There's no such thing as a perfect festival. Even if the line-up goes down as the greatest thing announced in the history of music, there are still so many elements that make a festival tick. With Download Festival always striving to continue it's own expansion and popularity they've announced a string of improvements set for 2017 all garnered from feedback and comments of those who attend the event year in year out.

Commenting on the site improvements, Festival Republic's Melvin Benn stated, "As a festival we're always looking to improve the experience for our customers - it's always at the forefront of any planning we do, so the feedback we received on last year's festival has been invaluable. We introduced the dog blog this year which has enabled us to really listen to the Download fans and take on board all suggestions, and in turn implement plans that will see this year's Download be the best yet."

All of the below have officially been announced as steps being taken for Download Festival 2017:

New Drainage System - As many of those who have been in recent years will know, mother nature has taken a bit of a dislike to Download in recent years with the now infamous tagline of Drownload becoming the festival's unofficial name. This year sees the introduction of a new drainage system which totals over 3,000 metres and quadruples the amount in previous years. An additional 1,115 metres of new ditches have also been added to take water away from site. Festival Manager John Probyn commented on this one specifically - "We've made major changes that will benefit the Download audience not just this year, but for years to come. Whilst rain in any situation will naturally create wetter ground conditions, we've taken measures to ensure our festival goers see a tangible improvement by increasing the vital drain structures on site to four times what they were in 2016."

Renewed Traffic Management Plan - Download have reviewed traffic management plans and are working closely with local authorities to produce alternative travel routes following the implications of the unforeseen closure of the M1 in 2016. A new route from the North and three new routes from the South will aim to better control festival traffic, to ease congestion for locals and festival goers alike, minimalising traffic in the event of a major road closure.

The fastest way to obtain up-to-date traffic information will be via the Download Festival App and through the Download Festival social media channels. Deployed traffic and car park marshalls will be on hand to aid fans in traffic advice on the ground.

Ticket holders driving on and off site each day will now park in a relocated car park. Most vehicles will aim to be parked on hard standing ground, allowing for greater ground resilience against wet weather. New trackways will be put in place where needed to allow ease of vehicle movement and to improve conditions underfoot for people walking through the campsite. An increased number of free onsite shuttle buses will also be available for the Main Campsite customers across the weekend from the West Car Park.

Improved Disabled Access - The relocation of the disabled campsite will see improved ground conditions and provide ease of access for disabled customers. The improved location will allow for customers to park nearer to their tents in an area with an increased amount of hard standing ground, and pathways with a better central toilet and shower facility that is easily accessible. Access roads between the car park, campsite and Main Arena will see the maximum solid ground routes available, and customers will have a dedicated arena entrance with access to the internal roadways in the arena.

The 'Dog Squad' - 400 members of a newly appointed 'Dog Squad' will be stationed across the car parks, campsites, village and arena to aid festival goers with any onsite issues throughout the weekend. This elite group of festival helpers will become an integral part of the Download customer service team.

Feel like you're up to the challenge? Use the following link to apply to become a volunteer and member of the 'Dog Squad' - https://www.hotboxevents.com/about/download-festival/

Updated Security - 24 hour security will remain in operation across the site, and more Zone Managers will be put in place for each field. These new representatives allocated by the festival will attend daily briefings with Site Management to ensure the most up-to-date information is provided to fans.

Third Stage Relocation - The Avalanche Stage (Third Stage) is this year being relocated to allow easier access between stages. Located behind NXT Wrestling, the Avalanche Stage will also be a shorter distance from the Main Stage and the Zippo Encore Stage. The area around the Zippo Encore Stage will also be opened up, allowing for improved crowd movement and flow.

Quiet Campsite Relocation - The Quiet campsite will be positioned further from the East Midlands Airport runway, with the North East corner of the current campsite undergoing development over the next 3 years to provide a better-withstanding ground.


As noted, a lot of these plans will be very welcome news to some of the most loyal festival fans in the world. Always feel like you've got a voice and continue to provide your feedback to the Download Festival team, whether that be through their social media channels or via their forums/blog.

What are you thoughts on all of the above? Do you feel like they've gone far enough, or are there still things you feel should have been addressed? Hit us up on Twitter (@roomthirteenmag) or on Facebook ( facebook.com/roomthirteen)