Booking accommodation to stay in either Metal Meadow 1 or 2, or the offsite hotels, gives you access to all things RIP including; weekend RIP Tickets for Download, Guest Area and RIP Village access, proper toilets and hot showers as well as the RIP ‘doggie’ bag with exclusive merchandise.
- Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult 18+. Every person in your party must have a valid RIP ticket to stay on the RIP campsites, including children.
- Under 5’s can stay in RIP Camping / Accommodations for no extra charge but please note that not all accommodations can accommodate additional guests and no beds or bedding will be provided. More information about age restrictions can be found in the FAQ section below.
- Strictly NO GAS canisters or petrol fuelled cookers will be allowed anywhere on site. Please see our list of things you can and can’t bring for a list of alternatives and to check on other prohibited items/substances before you pack.
- Please raise BBQ’s and camping stoves at least 30cm off the ground to avoid burning the site. Bricks are available for you to use, please ask the RIP Reception. Open campfires are strictly prohibited. BBQs and open campfires are strictly prohibited in the Metal Forest.
- Rock by day and rest by night. RIP areas are quiet campsites, so please keep noise to a minimum after 1am. Please respect your neighbours by observing the quiet time. Remember accommodation walls aren’t as thick as your walls back home!
- All RIP packages, except RIP (LITE) include access to the Guest Area and exclusive RIP merchandise.
- Please note some noise caused by festival production / vehicles and the nearby airport will be unavoidable.
- The stated locations of campsites are the expected locations but please note there may be changes to the layout subject to production requirements.
- Please do not post pictures or screenshots of your tickets online when you receive them, as people can use that information to replicate your ticket and gain entry.
- Live Nation reserves the right to eject those disturbing the peace without readmission or refund.
- Take a look at our VIP Nation terms & conditions and our Download Festival terms & conditions.
- Ticketmaster UK Limited is selling these packages on behalf of VIP Nation who are solely responsible for delivering the package & the quality of the products and services to be provided.
Park Farm and Sleepy Hollow are camping fields where you pitch your own tent and park your car beside it. Please ensure you purchase the correct field for everyone in your group as you must camp in the area named on your booking.
- RIP Camping is open from midday on Wed 10th June until 11am Mon 15th June.
- To ensure an enjoyable and comfortable RIP experience, RIP Park Farm & Sleepy Hollow are calculated to allow 22msq per person staying in the campsite. This includes space for vehicles.
- Due to the overwhelming demand for space at RIP, gazebos will only be permitted for parties of 4 or more sharing a tent.
- You are welcome to bring a caravan/campervan as your vehicle as long as it does not exceed the 22msq space allowed per person.
DISTRICT 1 is a premium camping location in PARK FARM and only campers that have booked a plot there will be able to pitch/set camp. Each person staying in the District 1 pitch must have an RIP Park Farm ticket. There are three types of pitch:
- Type A Plot with electrical hook-up on hard standing (1x Campervan/Caravan only)
- Type B Plot with electrical hook-up on grass (1x Campervan/Caravan or 1x Car + 1x Tent)
- Type C Plot on grass (1x Campervan/Caravan or 1x Car + 1x Tent)
Please contact us if you are planning to bring a second vehicle into your pitch as one pitch pass is sent out as standard. Second car passes are not guaranteed due to space limitations.
RIP (LITE) is the newest RIP addition, offering you the opportunity to camp in a secluded area of RIP with access to the RIP Village and all accompanying entertainment. Your car will be parked a short distance from your tent in Metal Car Park 2.
The primary differences between RIP (LITE) in Thunder Valley and RIP Camping in Park Farm or Sleepy Hollow are that the below are not included with RIP (LITE):
- Guest Area weekend access
- Car parking directly next to your tent*
- RIP’s ‘Doggie’ bag
- Festival programme
- Exclusive RIP 2026 T-Shirt
*Car parking will be in the adjacent Metal Car Park 2. You can choose to add 1 car pass per 2 people in your booking.
Please note, due to capacity restrictions in the Lounge, weekend Lounge upgrades are not included in RIP (LITE) bookings for 2026.
Following on from 2025, Metal Meadow is expected to continue to be split across two locations. Each Metal Meadow accommodation has its expected location stated in the title but please be aware that due to production requirements, locations cannot be guaranteed. Metal Forest will sadly not be returning for 2026.
Please include all children and Essential Companions in the capacity of your chosen accommodation to ensure each member of your party has a bed and festival ticket. Once booked, please reach out to download@vipnation.co.uk to have the cost of your booking adjusted and reflect the value of tickets for the age of the child.
With a selection of hotel rooms in the local area, you can retreat from the festival each evening to sleep off the excitement of the day and emerge refreshed to do it all again the next day whilst enjoying all the perks of RIP such as entrance to the Guest Area and the ‘doggie’ bag.
A full site map will be released a couple of weeks prior to the festival. Although the locations of RIP areas are usually similar year on year, please note there may be changes due to production requirements.
In RIP, we aim to create a camping experience that is accessible for all our customers by providing the below:
- Accessible shower & toilets units in each campsite (Park Farm, Sleepy Hollow, Metal Meadow 1, Metal Meadow 2)
- Charging points for devices such as portable medical machines or mobility scooters
For further information about accessible facilities at Download, please visit our accessibility page.
Please be aware that due to a high level of interest in our RIP packages, we cannot guarantee availability of your preferred accommodation as many are already sold out. If you have any specific accessibility requirements or concerns in RIP, please contact VIP Nation by sending an email to Download@vipnation.co.uk.
How do I book an Essential Companion ticket?
Accessibility applications are now open, please visit our accessibility page for more information. In the meantime, please secure your RIP Package. All guests (including potential essential companions) should ensure they are included in an RIP booking.
Once your application has been submitted & the approval for your Essential Companion(s) granted, a partial refund for the amount of the festival ticket included in the package will be processed. Please note the type of ticket included in RIP packages is a Weekend Arena Only ticket. Partial refunds for Essential Companions will reflect the face value of the ticket at the time your RIP booking was made.
On Site
When you check in to your RIP accommodation, please notify staff that you are an Accessibility customer – they should have your wristbands for the weekend, if there are any problems, please notify staff immediately so we can resolve this for you as swiftly as possible.
Yes, all RIP accommodations and bookings include RIP Weekend Festival Tickets to Download.
RIP Metal Meadow and RIP Hotel packages are on sale already. RIP Metal Forest will not be returning for 2026.
RIP areas will open at 12pm midday on Wednesday 10th June 2026 and we politely ask you to leave by 11am on Monday 15th June. Please note that the RIP Hotels are available from Friday 12th June until Monday 15th June.
The same age restrictions apply as for general ticketholders but please note that as RIP, Rock Retreat and Camping Plus packages include general admission tickets, children aged 5 and over must be included in the bookings.
For RIP Camping in Park Farm & Sleepy Hollow, RIP (LITE) in Thunder Valley, Rock Retreat and Camping Plus tickets, child tickets are available to purchase for those aged 5-12 years old. For further advice on child tickets, please contact us through the email down below.
For RIP accommodation packages, please purchase an option that can accommodate everyone aged 5 years and over in your group, only those aged 0-4 may stay in the accommodation in addition to the advertised capacity and at no extra cost*. This may vary for the offsite hotels in the RIP Hotel packages, so please contact us in those instances.
Please contact download@vipnation.co.uk to ensure any children in your party have the correct tickets.
*please note that not all accommodations can accommodate additional guests and no beds or bedding will be provided.
No, car passes are included with all RIP bookings, the quantity varies by booking type so please see below for more information.
If you have purchased RIP Park Farm or Sleepy Hollow, you can choose to add 1 or 2 complimentary car passes to your booking after you have added your tickets to the basket. For RIP accommodations, there is one pass per 3 guests automatically included in your booking, i.e. a Bell House for 4 includes 2 car passes.
Any extra car passes will be charged at the price of standard car park.
RIP Hotel bookers are not sent a car pass, as they have parking at their hotel included in their booking.
Please ensure you have the access to the address that’s stated in your Ticketmaster account as that is where your car pass will be posted to. Guidance on how to update your address can be found on Ticketmaster. The address is linked to the billing method used to pay for the booking.
We encourage car sharing to minimise our impact on the environment so please share the journey with your friends where possible!
Generally, you should expect to receive them around 5 days before the festival. Please refer to your Ticketmaster account for the status of your booking. Please note, we will send out full arrival instructions a week before the festival. Tickets will be mobile tickets in the Ticketmaster app and car passes will be posted out.
There are options available at the checkout which you can select to spread the cost of your booking over multiple payments.
Resale is not an option for RIP accommodations as it can result in partial bookings. Transfer will be switched on closer to the date of the festival, so if you have a friend who can attend instead, you will be able to transfer the booking to them at a later date.
Resale for RIP Camping in Park Farm & Sleepy Hollow and RIP (LITE) tickets is likely to be made available closer to the date of the festival but is not guaranteed.
Please log in to your account on Ticketmaster or find your booking confirmation email to see what you booked, you can then view the accommodation page to see what is included.
We do not offer upgrades as such but if you purchase an RIP package then we can refund the standard ticket for you, as long as it was purchased from the authorised vendor, and once you supply us with both order codes in an email to download@vipnation.co.uk. The deadline to apply for an upgrade will be Friday 29th May 2026.
We usually have a limited number of RIP guest passes each day. The cost of these will be confirmed once the festival begins at RIP receptions. Your guests may not stay overnight in your accommodation and will not be permitted entry after 11pm.
Due to the overwhelming demand for space at RIP, gazebos will only be permitted for parties of 4 or more sharing a tent in Park Farm & Sleepy Hollow. Gazebos are not permitted in Metal Meadow.
Lockers for your valuables and phone charging will be located in both Park Farm & Sleepy Hollow, they are available to all RIP guests and will be available to pre-book closer to the festival.
Please refer to our things you can and can’t bring page for this information as the same restrictions apply to RIP as the general camping areas. Glass is no longer permitted in any areas of RIP Camping, including Park Farm.
The RIP campsites are in some of the closest areas to the Main Arena and there is a dedicated RIP entrance directly into the Guest Area of the Arena. All locations are subject to change.
No, these camping options are separate campsites and do not include RIP benefits like access to RIP or the Guest Area. Please note the Lounge is separate to the Guest Area but as RIP includes access to the Guest Area, we would not advise RIP customers to purchase the Lounge as well.
Melbourne Hall has a dedicated bar with craft beers, a tearoom in which to have a full English breakfast each morning and beautiful grounds in which to relax before heading into the main arena at Download. Visit Ticketmaster for more information on the Rock Retreat at Melbourne Hall.
If you have any further questions, please contact VIP Nation at download@vipnation.co.uk.
Routing maps will be released closer to the date of the festival. There will be traffic control measures in place on the day, so please follow RIP signage on arrival.