The best and worst time to arrive at Glastonbury Festival as M5 traffic warning issued

Motorways and major A roads leading to Glastonbury Festival are likely to be particularly busy on Wednesday 21 June and Monday 26 June. Credit: PA

People are being warned to expect traffic delays in the South West this week due to Glastonbury Festival.

The 2023 festival will return from Wednesday 21 June until Sunday 25 June, with delays expected to be at their worst on the first day of the festival as well as the Monday after it ends.

When is the best time to travel to Glastonbury Festival to avoid traffic?

The majority of people arrive at the site on Wednesday 21 June, meaning this is the worst day for traffic delays. While many do still head down on the Thursday of the festival, traffic delays are often nowhere near as bad.

Getting in and out of the site on the Friday and Saturday of the festival is often smooth, with traffic not building up around the site again until Sunday evening when people begin to head home.

Many people leave immediately after the Sunday headliner ends, meaning the roads often get busy in the early hours of Monday morning and stay busy well into the day.

When do Glastonbury Festival car parks open?

Car parks will open at 9pm on the Tuesday before Glastonbury 2023. Camping is not allowed in the car parks so people will have to wait in their vehicles or in the entrance queue overnight.

Which roads near Glastonbury Festival are be the busiest?

  • M5 - junctions 25 and 23 are the two main routes to the festival and so the motorway gets very busy in this part of Somerset.

  • A39 - the A39 is often heavily congested by mid-morning on the Wednseday.

  • A361 - traffic leaves the M5 and joins this route, making it exceptionally busy.

  • A303/A37 - this is the main route for drivers arriving from London. The A303 eastbound gets particularly busy from the Podimore roundabout.

  • Glastonbury - the village itself is five miles away from the festival so National Highways says it has "very little" impact on the town itself.

Many people arrive on site the night before gates open to secure a place near the front of the queue. Credit: PA

Where is the Glastonbury Festival drop-off point?

People are urged not to drop people off on local roads as it can be very dangerous and cause further traffic delays. It also means people risk having lengthy walks to the festival gates.

The Bath and West Showground is used as a drop-off point for people being given a lift to the festival. From there, people can catch a free bus to Pedestrian Gate A.

Which roads are closed?

  • A361 - this road is closed for through traffic on the Monday after the festival between Glastonbury and Shepton Mallet.

John Ingram, National Highways’ Emergency Planner for the South West, said: “We’re reminding road users to plan ahead for Glastonbury – around 200,000 people are expected to attend this year’s festival and roads leading to the event are likely to be very busy.

“Our aim is to keep the National Highways network running while keeping festival-goers and other road-users safe and informed. We advise people to check our traffic and travel information channels, but whatever your journey, we advise people to set off early and allow plenty of time.

“And with temperatures expected to remain warm through the week, we’d also advise pre-checking your vehicles for oil, fuel and coolant levels and correctly inflated tyres, also to ensure you have plenty of drinking water for yourselves and passengers to stay hydrated, and take regular breaks.”