Download Festival 2006 at Donnington Park

[DaemonJ]

I was wondering if any members here were in the UK and were familiar with the Download Festival 2006 at Donnington Park in early June.

I am considering making the attempt to attend but am not sure of which airport to use among the 4 that are available:

London Gatwick Airport (LGW)
London Heathrow Airport (LHR)
Manchester International Airport (MAN)
London (LON)

Also, I can purchase a combination ticket and hotel stay package for the event with the lodging at the Express by Holiday Inn, Castle Donnington. Does anyone know if this is a decent (clean, affordable, close to the park) place to stay or not?

Thanks in advance for any help and information that is provided!

[Georgi]

Well, Donnington Park is in the Midlands, and if you want to get there by train from Manchester Airport, it will take you about two hours; from either Heathrow or Gatwick, probably closer to three hours once you've got into London and out again on a train. (The closest stations to the festival are Derby and Loughborough, and you'd need to get a train from St Pancras, which is nowhere near either Heathrow or Gatwick.) I am not sure what airport you mean by London.

Re the Holiday Inn, they are usually pretty standard hotels, but come on, it's a festival! That means camping - by far the cheapest accommodation, and more in keeping with the spirit of things. And from a quick perusal of ticket prices, it looks like more than twice the price to get a ticket and hotel package, but I suppose it's up to you if you're willing to pay the price for a comfy bed.

Hope this helps.

[DaemonJ]

Thank you very much for the information!

I just listed the 4 airports as they were displayed by both travelocity and orbitz when I tried to check for plane tickets. So I'm not sure which airport they are referring to as just London either. LOL

I would typically camp out at an event such as this but there is no way I am going to fly my camping gear over there. Finding, purchasing, and setting up camping gear once I am over there will likely be difficult and expensive.

As such, I figured that it would be easier and pretty close in cost to get a hotel room and then I'm not stuck with a bunch of camping gear after the festival is finished that I then have to get rid of.

A friend of mine that is in the UK said that the East Midlands Airport is my best bet and is pretty close to the park.

With the current exchange rate I'm looking at over $1,300 for festival tickets and hotel room. The plane ticket isn't looking too cheap either.

As such I probably won't be able to go.

Thank you again for the information and help.

[Georgi]

Originally Posted by DaemonJ

I just listed the 4 airports as they were displayed by both travelocity and orbitz when I tried to check for plane tickets. So I'm not sure which airport they are referring to as just London either. LOL

Probably any London airport.

I would typically camp out at an event such as this but there is no way I am going to fly my camping gear over there. Finding, purchasing, and setting up camping gear once I am over there will likely be difficult and expensive.

As such, I figured that it would be easier and pretty close in cost to get a hotel room and then I'm not stuck with a bunch of camping gear after the festival is finished that I then have to get rid of.

Yeah, I figured you might say that. But if you just have a small tent etc, it's not that much to carry. I mean, it's what, a three-day festival? So it's not like there is much else you need to take, just a few changes of clothes and stuff, which leaves plenty of room for a tent. You don't really need cooking equipment or anything like that. Mind you, you could probably pick up a cheap tent and sleeping bag from somewhere like Argos for about £50.

A friend of mine that is in the UK said that the East Midlands Airport is my best bet and is pretty close to the park.

That's true, it's only a couple of miles away, but they only do domestic and European flights from there, so you would still have to fly into Gatwick or Heathrow or wherever and get a domestic flight.

It's a shame you probably won't be able to go. Maybe you should plan for next year's instead - international flights are usually cheaper the further in advance you buy them.

[Denethorn]

That's true, it's only a couple of miles away, but they only do domestic and European flights from there, so you would still have to fly into Gatwick or Heathrow or wherever and get a domestic flight.

Domestic flights can be very cheap nowerdays though, which might be a worthwhile idea. If you get a good deal, it could be possibly cheaper than catching the train from Manchester, though it all depends on special offers that are available. bmibaby.co.uk is a useful place to start.

[DaemonJ]

Originally Posted by Georgi

I mean, it's what, a three-day festival? So it's not like there is much else you need to take, just a few changes of clothes and stuff, which leaves plenty of room for a tent. You don't really need cooking equipment or anything like that. Mind you, you could probably pick up a cheap tent and sleeping bag from somewhere like Argos for about £50.

Good point but since I am not familiar with London or it's stores I did not know about Argos. I also wasn't sure if food would be available and if so at what price.

Originally Posted by Georgi

It's a shame you probably won't be able to go. Maybe you should plan for next year's instead - international flights are usually cheaper the further in advance you buy them.

The cheapest plane ticket that I have found is $1,325 that flies into Brussels, Belgium and then takes me to East Midlands.

I'm not sure who is playing next year and the bands appearing this year is the main reason I wish to attend.