It's almost time for Download XXII, with rock and metal fans getting ready to descend on Donington Park for five days of headbanging for the 2025 music festival tailor made to celebrate all things rock.

The festival, the successor to the legendary Monsters Of Rock, is now in its 22nd year - hence the XXII name - and for 2025 features headliners Green Day, Sleep Token and Korn as well as other huge acts like McFly, The Darkness, Opeth and Jimmy Eat World among many more.

Download 2025 starts on Wednesday, June 11 for those with five-day tickets, before the main part of the festival with the arena acts kicks off on Friday, June 13, and runs until Sunday night on June 15.

But as with all music , there are restrictions in place on what you're allowed to bring into the campsites and the arena, for the safety of everyone attending. It might be rock and roll but there are still some rules.

Most of the banned items relate to things like glass bottles, large aerosols, weapons, tools and other common sense restrictions. But there are some things that may catch you out in your festival packing, and you need to avoid having in your bags or they could be confiscated. And Download has warned that any surrendered items will not be given back.

Aerosols over 250ml

Airhorns and megaphones

Animals (other than approved assistance dogs)

Any alcohol in possession of anyone under 18

Any goods for unauthorised trading

Any goods with unauthorised festival logos

Any items which may cause danger, offence or disruption to any other person

Any items which may reasonably be considered for use as a weapon

Audio recorders - Not allowed in arena, only campsite

Bags bigger than A4 size (30cm height x 8cm depth x 21cm width) - Not allowed in arena, only campsite

Bicycles / scooters / roller-skates / skateboards

Blow torches

Camping equipment - Not allowed in arena, only campsite

Cans - Not allowed in arena, only campsite

Cutlery - Not allowed in arena, only campsite

Disposable BBQs and permitted cooking stoves (for personal use only): meth stoves (with maximum 1L methylated fuel/spirit), trangia stoves (with maximum 1L Trangia fuel), gel fuel, greenheat basecamp cooker, firelighter stoves. fuel limited to 1L maximum per stove*- Not allowed in arena, only campsite

Drinks bottles (other than sealed plastic water/soft drinks bottles 500ml or under & empty reusable bottles of any size metal or plastic - no glass) - Not allowed in arena, only campsite

Drones or other unmanned aerial vehicles

Excessive amounts of cigarettes (more than personal consumption)

Excessive amounts of food (more than personal consumption)

Firewood

Fireworks / pyrotechnics

Flags with poles - Not allowed in arena, only campsite, but with some exclusion zones

Flares/distress flares/smoke bombs

Food - including hampers / cool bag / boxes - Not allowed in arena, only campsite

Gazebos - Not allowed in arena, only campsite (within reasonable size limits)

Generators (exemption for generators in caravans

Glass

Golf umbrellas - Not allowed in arena, only campsite

Hexamine / hexi tablets

Illegal substances

Individual camping gas canisters (exemption for gas canisters fitted within campervans)

Leatherman multi tools

Legal Highs/New Psychoactive Substances

Nitrous oxide and any associated equipment (balloons, Co2 dispensers, cream dispensers)

Paper lanterns or sky lanterns

Petrol burners

Portable laser equipment and pens

Rooftop tents - Only allowed in campervan site

Small hammers for pitching tents - Not allowed in arena, only campsite

Sound systems

Tin openers - Not allowed in arena, only campsite

Umbrellas - Not allowed in arena, only campsite

Unidentifiable substances

Unofficial tabards or reflective jackets

And Download states in its alcohol rules: (must not be in glass bottles and only for over 18s only, maximum quantity alcohol allowed - 1 x 24 can/plastic crate of beer/cider or drink of choice & 1L of spirit or wine in a plastic bottle per person)

Chairs - both arena and campsite

Perfume in small bottles

Flags without poles

Deodorant roll on

Cameras, film and video equipment (lens must be under 6 inches for arena)

Download adds: "Please note that there will be no receipts issued for any confiscated/surrendered items and they will not be available to collect after the festival."

Download Festival also added an extra warning about drones, given the site's proximity to East Midlands Airport.

It said: "Just a friendly reminder that drones are strictly prohibited, given the proximity to East Midlands Airport. This is a very serious offence, and police will be onsite to enforce this. Arrests have been made in the past, please don't miss out on Download by doing this!"