THE UK BIGGEST AND BEST ALTERNATIVE FESTIVAL RETURNS AND GOES GREEN - DOWNLOAD 2007 KICKS OFF THE UK SUMMER FESTIVAL SEASON WITH MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, LINKIN PARK AND, IRON MAIDEN CONFIRMED TO HEADLINE!!! Starting the festival mania early, tickets for Download 2007 go on sale at 9am on Wednesday 31 January. Leaving no doubt that the fifth Download Festival will be more exciting than ever, the three headliners for Friday, Saturday and Sunday respectively are confirmed as MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, LINKIN PARK and IRON MAIDEN. A mixture of the best new and established talent from across the globe is what makes Download the must see event of the year, and more acts will be announced the moment they are confirmed. Celebrating its outstanding fifth anniversary this year, Download has rocketed into the UK's hearts as the biggest alternative festival on the summer music calendar. The addition of a third day in 2005 proved a monumental success, and the popularity of this weekend of live music and non-stop activity continues to grow with each passing year. Selling out in advance, a massive 70,000 people descended on Donington Park last year experiencing the hottest bands and weather in festival history. With the three headliners already confirmed, Download 2007 kicks off on 8, 9 and 10 June. Kicking the mammoth festivities off on the Friday night are New Jersey's finest, MCR, who first performed at Donington Park in 2005. Bringing the dark delights of The Black Parade with them, frontman Gerard Way and his cohorts are guaranteed to put on a Main Stage performance that is not to be missed. The following evening will see Linkin Park return to a UK stage with a headline set that is sure to get fans fired up for the release of their long-awaited, forthcoming third album. Closing the weekend of rock-fuelled entertainment will be legendary rockers Iron Maiden, who will return to Donington Park for the fourth time to headline the final night. My Chemical Romance's guitarist Frank Lero says, "Being asked to headline Download Festival was definitely a milestone in our lives...just two years ago we were playing the side stage... and now we're closing the main stage! A slot previously filled by Metallica, Guns N' Roses and even Black Sabbath. These are legendary bands... so how do I describe that feeling? There really are no words to describe that honour. I just can't wait to play." Linkin Park lead singer Chester Bennington says, "We're really excited to perform new music for all of our UK fans as well as the old favourites you know and love. Download is always awesome and the bands this year are going to be amazing. UK fans are some of the best in the world and we can't wait to see you!" As headliners on the final night we are very proud to announce the return of legendary rockers Iron Maiden to Donington for a record breaking fourth headline appearance. The first time Maiden ever played at Donington was when they topped the bill in 1988, with Kiss and Guns N Roses among the supports, playing to over 100,000 people - the biggest Donington crowd by far and still the biggest Metal show ever in the UK - returning again in 1992 and 2003. With a career spanning almost 30 years, and album sales of over 70 million, Iron Maiden are seen by many as one of the most important rock acts of all time. Iron Maiden's integrity, passion and live power fully demonstrate why they have influenced and inspired so many modern day rock acts. The huge international success of their latest album and tour goes to show that their power is if anything still on the rise! "Our fans know that Donington is a special place for Maiden and we are all looking forward to getting back there," says Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson. "The A Matter of Life And Death UK Tour last December was very special for us and we very much appreciated the fans giving us such great support in us playing the whole album. As a 'thank you' to our fans we will be including quite a few more 'classic' favourites, balanced with some of the tracks from the new album. We will naturally bring Eddie and his toys along, so all in all it should be a great day for everybody!" Tickets for Download 2007 go on sale at 9am on Wednesday, January 31. Prices are as follows: a full weekend ticket: £125, camping: £20, Parking: £5 for the weekend (£10 on the day) and lockers: £5. There are a variety of ticket packages available to buy. Log onto www.downloadfestival.co.uk for the full list. This year's campsite opens at midday on Wednesday, June 6 and will close at noon on Monday, 11. Tickets are available from www.downloadfestival.co.uk and www.aloud.com, or by calling Aloud on 0870 998 8888. T: +44 (0) 20 7434 3446

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