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Articles : Download Festival Melbourne: How-To Guide (Updated: 20/03/18)

By on March 15, 2018

Australia’s inaugural Download Festival Melbourne is soon upon us. Many hard and heavy music enthusiasts in this country have been waiting patiently for the day to arrive when a new heavy music festival entity would return, and bring with it a new sense of gratification and purpose for those who passionately support the music. That entity, known simply as Live Nation, one of the biggest music organisations on the planet has now set its sights on Melbourne, Australia on Saturday, 24th March at Flemington Racecourse.

The Download Festival Melbourne will feature some of the biggest names in metal, punk and rock music.

The following article is a quick “how to” or help guide for those travelling from interstate, abroad, or those who have no idea what the hell is going on.

Before going any further we would strongly recommend you download the official Download Melbourne 2018 app for iPhone and Andriod via their respected app stores. The app will help you plan your day better and get the most out of the festival.

THE LINEUP

Korn (Only Australian Show)
Prophets of Rage | Limp Bizkit | Mastodon
Good Charlotte | NOFX | Suicidal Tendencies
Gojira | Amon Amarth | Arch Enemy | Falling In Reverse | Neck Deep | Sabaton
Hot Water Music| Of Mice & Men | The Story So Far |Northlane | Trophy Eyes | Nails |
Issues | Bad Cop / Bad Cop | Ocean Grove | Psycroptic | King Parrot| Clowns
Chase Atlantic | Make Them Suffer | High Tension

TICKETS TO DOWNLOAD
downloadfestival.com.au/tickets

Ticket prices:
GA – $169.90 + booking fees and credit card charges
RIP – SOLD OUT

SET TIMES

Set times for the Download Melbourne Festival got released to the public roughly 3 weeks ago. No doubt many of you have been struggling to figure out who to see at the festival. Hopefully, there aren’t too many conflicts. You can find the most updated set times below.

WHERE DO I BEGIN?

First things first. Plan ahead! If you’re travelling with friends or by yourself make sure to plan for a full day of walking, running and moshing. We are not your mother, but we do care about the safety and well being of people at any music festival.

Metal Obsession has had its fair share of travelling to festivals like Wacken Open Air, Masters of Rock, 70,000 Tons of Metal, Summer Breeze, Metal Camp and others, and we definitely know a thing or two about pacing and enjoying ourselves at any music festival.

While the aforementioned festivals aren’t at the same level as Download Festival Melbourne (just yet), bare in mind anything can happen so make sure to plan ahead for situations you know you’re in control of. This can be anything from protection from the sun, correct clothing and footwear, dehydration etc.

The next step is getting there. Download Festival Melbourne will be held at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne on Saturday, 24th March with gates opening at 11.30am with a midday start for performances running until 10pm that same night. Flemington Racecourse is no stranger to large-scale music events. It has been home to Soundwave, Big Day Out and Future Music Festival, among many others. Flemington Racecourse can easily be accessible by car, taxi, uber, train and tram from Melbourne’s CBD and surrounding suburbs.

HOW TO GET TO DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL MELBOURNE

By Train
Flemington Racecourse and Showgrounds stations:
Trains run throughout the day, departing from Flinders Street Station, stopping at Southern Cross and North Melbourne Stations before arriving at Flemington Racecourse railway station.
Travel time is approximately 15 minutes.

Craigieburn Line:
Trains run to Ascot Vale and Newmarket stations. Connect with a tram or bus to the racecourse and showgrounds.

By Tram
The No. 57 tram runs from the corner of Elizabeth Street and Flinders Street directly to the Flemington Racecourse main gates.
Travel time is approximately 30 minutes.

By Bus
The following bus routes travel close to the Racecourse:
Route 404 (Footscray – Moonee Ponds via Newmarket)
Route 472 (Williamstown – Moonee Ponds
Services will operate on a normal weekend timetable.

Please click the link below for all Public Transport Victoria timetables & info:
www.ptv.vic.gov.au/news-and-events/events/public-transport-for-download-festival-melbourne-saturday-24-march-2018/

ARTIST SIGNING SESSIONS (Updated: 23/03/18)

MAP

Once you arrive at Flemington Racecourse you will need to get your bearings. Below is the latest map from Download Festival Melbourne.

It shows you entry points, toilets, first aid, food and market stalls. Speaking of food and market stalls…

FOOD STALLS

The festival organisers recently released the introduction of Hell’s Kitchen. A collection of best chefs from Restaurant Igni, Africola, Fred’s, Longsong and Mary’s. In addition to all your culinary favourites, including; Greek, Koren, American BBQ & Ribs, Thai, Mexican, Vegetarian and Vegan, German, Burgers & Fries, plus the usual junk food too!

MARKET STALLS

Doug from Melbourne’s Rare Records has curated the Download Melbourne market stalls with the inclusion of Fender, Maniacs, Artists First, Broken Lock, Natural Henna Arts, Suellen Clothing, Plastic Monkey, Sea Shepherd, Melbourne Hunt Saboteurs, PopCultcha, American Socks, Pipal Tree, 24/7 sunglasses, Pachinko Hats & Accessories, plus 24 Hundred/Unified.

Hopefully, by now you will get a sense of how to plan out your day for you and your friends. For additional information on Download Melbourne Festival, head to the official information page via the Download Melbourne website: www.downloadfestival.com.au/info.

Keep up to date with everything else via the official Download Melbourne Festival Facebook page: www.facebook.com/downloadfestAU

Finally, you can get all this and more via the official Download Melbourne 2018 app via iPhone and Android devices.

To get a better sense of what to expect and the ambition behind Download Melbourne, we recommend you watch the short documentary below with Download Festival UK organiser Andy Copping and Download Melbourne Festival Booker, Nigel Melder. Have fun and enjoy Download Melbourne Festival!

About

Anwar is the editor-in-chief of Metal Obsession.net. When Anwar isn't busy promoting tours, interviewing bands and reviewing awesome music, he loves to collect metal vinyl and play video games. Follow Metal Obsession on Twitter and Facebook