Everything you need to know about travel, parking and road closures ahead of BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend
“Plan your journey in advance and make sure to give yourself plenty of time to get there on the day”
With just over two weeks to go until BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend, when around 100,000 people will converge on Herrington Country Park, Sunderland City Council has released key traffic and travel plan arrangements, including road closures.
Thee BBC’s flagship festival will see more than 100 leading artists performing at Herrington Country Park over the weekend of Friday 22 - Sunday 24 May.
Global headliners taking part, include Olivia Dean, Zara Larsson, Fatboy Slim, Fisher, MK, Sonny Fodera, CMAT, Dermot Kennedy, Ellie Goulding, Kehlani, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan.
Sunderland City Council is working alongside the North East Combined Authority to ensure this year's “Big Weekend is one of the major events of the summer and a fantastic experience for everyone attending”.
.jpeg?trim=19,0,19,0&crop=&width=640&quality=65)
Peter McIntyre, Executive Director of Economy and Place at Sunderland City Council, said: "The Radio 1 Big Weekend is going to be an incredible showcase for Sunderland and the region, with some of the biggest names in music performing across the three day festival, as well as some of our fantastic homegrown talent.
"We want everyone to have a brilliant time while they're here, so our advice is to plan your journey in advance and make sure to give yourself plenty of time to get there on the day.
"It's really important to pre-plan how you're going to get to the festival and back again at the end of the day and to book a place on one of the shuttle buses as soon as possible to secure a place.
"It's also worth people who aren't heading for the festival being aware that public transport and routes around Sunderland are likely to be especially busy that weekend."
Transport, parking, and road closures
With around 100,000 people set to head to Herrington Country Park people are being advised to plan their journeys in advance and to allow plenty of time to get there.
Council representatives say the best way to get to the park is via a shuttle bus services from Sunderland’s Park Lane Interchange, Heworth Metro Station in Gateshead and Durham Park and Ride. All shuttle buses must be pre-booked via the Sunderland City Council website.
Due to road closures in the area and high demand, it is recommended that people use shuttle services rather than normal local bus services.
Tyne and Wear Metro
Nexus have said services are expected to be busier than usual across the weekend, particularly on Sunday when Sunderland AFC play Chelsea at the Stadium of Light.
Heworth and Park Lane are the recommended Metro stations for the Big Weekend. Both will have regular shuttles to the event site and back again when it finishes.
If you’re travelling from Newcastle, Gateshead, North Tyneside or South Tyneside, take the Metro to Heworth Interchange, where frequent services will be running. From there, dedicated shuttle buses will take you to Herrington Park.
If you’re travelling from Sunderland or nearby, use Park Lane Interchange to connect with event shuttle buses.
Queuing systems will be in place at Heworth and Park Lane interchanges after the event.
Travelling by car
Apart from accessible parking, the only parking will be at designated sites, at least 45 minutes walk from the venue. A number of these parking areas will be served by a shuttle bus.
A Resident Protection Zone will allow access to residents only around the site, with a permit needed to gain access.
There will be a Pick up and Drop Off facility offered at Herrington Country Park, but time slots must be booked in advance and people are warned to “anticipate long waiting times”.
You can register for time slots via the City Council website.
Anyone needing accessible facilities at the Radio 1 Big Weekend, including accessible parking, should complete an accessibility requirements form via the link on the BBC’s website. The accessible car park is approximately 200 metres away from the main entrance and normal blue badge parking regulations will not be valid on the day.
Rail travel
People travelling via rail on the East Coast Mail Line are being warned to expect disruption to rail services over the bank holiday weekend due to engineering work on the East Coast Mainline between York and Northallerton from 23-25 May.
The closest National Rail station is Sunderland Central, a short walk from the Park Lane shuttle services. If you are arriving at Durham train station you are advised to make your way to Belmont Park and Ride for access to a shuttle service to the event.
You can cycle to the venue and a bike parking facility will be available. Bikes can’t be taken on the shuttle service.