160,000 expected at Westlife farewells

Almost 80,000 fans will descend on Croke Park this Friday - and the same again on Saturday - for Westlife’s farewell tour.

Almost 80,000 fans will descend on Croke Park this Friday - and the same again on Saturday - for Westlife’s farewell tour.

The concert kicks off the boy band’s two-day stop at the stadium to mark the finale of their last ever tour. Special guests are UK boy bands Lawson and The Wanted and Irish pop duo Jedward.

Gates for both Westlife concerts on Friday and Saturday open at 4.30pm. Queuing for the events is not permitted before 4pm.

Gardaí are urging fans to avail of public transport where possible.

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"We would ask people to use public transport wherever possible," said MCD's events safety officer Michael Slattery said. "Leave yourselves plenty of time to get here and take your time leaving at the end of the show and follow the instructions of stewards and gardaí."

The area around Clonliffe Road from Drumcondra to Ballybough, including Jones's Road, will be cordoned off by 4pm. It may be necessary to cordon off the North Circular Road at times.

The cordon will remain in place for the duration of the concerts.

About 3,500 parking spaces are available in Clonliffe College, while and O’Connell Primary School will cater for about 400 cars. Pay parking is in place for most of the roads around Croke Park and clamping will be in operation.

A total of 700 stewards and security will be on site on the night along with about 100 gardaí. A large team of medical staff will also be present.

‘‘Be aware of the weather, the weather is quite variable at the moment, so dress appropriately for the Irish weather. Be prepared but please don’t bring umbrellas because they obstruct the views of others and are not permitted in the stadium,’’ said Mr Slattery.

Banners, glowsticks, video cameras, food and alcohol are also not permitted in the stadium.

The concert is expected to finish at around 11pm.

The Red Hot Chilli Peppers will play Croke Park on Tuesday, June 26th, along with The Vaccines and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds.

The gates for this concert open at 5.30pm and no queuing will be allowed before 4pm. The traffic management plan will apply to all three upcoming concerts.

The three upcoming shows are worth about €50 million in revenue for Dublin’s city centre in terms of hotels, restaurants and other spending by fans, according to the Chambers of Commerce.

Safety information leaflets have been sent out to 90 per cent of all fans who purchased their tickets online.