Motörhead announce seventh ‘Lemmy Forever’ ceremony at Download Festival 2026 as his ashes find permanent home

Motörhead have announced the seventh ‘Lemmy Forever’ ceremony taking place at Download 2026, and will house some of his ashes permanently in Manchester after the festival.

The iconic Motörhead singer and bassist, who is considered to be one of the most influential figures in metal history, died in December 2015 at age 70, shortly after being diagnosed with cancer.

For years now, there has been a tribute to him at Download Festival, following from the heavy metal icon playing there in 2005, 2008, 2010, and 2013, and also joining Slash on stage in 2013.

Now, with the 2026 edition just days away from opening, festival organisers have confirmed that fans can once again gather to celebrate Lemmy at the site.

Set to take place on Friday (June 12) at 3pm, the tribute comes as part of the ongoing ‘Lemmy Forever’ initiative and will be held at the onsite Lemmy’s Lounge. There, a miniature of Lemmy’s custom urn containing a portion of some of his ashes will be enshrined in a classic fruit machine – something those closest to him say he took on the road with him.

After the festival finishes on Sunday night (June 14), those same ashes will be transported to Manchester Apollo, where a further ‘Lemmy Forever’ ceremony will take place and those ashes will remain there permanently.

At the Manchester ceremony, fans and friends are encouraged to come together and share stories about the Motörhead icon and remember the huge impact he had with his music.

For years, these ceremonies have been organised by Motörhead bandmate Phil Campbell. Following Campbell’s passing in March, the torch has been passed to another close friend of Lemmy’s.

“It remains a responsibility we proudly carry,” said Motörhead manager Todd Singerman. “Not everyone can make the pilgrimage to visit Lemmy in Hollywood, so we are bringing Lem back to his fans. These places meant something to him, and they mean something to the people who loved him.

“It’s important that they have somewhere they can come, raise a glass, share a story, and spend a moment with him.”

Singerman also said that the 2026 ceremony will also give fans a chance to pay their respects to Campbell too. “When Phil passed we lost such an important family member, and I know Lem would insist we all raise a glass to Phil as well,” he said.

Lemmy’s ashes have travelled far since his death, with family and friends choosing various locations that meant a lot to the metal icon and housing the some of them at different spots.

In 2024, some were put on display at Stringfellow’s strip club in London, displayed in an urn shaped like the singer’s trademark cavalry hat.

Before then, a convoy of 55 Harley Davidson bikers escorted a bust of his ashes to Nottingham Rock City, and some of the ashes have been headed to Bloodstock Festival on an annual basis.

Another miniature urn filled with Lemmy’s ashes went to Los Angeles Rainbow Bar & Grill, some got scattered at the Wacken Open Air Festival in Germany, and Metallica’s James Hetfield had some of the ashes incorporated into a spade tattoo on his middle finger.

Some of the ashes were also placed into bullets and given to his closest friends.

In other Lemmy news, last September Motörhead and The Damned unearthed a previously unheard collaboration that they recorded back in 2002.