PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal
They don’t just book bands, you know…
Today, Download Festival announced that, following suggestions from fans, they have made a number of changes to the site at Donington Park that will, all well and good, provide a better all-round experience for the thousands of people who attend every single year. A statement from the festivals reads as follows:
“Today, we can finally reveal our plans for a new drainage system, alternative traffic routes, improved disabled access, a 400 strong ‘Dog Squad’ and a stage relocation.
With the unpredictable weather last year, we knew we had to make some changes. Download 2016 saw 70 million gallons of rain falling across the weekend – the equivalent of 106 Olympic-sized swimming pools – naturally, this made ground conditions at the festival waterlogged. This year we’re introducing a new drainage system which totals over 3,000 metres and quadruples the amount in previous years. An additional 1,115 metres of new ditches have also been added to take water away from the site.
We’ve also been working closely with local authorities to produce alternative travel routes following the implications of the unforeseen closure of the M1 in 2016. 2017 sees the addition of a new route from the North and three new routes from the South, this will allow better control over festival traffic, ease congestion for locals and festival goers alike and minimise traffic in the event of a major road closure. The fastest way to get up-to-date traffic information is through the Official Download App, available to download for free now.
DLers who drive on and off the site each day will now park in a relocated car park. Most vehicles will aim to be parked on hard standing ground and new trackways will be put in place where needed to allow ease of vehicle movement and to improve conditions underfoot for people walking through the campsite. We’ve also increased the number of free onsite shuttle buses for the Main Arena from the West Car Park.
The Disabled Access Campsite will also see an overhaul for this year’s festival, with improved ground conditions providing access for disabled customers. The new location will allow customers to park nearer to their tents in an area with an increased amount of hard standing ground and pathways with a better central toilet and shower facility that is easily accessible.
Thanks to your name suggestions, we’ve introduced the newly appointed ‘Dog Squad’ who will be stationed across the car parks, campsites, village and arena to aid festival goers with any onsite issues throughout the weekend. Information on how to volunteer and become a part of this year’s Dog Squad is available here.
In the Arena, we’ll be opening up the Zippo Encore Stage, allowing for improved crowd movement and flow. The Avalanche Stage is also making a slight relocation behind NXT wrestling, meaning it’ll be easier for you to roam freely between the stages and soak in all the ROCK!
Lastly, we’ll be positioning the Quiet Campsite further from the East Midlands Airport runway. The North East corner of the campsite will be undergoing development over the next 3 years to provide a better-withstanding ground.
We’re determined not to have our spirits dampened from last year’s festival and can’t wait to see you in the pit this year \m/”
A map for the new drainage system can be found below:
Download Festival takes place from June 9th – 11th at Donington Park in Derbyshire, headlined by System of a Down, Biffy Clyro and Aerosmith. For tickets and more information, go to http://www.downloadfestival.co.uk
