This year’s Parklife festival in Manchester could have drivers tearing their hair out, warn Highways England.
Heaton Park in Prestwich will be crammed with 75,000 people a day on Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 June, with music acts finishing at 11pm each night.
Heavy congestion is expected around the motorway network as thousands of revellers travel from all over the country for the two-day party.
Dance heavyweights The Chemical Brothers are headlining with support from Ice Cube, Jamie XX, Bastille, Diplo and Skepta, alongside hundreds of other acts.
Shuttle buses to Parklife are being put on from Manchester city centre, and the Metrolink between Manchester city centre is expected to be exceptionally busy on both Saturday and Sundau.
But limited on-site parking and no dedicated park and ride means organisers expect the roads will be rammed in the build up to the annual event.
Pedestrians walking anywhere along the motorway risk being fined £50, the authority said.
In the past pie-eyed partygoers have been stopped from walking on the carriageway.
The park is bordered by the M60 between junction 17 at Whitefield and junction 19 at Middleton including Simister Island at junction 18 where the M60 meets the M62 and M66.
When partygoers leave the venue each night from 9pm until 4am traffic is expected to be extremely heavy – especially after the end of the final night.
There’s road closures planned as well.
A spokesperson for Highways England said: “Anyone heading into or out of Manchester and Salford should avoid trying to use junction 19 – as there will be no through access between 8pm and 2am on the Saturday or Sunday nights.
“Drivers should use junction 17 at Whitefield or junction 21 at Hollinwood instead.”
The A576 Middleton Road alongside Heaton Park from Junction 19 of the M60 will also be closed on the Saturday and Sunday night.
The car park at Sainsbury’s on the retail estate off Middleton Road will again be used as a dedicated drop off and pick up point – and this can be accessed from junction 19 of the M60.
Chris Chadwick, Highways England’s Emergency and Events Planning Manager, said: “We are encouraging people to use public transport options like Metrolink rather than drive to the park given the limited on-site parking.
“In the past we have had congestion and safety issues caused by people stopping on the motorway to drop off or pick up concert-goers.
“The dedicated drop-off and pick-up point at Sainsbury’s means there is absolutely no reason for anyone to stop or walk in the motorway hard shoulder or carriageway.”
