A group of wardens wearing face masks and blue hi-vis jackets welcomed the lucky ticket holders
The wardens were seen scanning festival-goers tickets and checking their test results before they entered
The event comes after a series of other pilots events run as part of the government’s Events Research Programme which aims to examine the risk of transmission of Covid-19 from attendance at events
