Campers at Download Festival 2016 are hoping weather reports forecasting more rain are proved wrong after Donington was turned into a mudbath.
A brief but severe downpour on Friday saw much of the Pink campsite hit with fast rivers of rain water. It continued to rain for hours after that, but not as heavily. And while that water dissipated by Saturday morning, the area remains treacherous underfoot with mud causing chaos for festival-goers.
However, things aren’t actually quite as bad as social media has been making out.
The conditions led to a barrage of images being shared on Facebook and Twitter under the hashtag #Drownload – but the picture being shared more than most was actually taken at Glastonbury in 2005.
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One camper, Scott Pringle from Glasgow, tells TeamRock: “It rained really hard for a short burst and it’s been not too bad since. It was some of the heaviest rain I’ve ever seen, but that picture that’s doing the rounds is definitely not from Download.
“It could get worse if the rain comes back of course, but so far we’re all still having a brilliant time and the atmosphere is superb. As is the case every year, it’s been a brilliant festival and there’s still loads to come.”
Today, BBC Weather is forecasting brief spells of rain this afternoon and in the early hours of the morning, while Sunday looks like seeing rain briefly at 10am and then again from 6pm.
Update: The Met Office has since confirmed that Download Festival 2016 could have been the wettest on record.
