The tent is packed, the cans are chilling, the waterproofs have been reluctantly shoved into the bottom of the bag, and somebody in your group has already forgotten their ticket.
Yes, mun — festival time is nearly upon us. 🎪🍻
Before thousands of rock and metal fans descend on the site armed with camping chairs, questionable fashion choices and enough snacks to survive the apocalypse, organisers have confirmed the opening times for the campsite, arena, public car park ticket office and main entrance.
Whether you’re arriving early on Wednesday to claim the sacred flat patch of grass or charging through the gates on Friday morning like a battle-ready festival goblin, here’s everything you need to know.
🏕 Wednesday: The Campsite Officially Opens
Wednesday is the day the festival really begins for the dedicated campers.
There might not be any arena action yet, but the campsite will soon be filled with tents, gazebos, inflatable mattresses and the unmistakable sound of someone hammering tent pegs into the ground with a shoe.
Wednesday opening times
- Main Entrance and Accessible Box Office: 12:00–22:00
- Public Car Park Ticket Office: 12:00–22:00
- Arena: Closed
- Campsite: Opens at 12:00 midday
Arriving on Wednesday gives campers plenty of time to find a pitch, get everything set up and begin the traditional festival ritual of immediately losing track of where the tent is.
The arena remains closed throughout Wednesday, so this is very much a day for settling in, meeting the neighbours and preparing yourself for the chaos ahead.
🔥 Thursday: The Arena Comes Alive
Thursday sees the first proper burst of festival action as the arena opens from 17:00.
By this point, the campsite should already resemble a brightly coloured temporary city, complete with flags, folding chairs and at least one bloke wandering around asking whether anybody has seen his phone.
Thursday opening times
- Main Entrance and Accessible Box Office: 12:00–23:00
- Public Car Park Ticket Office: 12:00–23:00
- Arena: 17:00–03:00
- Campsite: Open 24 hours
The arena will remain open until 03:00, giving fans ten glorious hours of entertainment, food, drinks and late-night festival mayhem.
Those arriving on Thursday should leave plenty of time for traffic, parking, wristband collection and the mighty trek between the car and the campsite.
Remember: the walk always feels manageable on the way in. It becomes a full expedition when you’re carrying a tent, sleeping bag, three crates of drinks and a camping chair that refuses to stay folded.
🎸 Friday: The Full Festival Experience Begins
Friday is when everything goes properly nuclear.
The arena opens at 10:00, the campsite is already buzzing and the festival shifts into full-volume mode.
Friday opening times
- Main Entrance and Accessible Box Office: 10:00–22:00
- Public Car Park Ticket Office: 08:00–22:00
- Arena: 10:00–03:00
- Campsite: Open 24 hours
The Public Car Park Ticket Office opens two hours before the main entrance, giving day-ticket holders and later arrivals time to get parked and organised.
Friday is traditionally one of the busiest arrival periods, so don’t assume you’ll be able to roll up ten minutes before your favourite band starts and casually stroll straight into the arena.
Festival traffic has other ideas, butt.
Get there early, allow extra time and keep your ticket ready rather than burying it beneath six jumpers, a portable charger and a family-sized bag of crisps.
🤘 Saturday: Maximum Festival Chaos
By Saturday morning, everyone has fully embraced festival life.
Clean clothes are becoming a distant memory, sleep has become optional and somebody has started eating cold noodles directly from the tin.
Beautiful stuff.
Saturday opening times
- Main Entrance and Accessible Box Office: 10:00–20:00
- Public Car Park Ticket Office: 08:00–20:00
- Arena: 10:00–03:00
- Campsite: Open 24 hours
The main entrance and ticket office close earlier on Saturday than they do on Friday, so anyone arriving later in the day should plan carefully.
The arena remains open until 03:00, meaning there’s plenty of time for bands, dancing, drinking and the sort of late-night conversations that feel profound at the time but make absolutely no sense the following morning.
🎤 Sunday: One Final Day of Riffs
Sunday may be the final full day, but nobody should be thinking about going home just yet.
There are still bands to watch, drinks to finish and every last ounce of festival energy to squeeze out before Monday arrives with all the subtlety of a drum kit falling down the stairs.
Sunday opening times
- Main Entrance and Accessible Box Office: 10:00–18:00
- Public Car Park Ticket Office: 08:00–18:00
- Arena: 10:00–03:00
- Campsite: Open 24 hours
The entrance and ticket office close at 18:00, so Sunday visitors should arrive well before the evening entertainment begins.
The arena stays open until 03:00, giving campers one final night to celebrate before the great Monday morning tent collapse begins.
Enjoy it while it lasts, because the journey from a festival field back to normal life is never easy.
🚗 Monday: Time to Pack Up and Head Home
Monday is the day nobody wants to talk about.
The arena is closed, the music has stopped and thousands of tired festival-goers must somehow squeeze tents, sleeping bags, chairs and several days’ worth of muddy clothing back into vehicles that suddenly appear much smaller than they did on Wednesday.
Monday closing information
- Main Entrance and Accessible Box Office: Closed
- Arena: Closed
- Public Car Park: Vacate by 13:00
- Campsite: Vacate by 13:00
Everyone must leave the campsite and public car park by 1:00pm on Monday.
That gives campers the morning to pack down, clean their pitch and begin the emotional farewell tour of the campsite.
Please don’t leave broken tents, chairs, sleeping bags or rubbish behind. Festivals take an enormous amount of work to organise, and abandoned camping equipment creates a massive clean-up operation once everybody has gone home.
Take it in, pack it out. Proper job. 🌍🤘
📋 Festival Opening Times at a Glance
Day
Main Entrance / Accessible Box Office
Public Car Park Ticket Office
Arena
Campsite
Wednesday
12:00–22:00
12:00–22:00
Closed
Opens at 12:00
Thursday
12:00–23:00
12:00–23:00
17:00–03:00
Open 24 hours
Friday
10:00–22:00
08:00–22:00
10:00–03:00
Open 24 hours
Saturday
10:00–20:00
08:00–20:00
10:00–03:00
Open 24 hours
Sunday
10:00–18:00
08:00–18:00
10:00–03:00
Open 24 hours
Monday
Closed
Vacate by 13:00
Closed
Vacate by 13:00
♿ Accessible Box Office Information
The Accessible Box Office operates alongside the main entrance during the listed opening hours.
Festival-goers using accessible facilities should keep any required documents, confirmation emails and identification somewhere easy to reach.
Nobody wants to unpack an entire car at the entrance because the paperwork is hiding beneath the tent.
It’s also worth arriving with plenty of time, particularly during the busiest entry periods on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning.
🚙 Give Yourself Extra Travel Time
Festival arrival days can get extremely busy, especially when thousands of people are heading towards the same car parks and entrances.
Traffic delays may build around the site, while queues can form for parking, security checks, wristband collection and campsite access.
Leaving earlier than planned is always better than sitting in traffic while watching your favourite band’s stage time get dangerously close.
Check your route before travelling and keep an eye on official updates in case organisers announce any changes to roads, parking or entry arrangements.
🎟 Keep Your Ticket Ready
Before joining the entrance queue, make sure you have your ticket ready on your phone or printed out.
Download digital tickets in advance rather than relying on mobile signal at the festival site. Thousands of people trying to use the same network can turn even the strongest phone signal into something resembling dial-up internet from 1998.
Turning your screen brightness up can also help staff scan mobile tickets more quickly.
A portable battery pack is another festival essential. Your phone will be working overtime taking photographs, checking stage times, messaging lost mates and documenting that questionable food purchase at two in the morning.
🏕 Arriving at the Campsite
The campsite opens at midday on Wednesday and remains open continuously until campers must leave by 13:00 on Monday.
Early arrivals will naturally have more time to find their preferred camping area, but everyone should follow the directions provided by stewards.
Once your tent is pitched, take a photograph of nearby landmarks or save your location on your phone.
Rows of tents can look surprisingly similar after dark, particularly after several hours in the arena and a heroic visit to the bar.
A distinctive flag can help, although it may also turn your campsite into an unofficial meeting point for everybody within a five-mile radius.
🎒 The Riff Report’s Arrival Checklist
Before setting off, make sure you’ve got:
- Your festival ticket
- Photo identification
- Parking or camping passes
- Tent, poles and pegs
- Sleeping bag and sleeping mat
- Waterproof clothing
- Reusable water bottle
- Portable phone charger
- Sun cream
- Ear protection
- Any required medication
- Sensible footwear
- A torch or headlamp
- Enough snacks to survive the queue
- One emergency Greggs stop planned into the route
British festival weather can deliver sunshine, rain, wind and emotional damage within the same twenty-minute period, so prepare for everything.
🤘 Get There Early, Get Set Up and Get Ready for the Riffs
Knowing the opening times means you can plan your journey, avoid unnecessary panic and start the festival weekend properly.
Wednesday arrivals can settle into the campsite from midday, Thursday brings the first arena action, and the full festival schedule kicks into gear from Friday morning.
Just remember that entry times become earlier over the weekend, with the main entrance closing at 20:00 on Saturday and 18:00 on Sunday.
Then, once the final riff has faded and Monday morning arrives, all campers and vehicles must be off-site by 13:00.
Travel safely, respect the staff, look after your campsite neighbours and leave the field as you found it.
See you in the arena, butt. Proudly Welsh. Proudly Loud. 🤘🔥🏴
