Prodigy at the MK National Bowl

24 July 2010, 06:00

Roads in and around Milton Keynes are expected to be busier than normal on Saturday 24th July, as The Prodigy play to 65,000 people at the National Bowl.

It'll be the band's biggest gig to date, and will also feature several support acts.

According to concert organisers, most hotels within a 25 mile radius of Milton Keynes are fully booked.

Gordon Cockhill - the Venue Director at the National Bowl - told Heart about the benefits that events on this scale have for the New City:

"Clearly it's national and international media exposure. But at the same time 65,000 people bring with them a lot of money. We've never really been able to put a figure on what the spend is, but it must run in to millions."

Since the concert was announced in January, Milton Keynes Police and MK Council have been making preparations to ensure the traffic runs as smoothly as possible.

Most of the restrictions are going to be in place from 6am on Saturday morning until 4am on Sunday morning. Signs have been up in the affected areas for the past few days, and marshals will be working close to the venue to help members of the public.

For a full list of road closures, diversions and travel information, click here.

If you're dropping someone off at the bowl for the concert, you're being told to make sure you pick them up from a pre- arranged meeting point away from the venue.

Rod Hardie - who's in charge of events operations for the police in Milton Keynes - told Heart that just before the concert finishes the roads around the bowl will close:

"Obviously we want to get people away from here as quickly and efficiently as we can. One problem we have sometimes is where parents have dropped off children and they think they can come back to the point directly outside the bowl where they've dropped them off in the morning - but they won't be able to. The railway station is a recognised and signed pick up point. We'd advice anyone wanting to pick up people to make their way to the railway station."

If you live outside of Milton Keynes and are planning to get the train to get to the concert, London Midland has put on extra trains to London to help cope with the higher numbers.

Click here to see their revised timetable.

To find out how to walk between Milton Keynes Station and National Bowl, which takes about 25 minutes, you can look at London Midland's online leaflet