Cardiff: Road closures and travel advice ahead of Harry Styles concert
EXCITING: Harry Styles pictured in 2022 (Photo by Arthur Mola/Invision/AP)
Thousands of fans are expected to hit the Welsh capital on June 20 and June 21 as Harry Styles brings his tour to the Principality Stadium for two nights. Here is all you need to know about diversions and road closures which are set to take place in Cardiff city centre.
To avoid disappointment, those attending the concert are strongly advised to plan their journey in advance and get into Cardiff and the stadium early. The gates at Principality Stadium open to the public at 5pm.
A full city centre road closure will be in place by 12 noon. The earlier road closure time is due to the number of people that we are expecting to queue at the gates to the stadium early in the day which impacts the safety of the surrounding highway network. Castle Street and Duke Street will remain open until 4pm, to allow through flow of traffic.
The M4 motorway and surrounding Trunk Road Network is expected to be very busy for this event – please plan ahead – and avoid the congestion in Cardiff by using the Park & Ride facility at Leckwith Stadium of the Park & Walk facility at County Hall, in Cardiff Bay..
Please pay attention to the prohibited items listed here[1] in particular the bag policy (no large bags permitted) before travelling into the city.
Road closures
From 7am, Scott Road and Park Street will be closed because of the need to prepare Gate 5 and protect queuing fans.
The following roads will be closed as part of the full city centre road closure which will take place between 12 noon and midnight.
- Kingsway from its junction with North Road to its junction with Duke Street.
- Cowbridge Road East from its junction with Cathedral Road to its junction with Westgate Street.
- Tudor Street from its junction with Clare Road to its junction with Wood Street (access for residents and traders will be permitted via Fitzhammon Embankment).
- Plantagenet Street and Beauchamp Street from their junctions with Despenser Place to their junctions with Tudor Street (access for residents and traders will be permitted).
- The following roads will be closed in their entirety: High Street, St Mary Street, Caroline Street, Wood Street, Central Square, Westgate Street, Quay Street, Guildhall Place, Golate, Park Street, Havelock Street and Scott Road.
- Station Terrace and Guildford Street from the junction with Newport Road to the junction with Churchill Way will be access for buses only during the times of the road closures. This is to ensure that there is reliable access for buses to the satellite points in Churchill Way.
- Additionally, Penarth Road will be closed during the times of the road closures 30 minutes before the concert finishes and up to hour after the concert ends on safety grounds for train passengers arriving and departing from the train station.
Additions:Civic Centre: Access to part of the Civic Centre will be controlled throughout the day, with access allowed only for event parking, limited commuter parking, loading and access to private car parks.
Roads affected include King Edward VII Avenue, Museum Avenue, City Hall Road, College Road and Gorsedd Gardens Road.
For up to date traffic information on the motorway and trunk roads click here or @TrafficWales on Twitter and Facebook.[2][3][4]
Trains
WAIT IN LINE: Fans queue for trains at Cardiff Central Station (Image: Mark Lewis/ Media Wales)
Transport for Wales is carrying out infrastructure upgrades across the Core Valley Lines network for the South Wales Metro, resulting in buses replacing rail services all day between Pontypridd and Treherbert on Tuesday, June 20 and Wednesday, June 21.
TfW will be providing additional capacity where possible on routes in/out of Cardiff, but services are expected to be very busy so please allow plenty of time for your journey.
Post-event queues for mainline rail services will be on Central Square and queues for Valleys services will be to the rear of the station. Cardiff Queen Street station will close at 10pm, except for direct journeys to Cardiff Bay.
Due to the finishing time of the event, there are no post-event services to Birmingham or Holyhead. Visit[5] or the new TfW app for the latest travel information.
If you have any issues on the railway, please speak to a conductor or, for more serious matters, you can text the British Transport Police on 61016 or call 0800 40 50 40. In an emergency, always call 999.
Great Western Railway (GWR) will run additional services to help customers get home after the concert. Extra trains will operate from Cardiff Central to Swansea, Newport, Bristol and Swindon; with plenty of parking available at station car parks.
Trains are, however, expected to be very busy immediately after the concerts and a queueing system will be in place outside the station to help people board trains safely.
Those travelling from further afield should check connecting services, and the time of their last train home, here[6]
Coaches – Big Green Coach
As an alternative, Big Green Coach offers carbon neutral return coach travel from:
Bath, Birmingham, Bristol, Exeter, Gloucester, Newport, Plymouth, Taunton and Worcester.
Park & Ride facilities
Event Park & Ride is available at Cardiff City Stadium at Leckwith and can be accessed from junction 33 off the M4, following the signs to the site.
The drop off point will be at Fitzhammon Embankment.
The Park & Ride is 1.5 miles from the city centre which takes approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
The cost is £12 payable on the day.
Staff will arrive at the car park at 9am when the site opens, with the first bus leaving at 9.30am. The last bus will leaveFitzhammonEmbankment at midnight and the park & ride site will close at 12.30am the following morning. after each concert.
Park & Walk facilities
An Event Park & walk facility will operate from County Hall car park in Cardiff Bay.
The park & walk site will open at 2pm and will close at midnight. The cost to park is £5.
Civic Centre Event Day Parking(Cars and Coaches)
PLAN AHEAD: Event parking for a previous event held in Cardiff (Image: Rob Browne/ Media Wales)
Getting there: Exit Junction 32 off the M4, head south on the A470 towards the city centre and follow signage to the civic centre.
Cost: £20 payable on the day for a car and £30 for a bus- payment on arrival and card payments are also now available.
Parking time: The car park will open at 8am and closes at 12 Midnight.
Event Day Parking at Sophia Gardens
Sophia Gardens (cars)
(Approximately, 0.5 mile walk to the Principality Stadium, Gate 2).
Sophia Gardens Event Day Parking
Getting there: Exit junction 32 off the M4
Cost: £20 for a car & £30 for a bus – payment on arrival, card payments are now available.
Parking time: Car park opens at 8.00am and closes at 12 midnight.
Please note: Sophia Gardens car park will be staffed until midnight, all vehicles are left on site at the owner’s risk. Cardiff Council will not be held responsible for any theft or damage to motor vehicles or personal possessions. Any vehicles left in the car park after closing time will be fined.
Bus
Local buses:
Bus services will be diverted while the city centre road closures are in place.
Visit the relevant bus operator’s website for more information about your specific bus routes.
All Cardiff Bus services will divert to the satellite pick up and drop off bus stops from 12 noon until the last bus. All the diversion bus stops for Cardiff Bus services after 12 noon can be seen here[8]
Alternatively for Stagecoach services visit[9]
National Express:
National Express coaches will use Sophia Gardens as usual. At 3pm, National Express Services will leave and arrive from Cathedral Road.
Can you cycle or walk?
WALK OR CYCLE: The cycle lane pedestrian crossing, on Wood street, Cardiff (Image: Media Wales)
Those who live locally in Cardiff may want to travel by bicycle or walk. Research shows that 52per cent of car trips made in the Welsh capital are less than 5km. This is a distance that can be comfortably cycled in 20 minutes.
28per cent of Cardiff residents who currently do not cycle would like to do so.
When the roads are congested this makes cycling an even more attractive option as travel by bicycle would be quicker than a car during rush hours or during big events.
Shopping Parking
CAN GET BUSY: Traffic queuing in Mary Ann Street Cardiff (Image: Mark Lewis/ Media Walles)
City centre car parks are also available: North Road Car Parks, St David’s Shopping Centre, John Lewis, Capitol Shopping Centre, and NCP (Adam Street, Dumfries Place and Greyfriars Road.)
Disabled parking
Disabled drivers are advised to use Sophia Gardens. Disabled parking is also available at various private car parks.
Please check individual websites for availability.
Taxis
NEED A TAXI : General shot of the taxi rank in Cardiff City centre (Image: Media Wales)
St Mary Street taxi rank (outside the House of Fraser building) will close at 12 noon and will re-open at midnight.