Music fans urged to plan travel for Manchester’s “busiest day”

30 May, 2023

Arctic Monkeys, Coldplay, and Elton John. Credit: PAUL BERGEN, Jordi Vidal and Rob Ball/ GETTY

People travelling to Greater Manchester this week have been urged to plan their journeys ahead of time as it prepares for the busiest “the busiest day on the transport network so far”.

Transport bosses in the region said a combination of “rail strikes and major events” meant there would be “major congestion” on the area’s roads.

According to a press release from the Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), “Between Wednesday, May 31 and Sunday, June 4th, more than 300,000 gig-goers are expected to see some of the world’s biggest musical acts take to the stage, with Coldplay, Arctic Monkeys and Elton John playing the Etihad, Emirates Old Trafford and the AO Arena.”

Arctic Monkeys performs at the Clockenflap music festival in Hong Kong on March 3, 2023. Credit: Peter Parks / Getty

Over the weekend thousands more will also be attending the free festival We Invented The Weekend at MediaCity and Salford Quays.

Coldplay are set to take the stage at the Etihad Stadium, just outside the city centre, for shows on Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, while Elton John plays three gigs at the city’s AO Arena as part of his farewell tour on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

Arctic Monkeys are set to play at Old Trafford Cricket Ground on Friday and Saturday, while on Saturday and Sunday, thousands are expected to head to Salford Quays for the We Invented The Weekend festival.

Chris Martin of Coldplay performs on stage at Estadi Olimpic on May 24, 2023 in Barcelona, Spain. Credit: Jordi Vidal/ Getty

Sean Dyball, TfGM’s Head of Customer Experience, said: “We are expecting major congestion on Saturday and we strongly encourage anyone travelling into the city centre to plan ahead and allow sufficient time for their journeys. People planning to drive should avoid the city centre and consider leaving their vehicle at a Park and Ride and using Metrolink to complete their journey.

“Throughout the weekend we will be constantly updating the customer information available on our website and across our social media channels to help people make informed journey choices, to save them time and avoid disruption to their journey.”

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