MAJOR TRAFFIC restrictions will be in place in Dublin city centre this weekend as almost 150,000 music fans make their way to concerts in Croke Park, Dublin.
Celine Dion will play to 64,000 fans on Friday night, while a crowd of 82,000 is expected for Westlife's concert on Sunday.
Fans of the boyband are being warned not to queue overnight or before 3.30pm on Sunday or they will be moved on by gardaí and stewards. Gardaí have also asked local publicans to be wary of underage drinking ahead of the Westlife concert.
Neil Diamond and Prince will play the venue on June 14th and 16th respectively, meaning over a quarter of a million music fans will pass through the area over the next two weeks.
There will be 150 gardaí deployed for each of the four concerts with about 500 stewards inside the ground.
An area around the stadium, including Clonliffe Road, North Circular Road and Ballybough Road will be cordoned off by gardaí one hour ahead of each concert with access for local residents and businesses only.
Motorists are urged to avoid the area for half an hour before and after the concerts as severe restrictions will also be in place with road closures at North Circular Road and North Great Charles Street and Belvedere Road.
Concert-goers are asked to use public transport or to car-pool as parking near the event will be restricted. There will be over 3,500 parking spaces available at Clonliffe College and off North Circular Road, while there will be a capacity for almost 50 coaches at Mountjoy Square.
Environmental considerations are a further incentive for not driving as the stadium aims to reduce its carbon footprint to zero over the next 18 months.
While the weather looks set to improve for the weekend, promoters are asking people to dress for the weather in the open-air venue.
However, concert-goers will not be allowed to use umbrellas during either show.
