Thousands of road users expected around Donington Park (Leicestershire) for Download Festival this weekend
Highways England is advising music lovers heading to the Download Festival at Donington Park in Leicestershire this weekend to plan their journey and allow plenty of time to get to the event.
Road users not heading to the festival are being advised to seek alternative routes to avoid delays.
About 70,000 people are expected be in the arena during the three-day rock concert, being staged from Friday 12 to Sunday 14 June, and surrounding roads are likely to be very busy.
Gates to the campsite open at midday on Wednesday 10 June to allow an expected 60,000 or more campers to spread their arrival times. Up to 10,000 visitors are expected to buy day tickets.
Steve Parker, Highways England’s Emergency Planning Officer for the East Midlands, said:
Major roads and motorways in the area, including the M1, A42, A50 and A453, are likely to be busy.
All routes to the festival will be well signposted, but people travelling in the area should plan their journey in advance.
Festival-goers can check the traffic conditions using our Highways England travel app, or follow us on Twitter @HighwaysEMIDS to check the latest traffic updates before you set out.
Donington Park is located next to East Midlands Airport, four miles west of junction 23a of the M1 and five miles from junction 24. Anyone travelling to the airport should allow plenty of extra travel time for their journey.
Highways England will use electronic message boards on surrounding motorways to advise people of any delays. Extra Traffic Officers are also being deployed for the duration, both in event control and around junction 24 of the M1, to assist motorists, clear incidents quickly and keep traffic moving.
Further information is available from the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.
General enquiries
Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.
Media enquiries
Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.