Come and see the lunatics that are ready to break bones and scar their bodies in the pursuit of an adrenaline rush. Skateboarding and BMX are both physically demanding disciplines where determination and energy levels need to peak when you walk the thin line between success and failure. Snickers provide the best venue for such a show of nerves with the huge Snickers Bowl - a 16 foot transitioned paradise where only the best can roll. Who will tame the beast, and who will the beast eat whole? Find out right here.

Musical giant Gibson Guitar is proudly co-sponsoring the
Gibson Guitar / My Space Stage at this years Download Festival. Over thirty fresh rock bands will perform on stage over the three days. Gibson Guitar is synonymous with rock music and has over one hundred years of industry experience as a brand leader. Gibson Guitar welcomes you to our stage to experience live music which will blow you away in sound and vision.

To be in with a chance to win one of three Epiphone Les Paul guitars please visit www.gibsoneurope.com or the stage over the weekend to find out how you can win. For more information on Gibson Guitar please visit www.gibson.com

MySpace.com makes its first appearance at Download in the UK this year, sharing the third stage with Gibson guitars and offering one unsigned band a shot to play at the festival. Connecting artists and fans online and off, MySpace's Download community (www.myspace.com/downloadfestival) is a place to meet up before the festival, and be sure to expect special artist giveaways at the stage during the festival.

Offering the ultimate alternative festival experience, Download welcomes back the action packed After Shock Arena. Your favourite sensation of After Shock or a couple of cold beers, a fine selection of tunes, extreme circus acts that have to be seen to be believed plus a few surprises! Less a recommended visit, more of an absolute must see… and what’s more all the activities are free!

LiveNation brings you gig, concert, theatre tickets for over 13,000 listings across England, Scotland and Wales. Event listings change frequently, so check back often to find out what’s on and where. www.livenation.co.uk

THE NINTENDO COMEDY CAFÉ 2006

Why did Axl cross the road?

We haven’t got a clue actually, but we hope you’ve got something better than that! Between rocking out and head banging away to this years finest rock-n-roll line-up, head down to the all action Nintendo Comedy Café where you can come and see some great comedy acts whilst checking out Nintendo’s hottest new games and the Nintendo DS Lite!

But not only will we be hosting the finest comedy talent - you too can be the star of the show by getting up on stage and performing your best show stopping gags.

And it gets even better. Step into our special Wi-Fi enabled Nintendo DS booths and you’ll have the chance to challenge rock stars to a game or two while they take a break from the music in the Download backstage area, in association with BT Openzone hotspot technology.

The new lighter, brighter version of the hot-selling Nintendo DS, the Nintendo DS Lite makes its festival debut this year and you can be one of the first to check it out! With a sleek new white finish this is the most stylish and compact handheld console around. There is also a massive array of new games to be played, with something for everyone, from the old school styled platformer New Super Mario Bros, to first person shoot-em-up action Metroid Prime: Hunters and the chance to train your own puppy with Nintendogs.

So, take this as your call to step out of the dust and away from the beer and treat yourself to a soothing smoothie, great comedy, celeb challenges and gaming entertainment. What more could you want??

The cider that fuels Glastonbury comes to Download!

If any of you have been to Glastonbury in the last decade you’ll already know about the legendary Brothers Pear Cider Bar. Well, we might not have The Bar here at Download, but we’ve got The Cider!

It’s built a huge a cult following at Glastonbury since the four lads from Shepton Mallet (they really are bothers) first started flogging it at the festival. So much so, fans of the locally made nectar have been nagging them to sell it in other places too. And they’ve finally said yes.

So we’ve nabbed them for here and made them our Official Cider Supplier.

If you’ve never tried the West Country’s best-kept secret and don’t know what we’re banging on about, check out www.brotherscider.co.uk where you can find out more about Brothers and their ciders - even order up a case or ten to try it out. And you can win tickets to more of this summer’s top festivals.

See you in the bar.