TfGM gears up for nearly 100,000 sports and music fans to descend on Manchester

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) is inviting sports and music fans to make the most of public transport and active travel options when two huge concerts and a footballing finale take place on the evening of Tuesday 20th May.

Nearly 100,000 people are expected in Manchester city centre with Bruce Springsteen, Kylie Minogue and Manchester City all playing on the same night. Bruce Springsteen is set to play to a sold-out Co-op Live, while City play their final home game of the season at the neighbouring Etihad (8pm kick-off); Kylie, meanwhile, is bringing her Tension Tour to the AO Arena.

At the Etihad Campus there will a crossover with City and Springsteen fans arriving at the same time for their respective events. And with the Blues planning a ‘lap of appreciation’ following the final whistle, football and music fans could be leaving at a similar time, too.

If possible, attendees are being advised to travel outside peak times when the roads and tram network will be at their busiest. Some may wish to take advantage of the 4.30pm early entry at Co-op Live, with the show scheduled to start at 8pm.

TfGM’s state-of-the-art control room will also be monitoring the transport network during the evening and responding to any incidents as they develop.

Steve Gilholme, Head of Events at Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), said:

“It promises to be a spectacular night in Manchester – but also an incredibly busy one on our transport network, particularly the roads in and around the city centre.

“I would encourage anyone travelling into the city on Tuesday to plan ahead, travel by tram or bus and use the Bee Network app or website to keep yourself up to date with the latest travel information.

“City and Bruce Springsteen fans might also want to consider walking to their events from the city centre – making use of the well-lit, signposted and stewarded walking route which takes around 25 minutes from Piccadilly. For those who prefer to travel on two wheels, there are over 500 cycle parking spaces at the Etihad Campus and two bike hire points near the south-west corner of the Etihad stadium, on Ashton New Road.”