Rain causes traffic chaos on way to Rock Werchter

Rock Werchter, Belgium's annual music festival, opens this afternoon in the village of Werchter, near Leuven, but the rainy conditions of the last few weeks are causing havoc on the roads. Traffic on the way to the festival and in Werchter has been particularly busy since early Thursday morning, with many people reporting having to queue for hours to find a place in the car parks and campgrounds, writes De Standaard.

Traffic is more chaotic than last year because flooding has halved the number of parking areas available in and around the festival grounds. The Flemish Traffic Centre is therefore urging drivers to use the car parks at the Heysel and in Haasrode.

"It is currently very busy, especially in the vicinity of Haacht where many festival-goers are trying to reach already-full parking lots. We advise drivers to follow the signs to the motorway and then to parking lot C of the Heysel, the Brabanthal convention centre or the barracks of Heverlee off the E40 Haasrode exit,” says Peter Bruyninckx of the Flemish Traffic Centre.

The organisers of Rock Werchter have foreseen shuttle buses to bring festival-goers from parking C and Haasrode to the festival grounds and back.