The Long Road Festival 2023: Frequently Asked Questions

British summers are famously unpredictable - this year, we spent most of June complaining about it being far too hot, before spending July moaning about how disappointingly cold it is.

However, one constant that we can always depend on to bring us joy each summer is The Long Road Festival 2023, which takes place at the end of August.

The Leicestershire country music extravaganza prides itself on being unlike anything else in the UK, with a unique assortment of country, Roots and Americana artists taking the stage, while a plethora of mouth-watering stalls help to transport you to the outskirts of Nashville from the English fields.

However, because The Long Road Festival 2023 is a one-of-a-kind experience, those attending for the first time may have a question or two about what to expect. Aside from the fact you can look forward to an unforgettable weekend packed with incredible music, food and activities, here's everything else you need to know the much-loved festival:

The Long Road Festival will take place in the scenic grounds of Stanford Hall in Lutterworth, Leicestershire (LE17 6DH).

The 2023 instalment kicks off on Friday, August 25, with the final performer closing out the festival on Sunday, August 27. If you're sticking around for the Sunday evening after-parties, make sure to head over to Buddy's Good Time Bar for Holler's DJ set.

Campsites open to those with a camping ticket at 11am on Friday, August 25. The arena opening times are below:

• Friday, August 25: 3pm - 2am
• Saturday, August 26: 11am - 2am
• Sunday, August 27: 11am - 1am

The car park will be open from 10am - 11pm from Friday to Sunday, and from 8am - 1pm on Monday.

Campers need to vacate the grounds by 12pm on Monday, August 28.

Canadian songsmith, Tenille Townes, is headlining on Friday, August 25, while Southern rockers, Blackberry Smoke, will be taking over the headlining duties on Saturday, August 26.

California powerhouse, Cam, will headline on Sunday, August 27, after coming in as a replacement for Jon Pardi, who was forced to withdraw from the line-up earlier in the week. You can find the full Long Road Festival 2023 roster of performers and day-splits here.

If you're in need of some inspiration when putting together your country-inspired Long Road Festival attire, check out Holler's comprehensive guide to the Best Country Festival Outfit Ideas.

Yes! The love we have for our four-legged friends is a prominent muse for country artists (‘Maggie's Song’ by Chris Stapleton is a fine example), and dogs are therefore more than welcome to attend The Long Road Festival 2023 - provided you have let the organisers know in advance, and that you take into account all the information set out here.

The Long Road Festival 2023 advises you buy your ticket in advance, as they cannot guarantee availability on the day.

The exact specifications can vary depending on whether you have a General Camping ticket, a Premium Camping ticket, a Day ticket or a Weekend No Camping ticket.

The list of prohibited items for all ticket-holders, though, include cameras, film or video equipment with a lens greater than 6 inches; drones; paper lanterns; illegal substances or legal highs; unrecognisable medication without a doctor's note or prescription; perfume in small glass bottles over 100ml; and generators.

The following will be allowed in campsites, but not the festival arena:

• Flagpoles
• Cooking equipment (but all BBQs must be raised off the ground when in use)
• Gazebos

Camping ticket-holders can bring a “reasonable” amount of food (unfortunately, bringing a full Sunday roast will almost certainly be deemed “unreasonable”), along with alcohol for personal consumption meeting the following specifications:

• 1 x 70cl spirits (no greater than 40% ABV) and 12 x 440ml cans beer/cider

OR

• 12 x 250ml cans pre-mixed spirits

OR

• 3 litres of wine and 12 x 440ml cans beer/cider

All food and drink is prohibited from the arena, but sealed bottles of water (no bigger than 750ml) are permitted, as are unsealed empty bottles, which can be refilled at festival water points. Glass is not permitted in any of the grounds, including the arena and campsites.

For the full in-depth specifications as to what you can and cannot bring, see here.

By Car/Motorbike:

The festival can be accessed via the M1 and M6, and the organisers advise that you turn off your Sat Nav and follow The Long Road Festival signage as you approach the grounds.

Pick-Up & Drop-Off:

There is a designated Pick-Up and Drop-Off point in the festival car park. Taxis can be few and far between around Lutterworth, so they suggest you book in advance. When the Taxi is getting near to the grounds, please ask the driver to follow the festival signage for Taxis. When departing the festival and attempting to locate your Taxi, keep an eye out for signage pointing you towards the official Taxi rank.

Train:

The nearest train station to The Long Road Festival is Rugby Station, with direct trains available from London Euston and Birmingham New Street. Journey times are usually under an hour - however, make sure to check in advance how train strikes may affect your plans, with industrial action planned on Saturday, August 26.

From Friday to Monday, the Festival Bus will be running a return service from Rugby Train Station to The Long Road grounds.

Festival Bus:

This will operate a return service from Rugby Train Station to The Long Road Festival grounds from Friday to Monday. Tickets can be purchased from The Long Road's ticket page.

In addition, ticket-holders can pre-book a Festival Bus taking attendees from Lutterworth to the festival grounds on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The pick-up point for Lutterworth is the car park adjacent to Travelodge Lutterworth (Rugby Road). NB: These must be pre-booked, and cannot be bought on the day, with Festival Bus tickets being taken off-sale the evening before the bus is due to run.

The one-way journey time from Rugby Station to The Long Road Festival is between 20-35 minutes. Directly from Lutterworth, the journey time is around 15 minutes - or, in other words, the perfect opportunity to listen to Megan Moroney's ‘Tennessee Orange’ four times in a row.

All Festival Buses are wheelchair accessible. Please see the official Festival Bus page for further details.

Bike:

Although we wouldn't advise cycling all the way from London to Lutterworth...if you live a little closer to the festival grounds and want to bring your bike, there is a designated area by the entrance where cyclists can lock them up free of charge.

We - and your fellow festival-goers - are so glad you asked. Yes, there will be showers in the General Campsite. There will also be Premium showers in the Premium Campsite (but, as the name suggests, these are accessible only to those with a Premium Camping ticket).

The organisers make a point of underlining that showers get very busy during mornings, and they advise you to instead perform your ablutions at an off-peak time.

Those with a Camping ticket will be permitted to re-enter the campsite at any point by showing their wristband.

However, there will be no re-entry for Day ticket and Weekend No Camping ticket-holders - once you're in, you're in. As Waylon Jennings wisely crooned, by that point, you're ‘Too Far Gone’.

If you have a Weekend No Camping ticket and you leave the festival arena on Saturday, for instance, you will not be re-admitted until the arena re-opens on Sunday.

The organisers stress that they appreciate there may be certain instances where leaving the site is a necessity, and in these cases, the members of security will use their discretion.

For more on The Long Road Festival 2023, see below: