Avril Stanley and two members of her production team hosted a busy but good-humoured meeting for residents at the Darnley Lodge Hotel, Athboy on Tuesday 14th of June. These are casual notes taken during that meeting.
Site Access
- The festival build is underway at Ballinlough and is on schedule.
- Residents at the northern end of the site will have noted the significant reduction in production traffic rolling through compared to previous years.
- The number of access gates has been reduced.
- Gate A (Crowenstown Road) – Public, staff, and performer access.
- Gate B – Bus access only.
- Gate C – Production access only – no public access.
- The campsites will open at 2 pm on Friday. It is expected that people will begin to arrive from 12.
- As in previous years, it is expected that 30-40% of festival-goers will vacate the site on Sunday afternoon/evening. There shouldn’t, therefore, be major traffic issues on Monday but patience is appreciated and the time of departure may be dependent on the weather.
- The campsites will close at 2 pm on Monday.
Traffic
- All public traffic will be directed to access the site via the L5525 Crowenstown Road. Festival visitors are being asked to switch off their satnavs and follow that route as per their ticket.
- Traffic will be at a lower volume than in previous years and will be managed by An Garda Síochána.
- No road closures will be in place this year.
- No resident vehicle passes have been issued – they are not necessary.
- If a resident is concerned about traffic flow, it was suggested that they carry a proof of address with them over the weekend just in case they are stopped or other on-the-spot control measures are implemented.
Noise
- This is a festival and some noise should be expected over the weekend.
- Under the license, the following times apply:
- Friday – main stages close at 2 am. Campsite entertainment continues until 4 am.
- Saturday – main stages close at 2 am. Campsite entertainment continues until 4 am.
- Sunday – – main stages close at midnight. Campsite entertainment continues until 2 am.
Other Matters
- The festival is NOT sold out. The team maintains that the pricing structure is in-line with similar arts festivals and that production costs have increased by 25%.
- RESIDENT TICKET HOLDERS may bring in up to 2 children under 12 years of age on each ticket but are reminded that there is no children’s program.
Resident Information Sheet
Click to view the general information sheet for residents.