It later branched into other locations such as the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Italy, Germany, France, Sweden, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, the United States, and Russia.

In 1980, promoter Paul Loasby, along with Maurice Jones, planned a one-day festival dedicated specifically for bands within the hard rock and heavy metal genre.

[1] (A year earlier, promoter Bill Graham’s July 1979 Day on the Green Festival at Oakland Coliseum in California was also dubbed "The Monsters of Rock" show.

It was held as a one-time event in 1991 in Russia (one of the largest concerts of all time, with an estimated audience of over 1.6 million[citation needed]), Poland, Belgium, Hungary.

Guests on the show include everyone from AC/DC, KISS, Van Halen, Judas Priest, Motörhead, Cinderella, Ozzy Osbourne, Bon Jovi, Cheap Trick, Mötley Crüe, Ratt, Dio, Y&T, Guns N' Roses, Slayer and Poison.

In 1995 the festival found itself in a similar situation until Metallica agreed to play with the condition of the band having control over the event and naming it "Escape from the Studio".

In 2002 the Ozzfest tour returned to the UK using Donington Park as their only British event and the following year Live Nation picked up the reins as Monsters of Rock's successor in the name of Download Festival.

In 2006, the Monsters of Rock name was revived and held at the National Bowl in Milton Keynes, England, for a one-off event headlined by Deep Purple and with Alice Cooper as a special guest.

26 August 1995 (attendance: 60,000) 1995 was not billed as 'Monsters of Rock' but as 'Escape from the Studio', owing to Metallica headlining on a break from recording the Load album – making them the first band to play the festival four times (while Therapy?

Prior to the show, reverend Brian Whitehead held a special service at the Castle Donington village's St Edward church, to combat the "occult forces" that he feared would be unleashed by the event, especially White Zombie.

Pantera's "Cowboys from Hell" performance is featured as a playable song in the video games Guitar Hero Smash Hits and Rock Band 4.

Italy: Reggio Emilia, Arena Festa Nazionale Dell'Unita' – 12 September 1992 The bands Danzig and Gun both canceled their appearances at the festival.

Brazil: São Paulo, Estádio do Pacaembu – 24 August 1996 This event marked the last performance of the original lineup of Skid Row, before parting with singer Sebastian Bach and drummer Rob Affuso.

Argentina: Buenos Aires, Ferro Carril Oeste Stadium – 13 December 1997 Brazil: São Paulo - Estádio Ícaro de Castro Melo - near Ibirapuera Park – 26 September 1998 Van Halen was supposed to be the headliner, but it never became official or happened.

Chile: Santiago, Velódromo Estadio Nacional – 10 December 1998 Iron Maiden was going to appear at the festival as a headliner, but they were forced to cancel due to the arrest of Augusto Pinochet in London.

Guests on the show have included of AC/DC, Kiss, Van Halen, Motörhead, Cinderella, Ozzy Osbourne, Bon Jovi, Cheap Trick, Mötley Crüe, Ratt, Slayer and Poison.