major site improvements for Download Festival 2017

The weather last spring and early summer was dismal, and the deluge hit some festivals including Download Festival quite hard. Just check out that photo above!

As a result, this year sees the introduction of 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 site. Nice move!

Festival Manager John Probyn says: "We've made major changes that will benefit the Download audience not just this year, but for years to come. Whilst rain in any situation will naturally create wetter ground conditions, we've taken measures to ensure our festival goers see a tangible improvement by increasing the vital drain structures on site to four times what they were in 2016."

Other improvements for this year include alternative traffic routes, improved disabled access, a 400 strong ‘Dog Squad’ to aid festival goers, and a stage relocation. See below for fuller details.

Festival Republic's Melvin Benn says: "As a festival we're always looking to improve the experience for our customers - it's always at the forefront of any planning we do, so the feedback we received on last year's festival has been invaluable. We introduced the dog blog this year which has enabled us to really listen to the Download fans and take on board all suggestions, and in turn implement plans that will see this year's Download be the best yet."

Following the implications of the unforeseen closure of the M1 in 2016, a new route from the North and three new routes from the South will aim to better control festival traffic, to ease congestion for locals and festival goers alike, minimalising traffic in the event of a major road closure.

For the daily drivers who don't stay overnight there's also a relocated car park with hard standing ground with greater ground resilience against wet weather, plus new trackways to help both vehicle and pedestrian movements. There's also an increase in the number of on-site shuttle buses from the West Car park to the main campsite.

The disabled campsite will be relocated to have harder ground and a shorter distance between car and campsite, plus better central toilet and shower facility, and a greater amount of access to the arena via solid ground.

400 members of a newly appointed ‘Dog Squad’ will be stationed across the car parks, campsites, village and arena to aid festival goers with any onsite issues throughout the weekend. This elite group of festival helpers will become an integral part of the Download customer service team. Information on how to volunteer (with free festival entrance) to become a part of this year’s Dog Squad is available on the official website.

24 hour security will remain in operation across the site, and more Zone Managers will be put in place for each field. These new representatives allocated by the festival will attend daily briefings with Site Management to ensure the most up-to-date information is provided to fans. 

The Avalanche Stage (Third Stage) is this year being relocated to allow easier access between stages. Located behind NXT Wrestling, the Avalanche Stage will also be a shorter distance from the Main Stage and the Zippo Encore Stage. The area around the Zippo Encore Stage will also be opened up, allowing for improved crowd movement and flow.

The Quiet campsite will be positioned further from the East Midlands Airport runway, with the North East corner of the current campsite undergoing development over the next 3 years to provide a better-withstanding ground.

Download Festival takes place at Donington Park, Derbyshire over the weekend of Friday 9th to Sunday 11th June 2017, with headliners of System of a Down, Biffy Clyro, and Aerosmith and many more. For the full details so far please see the Download line-up page. In total around 150 acts from the world of metal and rock appear over five stages over the three days of the festival. 

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Tickets are priced as follows:
Day Tickets: £75
Weekend Arena Only: £170
3 Night Camping: £195
5 Night Camping: £205
Car parking £20

Tickets are also available on the ticket deposit scheme at no extra cost, allowing fans to pay a small deposit to secure their ticket and then settle with equal monthly payments.

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