How to get to Punchestown Music Festival: the AA Roadwatch guide

Many Irish music fans have fond memories of festivals at Punchestown, and with a slogan like “Relive the Magic”, there’s a definite sense of nostalgia to this year’s event. Seventies, Eighties and Nineties are all on the menu over the two-day festival, which takes place on the 29^th  and 30^th July, with a weather-proof roller disco as dessert.

Culture Club headline Saturday’s bill, supported by the likes of Deacon Blue, The Lightning Seeds and The Village People, while Sunday sees Welsh stalwarts Tom Jones and Bonnie Tyler head a line-up that also includes All Saints, Boney M and Smokie, among others. See below for stage times.

If you love your Karma Chameleons as much as your Delilahs and are attending both nights, you can choose between heading home to your own bed or booking on-site glamping with Pink Moon Camping (only available to weekend ticket holders). Either way, you won’t have the hassle of pitching your own tent in the mud at this festival!

The festival kicks off at 2pm each day, while the campsite will be open from 9am on Saturday 29^th until 10am on Monday 31^st. Never drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs – if you plan to drive home on Monday morning, make sure that you will be able to comply with the legal limits.

Tom Jones by Will Tindall, used under CC-BY-SA-4.0 licence

GETTING THERE

Punchestown Racecourse is located just outside Naas in Kildare, between the Blessington Rd (R410) and Ballymore Eustace Rd (R411). We’ll be keeping an eye on your route across the weekend, so check AA Routeplanner for live traffic updates before setting off. Leave plenty of extra time for your journey! 

• BY CAR

From Dublin, take the N7 Dublin/Limerick Rd to J9 Naas North, continue onto the Dublin Rd (R445) and, at the traffic lights, turn left onto the Blessington Rd (R410). At Beggar’s End Cross, turn right (signposted for Punchestown). The racecourse is on the left after approx. 2km.

From Galway and the west, take the M6/M4 Galway/Dublin Rd through to the M50, travel on the M50 southbound to J9 Red Cow, turn onto the N7 Naas Rd outbound and follow the Dublin directions above. Alternatively, leave the M4 at J7 Maynooth and use AA Routeplanner for a more direct cross-country route to Punchestown.

From the north, take the M1, M2 or M3 to the M50, travel on the M50 southbound to J9 Red Cow, turn onto the N7 Naas Rd outbound and follow Dublin directions above.

From Limerick, take the M7 Limerick/Dublin Rd to J12 Newbridge, turn right at the roundabout and cross the motorway onto the Kilcullen Rd (R413). In Kilcullen Town, turn right onto Main St and continue over the bridge onto the Kilcullen/Naas Rd (R448). After 6.5km, turn right at Mylerstown Cross. The racecourse is on the right after approx. 4km.

From Cork, take the M8 Cork/Dublin Rd, merge onto the M7 and follow Limerick directions above.

From Waterford, take the M9 Waterford/Dublin Rd to J2 Kilcullen. Turn right onto the Kilcullen/Naas Rd (R448) and continue straight through the town. After 6.5km, turn right at Mylerstown Cross. The racecourse is on the right after approx. 4km.

Alternatively, traffic from Limerick, Cork and Waterford can stay on the M7 to J10 Naas South and follow signs for Naas on the R445. Turn right onto the Naas Ring Rd and then, at the Ballymore Eustace Rd R/A, take another right onto the Ballymore Eustace Rd (R411, signposted for Punchestown). At Watch House Cross, turn left (signposted for Punchestown). The racecourse is on the right after approx. 500m.

Those travelling from the east (Wicklow, Carlow, Wexford, east Kildare and south-east Dublin) can also use the N81 Blessington Rd, turn onto the Ballymore Eustace Rd (R411) and turn right at Watch House Cross (signposted for Punchestown).

Boy George (Culture Club) by Eva Rinaldi, used under CC-BY-SA-2.0 licence

• PARKING

Unlike the old Oxegen festivals at the site, parking will be available at designated spots on the racecourse grounds: follow signs and stewards’ instructions when you arrive.

• WHAT IF I BREAK DOWN ON THE WAY?

AA Membership is available for as little as €8.25 per month and offers 24/7 emergency cover so we’ll never see you stuck. See here for more.

• BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Marathon Coaches will provide direct buses to the festival from Dublin city centre, with hourly departures from George’s Quay between midday and 6pm both days. Return services will start leaving Punchestown from 11pm each evening. For weekend campers, there will also be a return bus at 11am on Monday.

Kelly’s Concert Travel will be providing a service to the festival from Cork City (via Mitchelstown and Cahir), Limerick City (via Nenagh and Roscrea) and Tipperary Town (via Cashel and Portlaoise). The Cork service leaves at 11am each day, while the other routes both depart at midday. The return service will leave Punchestown after the show finishes each evening.

Buses to Concerts will run a service to the festival each day from Belfast, with stops in Lisburn, Banbridge, Newry, Dundalk and Drogheda. The bus leaves Belfast at midday and returns approx. 30 minutes after the show finishes in Punchestown.

Executive Express will provide buses from Leopardstown in Dublin, stopping at Red Cow, Newlands Cross and Citywest. The buses leave Leopardstown at 1pm, 3pm and 4:30pm, with return services after the event.

Travelmaster will provide a bus from County Cork, with a number of pick-up points between Bantry and Cork City. The bus leaves Skibbereen at 9am and Cork City at 11am, returning approx. 45 minutes after the show in Punchestown.

Orange Event-Link (Cormac O’Connor Coaches) will run a service from Cork City, departing at 10am each day and returning approx. one hour after the event finishes.

A number of bus providers also run services to Naas, which is approx. 10 minutes from the venue by taxi:

• Bus Éireann provide regular services to Naas from Dublin, Kildare Town and Portlaoise. Naas is approx 10 minutes from the venue by taxi. The last bus leaves Naas at 11pm (to Dublin).
• Dublin Coach also run regular services to Naas from Dublin and Portlaoise, with the buses leaving Naas once an hour throughout the night.
• JJ Kavanagh serve Naas on routes from Kilkenny, Clonmel and Dublin. The last bus leaves Naas at midnight (to Kilkenny and Clonmel).

Andy’s of Naas will operate a service every 20 minutes between Poplar Square/Market Square and the venue between 12:30pm and 4:50pm both days.

Irish Rail runs regular train services to Sallins station, just outside Naas, from Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Waterford and Portlaoise. The station is a 15-minute taxi journey from the racecourse. The last train from the station (to Dublin) leaves at 11pm on Saturday and 8:43pm on Sunday.