Rain and Mud Dominate Isle of Wight Festival

Heavy rain and mud has complicated plans for thousands of Isle of Wight festival-goers this weekend, reports the BBC. Attendees of the U.K. festival ran into rough conditions, leaving some waiting for 10 hours to access the festival’s parking lots.

The issues started early Thursday, when the main parking lot became flooded. Extra field space was cleared for parking along with metal track installations, but many vehicles had to be towed.

“The two things I’m really annoyed about is this weather has been going on for weeks, so why were they not prepared for it?” said one frustrated attendee. “Second, we weren’t told the full story in Portsmouth and could have turned back if we had known we would be in the car all night. Why did they let us get on the ferry when they knew there was nowhere for us to go?”

Organizers have encouraged those still stuck in traffic to continue to the ferry as foot passengers. About 55,000 are expected for the festival; the Isle of Wight is home to only 140,000 people. This year’s festival runs from Friday, June 22nd, to Sunday, June 24th, with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Pearl Jam and Bruce Springsteen as headliners.