Overview
- Attendees said leaving the one‑day No Art festival at Bolesworth Castle took hours on Saturday, May 30, with social videos showing traffic at a standstill, people stranded by roadsides and some on the M6.
- Reports described crowds scrambling for coaches, alleged refusals to board overcrowded buses, and some people sleeping roadside or attempting to walk on motorway exits during the prolonged delays.
- Festival organisers said they had a robust traffic management plan, processed roughly 7,500 vehicles, and recorded no medical or road‑traffic incidents, adding that site bars stayed open to ease departures.
- Cheshire West and Chester Council’s Safety Advisory Group said it had reviewed planning paperwork but acknowledged end‑of‑event problems and has launched an investigation, and Bolesworth Estate confirmed it will not host the festival again.
- The incident highlights how rural venues rely heavily on coach services, designated pick‑up points and one‑way traffic systems and raises questions about contingency planning, taxi management and welfare provision for large outdoor dance events.