With tens of thousands of rock fans heading to Donington Park for the annual Download Festival this week, National Highways is urging drivers to allow plenty of time for their journeys.

Download Festival runs from Friday, June 14 to Sunday, June 16 – with camping opening from lunchtime on Wednesday, June 12.

Ticket holders are being advised to follow event signage rather than rely on satnavs, and not assume the route or entry point they have used in previous years will be the same.

There will be more parking fields than in previous years, with an increased number of access gates, and people will be able to scan a QR code on their parking passes for live updates on car park availability and capacity.

Download Festival 2023 in Castle Donnington. According to reports on social media, the annual rock festival could be heard in Stapleford, at least 10 miles away from the Donington Park venue, as well as in Long Eaton and other suburbs on the edge of Derby.

placeholder image — Download Festival 2023 in Castle Donnington. According to reports on social media, the annual rock festival could be heard in Stapleford, at least 10 miles away from the Donington Park venue, as well as in Long Eaton and other suburbs on the edge of Derby.

In addition, the pickup and drop off points will not be in the same areas as the camping entrances, to reduce congestion.

Queens of the Stone Age, Fall Out Boy and Avenged Sevenfold are the headliners for the 2024 edition of the festival – with around 75,000 people expected to attend across the weekend.

National Highways will be dispatching extra traffic officer patrols and is working with the event organisers to keep the roads moving as smoothly as possible. 

Donington Park is located next to East Midlands Airport, four miles west of junction 23a of the M1 and five miles from junction 24. 

The M1, A42, A453, A50 and A38 are expected to see significant increases in traffic, particularly when everyone arrives on the Wednesday and Thursday, and again when they leave on either Sunday night or Monday morning.

Anyone with a flight to catch at East Midlands Airport is advised to allow plenty of time for their journey, while other non-festival traffic may want to consider travelling at different times or using a different route.

READ THIS: Red Arrows flight over Derbyshire rewards photographer for turning up early

National Highways will use electronic message boards on nearby motorways to advise people of any delays. 

For live traffic updates follow the @HighwaysEMIDS Twitter feed. The National Highways 24/7 customer contact centre team can also provide up-to-the minute information on 0300 123 5000.