A new report has found that the traffic management at the 2025 Glastonbury Festival in June edition was the “most successful to date”. With around 200,000 people heading for the Pilton site three years out of every four, Glastonbury has frequently made national headlines for the extraordinary build-up of traffic in the Somerset area during the first and last days of the event.

OIn 2024 warnings were issued that drivers in the area could face delays of up to 12 hours on the first and last days of the festival.

The traffic management plan for the 2025 festival, which was attended by some 210,000 people, was “delivered with a high degree of professionalism and collaboration, resulting in one of the most successful operations to date”, the report added.

Kelly Sumner, chair of Pilton Parish Council, told the BBC:

“In our wrap-up meeting, villagers’ comments were overwhelmingly supportive of how well the traffic was managed for the 2025 festival.”

The report on this year’s event said: “Careful planning and coordination between Somerset Council’s Traffic Management team, festival organisers, and contractors ensured that over 210,000 visitors were able to access the site efficiently, with minimal disruption to local communities and road networks.”

It added that by cutting the number of staff needed and removing a shuttle bus service, the council spent less money on the festival compared to the 2023 and 2024 events.

That has resulted in a saving of 23%, or £6,400, compared to 2024, but that none of the changes affected the council’s ability to fulfil its official roles.

(Picture: Amy Laughinghouse/Dreamstime.com)