Councillor Nick Rushton has described this year's Download Festival as "an absolute disaster" with the "worst queues he'd seen in Download's history."
He remained optimistic that the situation would improve next year "with a bit of controlling." The decision to extend the festival to four days for its 20th anniversary led to a higher attendance, resulting in increased traffic and congestion.
"Something's got to change for next year, Donington are normally pretty good operators but they really messed up big time this time,”. Along with the traffic chaos there were issues with the facilities, the Bars ran dry and they even had no water on site at one stage.
Live Nation Entertainment, the festival organisers, agreed that the traffic congestion was "unprecedented and not acceptable." They attributed the delays to "higher attendance, an increased number of vehicles, and issues over travel routes to car parks."
Next year, Download Festival is returning to its usual three-day format, and the campsite will open two days before the bands start performing to "spread" the arrival of fans and alleviate congestion.
Cllr Rushton emphasised the importance of developing a "robust traffic management plan" to minimise disruption to residents' daily lives, acknowledging that Download Festival is a significant cultural event attracting visitors from far and wide.
NWLDC the licensing authority will be working closely with the event organisers to ensure next years event runs much more smoothly.
