'Very muddy' festival praised after new traffic plan

Rock and metal fans have praised the atmosphere at Download Festival in Leicestershire over the weekend despite the rainy weather.

A traffic plan was developed by festival organisers after "unprecedented" congestion was reported around Donington Park last year.

National Highways said the plan "worked well even with the challenges of the weather".

Festival-goers braved "ankle-deep" mud and rain during the festival, but did not let it ruin their weekend, with a Download spokesperson describing the atmosphere as "electric".

James Bennett was one of more than 75,000 people who attended Download Festival over the weekend.

He also went in 2023, and described last year's edition as a "totally different experience".

He said it was "very muddy" and that his tent was flooded, but said the weekend was "still as enjoyable".

Major traffic delays were reported in 2023 due to the festival, with East Midlands Airport passengers missing flights as a result.

A National Highways spokesperson said: "Traffic was heavy at times [this year] but not unmanageable so we are very pleased with the way it went.”

Huw Jones, 55, said he has attended Download Festival every year since its inception.

Before then, he said he attended the Monsters of Rock Festival, also at Donington Park, in 1988.

Mr Jones said the highlight of the weekend was "just coming here".

"I don’t miss a year," he added. "Even the Covid one I came to as well. There was no walking for that one. There were 10,000 people or something like that, so easy peasy compared to a big one like this."

He said the weather had not dampened his spirits, adding: "It never does. You've just got to get on with it".

Mr Jones said he had seen worse weather at the festival over the years, and said the organisers had "prepared more this year", with chippings put down to improve grip in the mud.

One family completed a 7,300 mile (11,765km) journey which spanned across multiple days from the Indonesian gold-mining town of Tembagapura to attend Download over the weekend.

Barclays suspended its sponsorship of all music festivals staged by promoter Live Nation in 2024, including Download.

This came after four artists pulled out of this year's edition to protest the bank's sponsorship of the festival.

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